Service Project Part 2

Service Project Part 2 – Pleasure House Point

On May 29, Horticulture students with the City of Virginia Beach City Public Schools planted over 200 American Beach Grass containers at Pleasure House Point, adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environment Center. These same students helped with our January Service Project. They took some of the American Beachgrass plants left over from January, grew them in the greenhouses at Virginia Beach’s Career and Technical Education Center, and planted them on erosion prone spots at Pleasure House Point. That area is adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center. After the planting, Christopher Gorri, Brock Environmental Center General Manager, sent this message to Laurie Parks, the Horticulture Instructor, and Tom Tracy:

Christopher Gorri, Brock Environmental Center General Manager, wrote: What an awesome day today. You worked on an area that needed restoration. I can’t wait to see it all grow. On behalf of CBF and the City – thank you so much for helping us restore Pleasure House Point.

Laurie Parks, Horticulture Instructor wrote a great summary about the project: Our Landscape Design and Horticulture Science classes are designed to teach students about the many aspects of the Horticulture industry. Students learn about the proper care and maintenance of ornamental plants and turf, the safe operation of common tools and equipment used in the industry, indoor hydroponic systems, and plant production in a greenhouse environment. The plants we grow in the greenhouse are sold during our 3 annual plant sales, all of which are open to the public. All proceeds from our sales go to funding our program and the FFA student leadership organization. Students also have the opportunity to obtain industry credentials, participate in internships, and complete hands-on projects that give them realworld experience.

We enjoy doing projects like this one, as we love to give back to the community that shows us so much support during our plant sales!