A great way to start learning about botany or to take a step toward pursuing a career in botany is to join the Floral Program. Floral classes are available to anyone who is in their sophomore year or higher. If a student is unsure on becoming part of the floral program, here are five reasons to join: 

     5. Great teacher

Megan Crandall has excellent expertise in the field and is also a great instructor because she has taught several years at McNeil. She knows her way around the floral business very well and knows how to make the class educational and fun. Furthermore, she has very good insight into the floral business and knows how to prepare a student with the perfect foundation to pursue a career in the floral design field. 

     4. Hands-on experience

There are plenty of hands-on activities in the class and not all of it is limited to explicitly floral related things. For example, the class does origami projects to prevent overusing too many flowers. When flowers are handled in class, it’s always an extremely fun activity and the projects can be brought home a great portion of the time. Practicum Floral also offers students the opportunity to leave the building during class and intern at a flower shop.

     3. Great environment

The environment in this class is always positive. Crandall’s lessons allow students to participate freely and ask questions when in need of extra assistance at any point during the lesson. It’s also really easy to get along with classmates during collaborative assignments. The environment is so great that a large majority of the students continue taking floral classes during the entirety of their high school career. 

     2. Floral Design Certification 

If someone were to continue taking floral classes for a second year, they would be placed in advanced floral design. While taking this class, students have the chance to participate in more projects and are taught tips and tricks to pass the Floral Certification Test, a ticket into the world of floral design. People can enter a career in floral design with a passing grade on this test and they wouldn’t necessarily have to take college courses in order to become prepared for a career in the field.

     1. Fun Activities

Even if someone does not plan to make this a career for themselves, floral design is still a fun class to take. Most of the time, Crandall will create a project that people can give away as presents for special holidays, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. It’s a fun way to take a break from classes with large workloads, giving students something simple to do with their hands instead of constantly thinking about stressful things.