CHS greenhouse under new management

For many years, the greenhouse behind Cheney High School has served primarily as a lab for experiments.

Heather McLagan, one of the advisers for the high school's Future Farmers of America chapter, along with Alan Skoog, took over managing the greenhouse last year and have since then turned it into a classroom and a center that mass produces plants.

"We've changed the way the greenhouse is run, it's not just for labs and experiments," McLagan said.

McLagan previously ran the greenhouse at Deer Park High School before Skoog recruited her to come to Cheney to teach horticulture and botany classes at the high school.

"She's turned the greenhouse into a learning environment and has done a fabulous job," Skoog said. "We're happy to have her here."

The greenhouse is still used for labs during the fall. However, McLagan teaches a sixth-period greenhouse class during spring quarter where students learn and understand the growth and development of plants in a greenhouse environment and plant identification.

Students also learn about the trials and errors of planting. One recent example McLagan used is when students had to transplant marigolds into separate slots. Some students had planted two or more marigold seeds into the slots, resulting in them not getting enough water and wilting.

Students also gain leadership along with career and customer service experience as they learn about financing, marketing and selling the plants they grow in the greenhouse.

"Running a greenhouse is expensive, and with the class they know the work that goes into maintaining a greenhouse," McLagan said.

Vanessa Flowers, one of the students in the greenhouse class, has a garden at home. She said the class has helped her learn that there is more to planting than just putting a seed in soil and watering it.

"I never realized there are so many layers to planting," Flowers said.

According to McLagan, students will be able to take the greenhouse class for a biology credit starting next year. She hopes the school will add a plant production class as an elective.

McLagan said the majority of plants grown in the greenhouse are flowers - including marigolds and lavenders - as well as vegetables, herbs and succulents, which are plants that drought resistant like cactus. Most of the plants are used for floral arrangements and plant sales during the holidays.

The plants currently growing in the greenhouse will be used for the FFA chapter's spring plant sale, which is May 5-7. McLagan said proceeds from the sale go toward travel costs and leadership conferences for FFA members.

"Last year, the plant sale started slow, but we sold out of everything in three days," McLagan said. "We'll have a lot more stuff this year. We overplanted."

McLagan's presence has also helped the FFA chapter in raising membership. In a Sept. 24, 2015 Cheney Free Press story, FFA chapter president Kelci Scharff said McLagan helped start a floriculture team and encouraged students from her floral design classes to join the club.

For McLagan, running the greenhouse has also been a learning experience.

"I wasn't an expert when I did this at first," McLagan said. "After a while, I wound up teaching myself how to run a greenhouse better."

McLagan is also grateful for the district staff and students for helping her run the greenhouse.

"If I didn't have good workers, I'd be out of luck," she added.

The Cheney High School Future Farmers of America spring plant sale is May 5-7. For more information contact Heather McLagan at (509) 599-4098.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.