“What is that plastic building in the back of the school?” has been a common question drifting through the halls lately. In fact, the structure is a greenhouse built overlooking the band and art rooms to accommodate the new Horticulture class taught by former Louisa County agriculture teacher Russell Jennings. With 13 years of experience at Louisa, Jennings started working at FCHS as the new agriculture teacher in August. The new high school was originally built with the hopes of adding an agriculture program, but with the economic downturn, funding was not available to hire staff to teach the class until this time.

The greenhouse was built over the past couple of weeks at a speed that amazed many students who watched the process from their classrooms. Jennings received donations, rock, and other supplies from the Virginia Farm Bureau, Tenaska, and W. A. Armstrong.

Considered part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program, the agriculture course was developed over the summer. So far, over 100 Flucos have enrolled in courses like Introduction to Plant Systems, Horticulture Science, Technology Exploratory, Agriscience, and the planting of vegetable crops.

“I think it’s a great experience for students to be introduced to something new like this. I was really interested in agriculture when I was younger, but I was really inspired by my 9th horticulture teacher,” Jennings said. Jennings’ class is currently planting herbs and plans on planting lettuce and other cool-season vegetables. One of Jennings’s goals is to re-establish Future Farmers of America (FFA) in the high school. He also hopes to plant poinsettias near the holidays and water them himself over breaks.

“I was very interested in the subject and took the class because I would definitely want to do this sort of thing as an alternative to my career. Mr. Jennings is a pretty easy-going teacher… His class is a lot of fun and you always learn something new,” said junior Tylor Mason.

Jennings worked with the Virginia Farm Bureau at Old Farm Day on Oct. 4 and competed at the State Fair of Virginia. Along with Dolores Carr’s Culinary Arts class, Jennings and his students have made apple butter for a fundraiser at the school on Oct. 12. Carr’s students will be practicing knife slicing and peeling techniques with the apples. The apples used for the event will be from Terry Lintecum’s Fruit Hill Orchard on Route 53. The cost to purchase the apple butter is $8 for a quart and $5 for a pint. Orders must be placed by Oct. 24.