November 15, 2008
By Eckhard Lutz
Landscape instructor, Glenview Park Secondary School

At Glenview Park Secondary School in Cambridge, the landscape and horticulture program is alive and well with five to six classes of students each school year. Since its humble beginning in 2004, with two classes and some grow lights in a classroom, it has grown at an incredible pace. It is part of the board’s direct-to-workplace program, known as Fastforward. Each passing year brings a new piece of equipment for the students to train on, which now includes a 21-inch mower, snow blower, rototiller, string trimmer and power edger, quick cut saw and tractor with finishing mower.

In 2005, thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Education, the school was able to purchase a 24 by 48 foot polycarbonate greenhouse. With the support of the Waterloo district school board’s tech coordinator, Gary Berscht, and the school’s principal, Jim Woolley, a big believer in the Fastforward program, the students built the entire greenhouse structure. The project came together with the help of many local businesses that donated material and equipment to the tune of $15,000.

Recent projects have included a major softscape project at a local elementary school, starting cannas in the greenhouse for the local sculpture gardens, along with the 400-plus trays of annuals and perennials and a vegetable garden each year for the school’s hospitality program. Through a generous donation of $1,500 from Landscape Ontario and by partnering with LO members Kerr and Kerr Landscaping, the senior students were able to complete a hard and softscape renovation of the school’s front entrance in time for our 50th reunion.

This past year has produced the first graduates of the Fastforward program, with one landscape major, Billy Parsons, opting into the school’s OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) and doing a co-op placement with Kerr and Kerr Landscaping. Billy graduated with special awards in horticulture and principal’s award in Fastforward. He is now a full-time apprentice with Kerr and Kerr. Owner Rob Kerr has expressed his delight with Billy as a product of the program and sees a great future for him in the industry. He believes that being involved in the program is a key to future company success and is eager to meet this year’s co-op students and graduates.

With the Ministry of Education releasing its new technological studies curriculum over the next few months, the all new Green Industries will replace locally developed programs and include agriculture, floristry, forestry, horticulture and landscaping. These are exciting times for these industries with the province recognizing the need for these courses at the high school level, thanks to the tireless lobby of industry representative like LO’s Terry Murphy.

This presents great opportunities for local businesses to partner with their high schools and become involved in training the next generation of industry stakeholders. To learn more about Glenview’s program, or how to get involved, contact me at
eckhard_lutz@wrdsb.on.ca.

Caption: Graduate Billy Parsons, left, with Kerr co-owner Rob Kerr