GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope High School Ag Department crafted and sold decorative Christmas trees built by the students recently – with the bigger versions selling out in only two hours.
Ag Teacher Brandon Dingler said they sold large trees (36 inches) for $20 and small trees (10 inches) for $5.
“It totally blew me away,” Dingler said. “We got some we are finishing up, but they have already been spoken for. I’m not sure of the exact total, but we probably had a combination of 70 big and little trees. I do have a handful of the small trees left. The trees were part of the students’ wood project for this semester. I think we should clear $400-$500 profit. We don’t really focus on making money. The goal for building the trees was to provide the students a ‘hands-on’ learning experience. Most of my students have never used shop tools before arriving to my class. The goal is to teach the students shop safety and the basics of woodworking. The bonus is that we can make a little money. That money can be used for future projects and offsetting the costs of field trips and site visits for our students. For example, we took a group of seniors a few weeks ago to a site visit at Louisiana-Pacific in Hanceville. The students participated in a safety meeting, toured the facilities, learned about the process of making OSB board and learned about employment opportunities. I’m currently in the process of lining up field trips and site visits for our 10th-11th graders.”
Dingler said the class plans on making and selling items again next year, and in the years to follow.
“The plan is to add a variety of different items next year,” he said. “We are already experimenting with some ideas for next year. I’m not sure where the idea exactly came from. To be honest, it was probably scouring the internet. I wanted the students to be involved in a project that would involve multiple steps and tools. We built a few last year as a trial run. The students seemed to enjoy it and it was a challenge for them. The trees are by no means perfect, but they are the result of great efforts by the students.”
Dingler encouraged people to support local schools, farmers and businesses, especially this holiday season.
“There have been so many people that have invested in our program over the last two years and created incredible learning experiences for our students,” he said. “The Cullman County Poultry and Egg Association, The Cullman County Young Farmers, Lora Gilliand and Louisiana-Pacific and Brett Haynes with Grandview Mountain Strawberry Farms are just a few that have really helped us out in the last two years. I know all the ag programs across the county do a fantastic job in providing learning opportunities for the students. If their program has something going on, support them.”
Also, Dingler added, it’s easy to see some of the projects they do in ag class, but all the teachers at Good Hope and across the county do a fantastic job.
“I visited Good Hope Primary School last week to eat lunch with my daughter and it was awesome to see what was going on in their hallways,” he said. “Student work was evident all throughout the hallways. As I was leaving, I had multiple students show me their displayed work with great pride. There are great things happening in all the schools across the county.”
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
