Hey coyotes! During the month of May we got the opportunity to go out and learn more about Agriculture. Here at Buena Park High School they offer a variety of different types of Agricultural classes such as Intro & Advanced Floral Design, Ornamental Horticulture, Biology, Ag Soil Chemistry, Advanced Agri-Science, & Veterinary Science. These classes allow students to be more hands-on in science which alters their learning environment.
In Intro to Floral Design, students learn the basics of floral design. They learn about the different types of flowers and plants as well as the basic styles of designing a flower arrangement. Students also learn about plant care to make sure that their flowers stay healthy. In Advanced Floral Design it’s kind of the same concept but they dive deeper into the things that are done in Intro. For example, they learn higher levels of floral arrangements.
In Ornamental Horticulture, students focus on using plants for decorative and aesthetic purposes. They learn about plant identification and physiology, meaning they learn how to recognize different plants and about the plants’ functions. Although they do learn about the decorative side of plants, this class covers more about the science behind the plant and how it grows.
In Biology, students learn more about plant and animal science and other agricultural organisms. They learn about the genetics and physiology of plants and animals. Students also
learn about diseases that may be affecting crops and animals.
In Ag Soil Chemistry, students are allowed to learn about how soil affects and helps plant growth and animal health. They also learn about what nutrients are produced in the soil, how to keep soil healthy, and components that may be affecting the soil quality. Not only that, but they also get to do experiments with the soil to determine what nutrients are needed for a healthy ecosystem by analyzing data collected from the experiments.
Advanced Agri-Science combines laboratory science and agricultural management, which allows students to get more involved and creative by designing and conducting their experiments to solve real-world issues in the agricultural industry. This class also helps prepare students for a wide variety of career paths in agriculture. Whether it be Veterinary Science, Agricultural Business Management, Leadership in Agriculture, etc. Although at times this class can be challenging, it is more so to allow students to explore for themselves and plan their future with agriculture.
In Veterinary Science, students learn more about animal care and veterinary medicine. Students learn about the functions of animal bodies and the nutritional needs of animals to keep them healthy and safe. They also learn about medical terminology and procedures that are done to animals in need of care. This class also helps students prepare for veterinary school.
After learning a little bit about the different agricultural classes that our school offers, we decided to dive deeper by interviewing the Ag teachers to learn more specifically about what class they teach and what is done in their class.
Crystal Zavala started off by interviewing Ms. Nordstrom asking “What are the different types of Ag classes offered here at Buena Park High School?”
Ms. Nordstrom says, “So we have Intro to Floral Design, Advanced Flora,l which would be a pathway completer if you took both of those. We have Ornamental Horticulture, which is a college class. We have Sustainable Agriculture Biology, Ag Soil Chemistry,and Advanced Agri-Science which is an honors class. We have a Veterinary Science class and then next year we’re gonna have an Advanced Veterinary Science class which is brand new to our school.”
Crystal then asks, “What type of Ag do you teach and what do you do?”
Ms. Nordstrom says, “I teach the Sustainable Agriculture Biology class, I teach the Veterinary Science class, and the Advanced Agri-Science class. And the, as far as projects go, I’m in charge 
of the Ag Education projects, which are when elementary schools come to the farm. We give them some demos and tours and teach them about agriculture. I’m also in charge of the Ag Communications Project, which is newer. We’re in charge of the website and social media, and anything with digital presence.”
Crystal then asks, “What’s your favorite part about teaching Ag?”
Ms. Nordstrom says, “My favorite part is the FFA Organization. It’s the student youth organization aspect of our class, but we take students to compete in different speaking contests throughout the state, take them to leadership conferences, and take them to conferences. We went to D.C last year, we went to Indiana, for different conferences, and then up and down the state as far as Sacramento. I think it’s just taking the students to those types of experiences and them getting that cool insight into themselves and their ability to public speak and meet people from across the entire country.”
Moving forward, Crystal interviewed Ms. Cortez, starting with the question “How long have you been teaching here and why did you decide to start teaching?”
Ms. Cortez says, “I’m a graduate from this high school in 2017. This is my third year teaching here. When I first started, I used to be a split position, that means I was at two schools. I was at Sunny Hills and Buena Park and I had a choice to either choose Sunny Hills or Buena park and I chose the best School ever, Buena Park.”
Crystal then asks, “What are the different types of Ag classes offered here at Buena Park High School?”
Ms. Cortez says “We have a variety of classes. One of our unique classes which isn’t really offered in a lot of places is Floral, Chemistry, Biology, Advanced Ag-Science, Advanced Chemistry, and Ag-Science. We have Horticulture as well.”
Crystal then asks, “What’s your favorite part about teaching Ag?”
Ms. Cortez answers, “I think my favorite part about teaching Ag is finding all these diverse student learners that don’t know where they belong, but with Ag, maybe you’re into flowers, maybe you’re into animals, maybe you’re into social media. The aspect of agriculture even though it’s known as future farmers of America, it’s not that students will find themselves in an agriculture career but, it’s all about just finding them an experience that they’re gonna enjoy so maybe it’s just general in life and we always tell our students ‘Try new things.’ It doesn’t hurt to try an experience, and that’s the best part. It’s watching a student come in shy and just totally blossom like these flowers.”
Next, Crystal interviewed Ms. Moore starting off by asking “What are the different types of Ag classes offered here at Buena Park High School?”
Ms. Moore said, “So we have a lot of different Ag classes here. We have Agricultural Sustainable Biology, Soil Chemistry, Advanced Floral Design, History of Floral Design, Vet Science, and Advanced Agri-Science.”
Crystal then asked, “What type of Ag do you teach and what do you do?”
Ms. Moore says “I teach the Soil Chemistry class, the Sustainable Ag Biology class, and Horticulture.”
Crystal then a, “What’s your favorite part about teaching Ag?”
Ms. Moore says “My favorite part about teaching Ag is sharing my passions with agriculture with my students. I grew up around agriculture so to be able to share my experiences and get students who don’t really know much about ag prior to joining Buena Park FFA, get them knowledgeable and passionate about it as well.”
After interviewing the amazing Agriculture teachers here at Buena Park High School, we were given the chance to get a walk-through of the farm here, where they have many different animals such as goats, pigs, sheep, cows, bunnies, and chickens, as you will see in our video. Not only that, but the interviews with the teachers helped us get more informed about what the Ag classes specifically here at Buena Park High School are like. We find it awesome that these courses are offered here at our school for those students who are more interested in hands-on learning in science class, or even for those students who see themselves pursuing a career in the agricultural industry. Not only is it awesome that students get to explore a different style of science, but they are also given many opportunities to travel around while doing what they are passionate about. They get to share about their experiences with agriculture and receive awards for their hard work and dedication that they put into their projects.
Thank you so much, Coyotes. We hope that if you are interested in learning more about agriculture, you look into taking one of the many great courses offered here at Buena Park High School. Whether it be Floral Design, Veterinary Science, Horticulture, or Agri-Science, don’t be afraid to take a chance in learning and exploring the agricultural field!
