On Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, students in the Garden Spot FFA will host a greenhouse sale at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, 1600 Book Road, Lancaster. On Friday, the sale will take place from 3 to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, it will be held from 7 a.m. to noon.

A variety of herbs, vegetables and flowers will be available to purchase during the sale. Payment must be via cash or check; credit cards will not be accepted.

The sale will serve as a fundraiser for the Garden Spot FFA as well as the greenhouse located on the high school's campus. Students in the Garden Spot FFA and the landscape and plant design class at the high school began transplanting and seeding plants in the greenhouse in January. The money raised from the sale will help to alleviate the cost for the students to attend field trips, leadership conferences, FFA conventions and competitions. The funds will also be used to purchase supplies for the greenhouse such as potting mix, plants, seeds and fertilizers.

Previously, the yearly sale was only available to students and staff members in the school district, but the school decided to open it to the public to spark interest in the greenhouse and its related programs.

The participating students in the landscape and design class had to create a budget and determine the cost of the materials required to cultivate the plants at the greenhouse. "Many of these kids have little gardens at home, but they don't often get to see the process from seed to sale," said Holly Oberholtzer, who teaches multiple agricultural science classes at Lampeter-Strasburg High School and co-advises the FFA club.

The agriculture program at the high school includes classes such as veterinary science, small gas engines and landscape, and the FFA club serves as the leadership portion of the program. In June, the Garden Spot FFA club will travel to State College for the state FFA competition. The competition will provide an opportunity for students to develop public speaking skills and explore their prospective careers. For example, if students are interested in pursuing a career in veterinary science, they will be able to exhibit their skills via hands-on demonstrations and written exams. Oberholtzer said that for some students, these competitions highlight what skills they need to improve on in order to prepare for college. For others, it may reveal that the particular field is not what they wish to study after high school.

"It really opens their eyes and prepares them for the future," Oberholtzer said. "Many kids stick with one category through all of high school or discover what they want to pursue a career in."