Blue bananas that taste like ice cream aren’t what you expect to find growing in Central Indiana. But, tucked away inside a greenhouse at Central Nine Career Center, Grace McCoy pushes back a few tree branches to reveal bushels of these bananas growing in Greenwood, and it’s all part of the Landscape and Horticulture program.
“Back in my sophomore year, I came here on a tour and I was trying to decide between culinary and landscaping,” says McCoy, now in her senior year at Whiteland High School. “I already have a bunch of houseplants at home and so I just walked in and immediately fell in love, and I’m like, this is where I want to be.”
Charles Roberts walks in to help another student pot a plant in the greenhouse. He leads the Landscape and Horticulture Program at Central Nine. He is a former student himself, as well as a member of the premiere student-led organization in the country, National FFA.
Roberts recalls fond memories of his time as a student in FFA filled with field trips, competitions, and volunteer work at the Indiana State Fair. He says his advisor at the time allowed the students to lead their chapter, and that is his priority as he brings an FFA chapter back to Central Nine this school year.
The 97th Annual National FFA Convention and Expo runs October 23-26 at the Indiana Convention Center.
As Roberts gets his students their new FFA memberships, the national organization itself surpassed a record-breaking one million members, growing by more than 216 chapters in the last year. With more than 9,000 chapters, FFA can now be found in one-third of all high schools across the country, impacting students from all backgrounds, and extending past the role of what many see in traditional farming.
“It means a lot, honestly, not only for FFA itself but also for that industry, the agriculture, landscaping, green industries,” says Roberts. “I think that’s showing that a lot more people are becoming interested in our industry. I have known for a long time, we were struggling, trying to get people involved.”
In addition to encouraging the next generation to be excited about agriculture and technology, Roberts adds that FFA provides students with learning opportunities for future careers in any field.
“We need people to provide our food for us, and to provide lumber and timber and paper products,” says Roberts “Not only that, but I can learn how to socialize with other people responsibly. I can learn how to dress in certain circumstances. I can speak at different conventions. I can compete professionally.”
FFA introduces students to more than 350 careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture for an industry that feeds nearly 8 billion people on the planet. As the organization approaches its 100th anniversary, it is the largest it has ever been.
McCoy is one of the newest members as she joins the Central Nine chapter, which is unique in itself because Central Nine welcomes students from different high
schools across the south side of Indianapolis.
McCoy says the chapter is selecting officers and she enjoys participating in the heated campaigns for officer positions. She says she hopes more students learn about FFA and get involved.
“I’m just so glad people are getting into it now and starting to realize there’s a lot more than meets the eye,” says McCoy, who plans to get into the horticulture industry after graduation.
McCoy’s dream job: working in a conservatory, taking care of plants and she’s getting a taste of what that career could look like in high school.
“We have bananas, coffee, lemons, the Monstera fruit, which I am excited to try,” says McCoy. “It’s just such a rewarding feeling with what you can grow.”
For more information, visit https://convention.ffa.org.
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