Blooming Education

Four Oxford High School students from the Horticulture and Natural Science program competed and excelled in the state FFA competition held at Mississippi State University.

They won first place in the Floriculture Career Development Event, a competition that required them to identify various plants, craft flower arrangements, take a general floriculture knowledge exam and engage in a collaborative team activity that highlighted their knowledge and skills of the floriculture industry.

This momentum pushed them to work diligently and practice multiple times a week to prepare for the prestigious national convention. Oxford Floral Company aided in this endeavor by generously donating their time, expertise and supplies for the students to utilize when they practiced.

With a win under their belt, students Lilly Ambrose, Uno Estialbo, Meghan Goins and Anastasiia Sikorska traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, to represent the state of Mississippi at the 97th annual National FFA Convention & Expo.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 945,000 student members as part of 9,163 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. By competing in events like these, students are able to showcase their skills as both individuals and as a team. Ken Hearn, Oxford High School’s horticul- ture teacher, states: “By competing in career development events, students demonstrate the knowledge and skills that they have learned throughout my program and match them against students from across the state and nation.

Oxford Floral Company employees work with Uno Estialbo and Anastasiia Sikorska to create flower arrangements.

It’s really impressive what these students are able to accomplish, and there is no doubt that they will benefit from this experience, regardless of if they decide to pursue a career in the horticulture industry or go into an unrelated field.”