The Floral Design class offers students the chance to learn about many kinds of domestic and wild flowers, and how to arrange them in lavish designs and structures. If students are interested in being florists or interior designers, the class can help them decide whether the floral industry is something they want to pursue after high school.

     The first part of the class is focused on agriculture because floral design is in the agriculture industry. Each day, the students are presented with a new flower of the day and different types of foliage. A large part of their curriculum is also learning about the color wheel.

     “We take the holidays as an opportunity to learn about the different types of arrangements,” Robertson said. “A lot of our curriculum is based around the holidays.”

     For Christmas the students are making wreaths. During the days leading up to the Thanksgiving break, they made flower arrangements in the shape of turkeys. One of their biggest projects was homecoming where they made mums and garters as well as boutonnieres and corsages. The whole-sale store in Dallas where PISD buys their flowers charges more certain prices for flowers at different times of their year due to their growing seasons.

     “If we have extra flowers after a project, we’ll just have a free day where we can create fun things to take home with us,” Robertson said. “We have so many buckets of flowers in our giant cooler. We go crazy and pick out whatever we want.”

          Upon completion of the class, students receive their Texas Florists’ License which allows them to become retail florists on their own.

     “I work at a wedding planning company, so I’m around flowers all day,” Robertson said. “But the license will be really helpful in college because I’ll have the certificate to let me work in the floral shop for more than minimum wage.”

     Students in Floral Design not only learn the physical construction of flower arrangements, but they also are exposed to the basics of running a flower shop.

     “An important part is learning about management,” Robertson said. “We learn about pricing and how to determine how much stuff costs in general such as the cost to make an item and cost of labor. We were taught what flowers are supposed to be more expensive than others. I feel smarter knowing that because now I know if I’m getting ripped off.”

     Robertson says the class is a peaceful alternative to other, more strenuous electives.

     “Flowers are fun,” Robertson said. “Creating beautiful things is a wonderful way to spend the day.”