In the present, Oregon City High School boasts many after-school activities, including sports, volunteer activities, arts activities, social activities, and more. But there’s a new club that just started up this January, and that’s the Gardening Club. The Gardening Club provides a great opportunity for students to socialize with others, while learning about how to grow and foster your own plants. Despite its relatively young age, the club is already planning for next year’s plants and reorganizing its resources; they’re focused, focused on improving its efficiency and production.
What is the atmosphere of the Gardening Club? How does each member contribute?
The Gardening Cclub is a very relaxed, and currently smallsmaller, club that gives each member a large amount of freedom. You have the choice to plant anything you want. If there’s a specific vegetable or herb you want to practice growing, are interested in cultivating your own organic plants, or want to meet new people whothat also like gardening, this club is for you. Bailey Hawkins, who is the Gardening Club’s student president and its original founder, has spoken about these freedoms. “I want people to experiment with new plants and plant what they want,…” Hawkins said., “…atAt the end of the day, Gardening Club is for everyone, and it’s not about what I want to plant because I’m going to plant what I want, and they can plant what they want.…” Multiple Gardening Club members have also spoken about these freedoms, including Jax Prato, a student who recently joined the club after getting word of it from their science teacher, who mentioned that they have more of a general interest in gardening. “I just want to learn more about gardening in general,…” Prato said., “I …want to learn how to grow fruits, vegetables, flowers, all that.” Their friend, Jenny Lin, also stated thatwhat she’s excited to grow. “I hope to learn how to care for a Venus fly trap plant.” Lin said, “I think they’re really interesting because they eat insects.”
What is the expectation of the Gardening Club?
The Gardening Club is very friendly and accepts new members, whether or not they’ve had prior experience in the activity. Prato mentioned how they didn’t have a significant understanding of the process before they joined. “For the past few years I’ve been thinking about gardening, but the school didn’t have a Gardening Club until I found out…there was one starting.” Prato said, “…I’ve been wanting to garden for a while now, and I thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to get started and start understanding what I need to know for gardening.” Lin has also expressed how she got into the club for different reasons. “…I decided to join the club when Jax invited me into it.” Lin said, “…I feel like gardening is a nice way to connect with nature, get to know people, you know, just hang out.” Lin also mentioned the accessibility the club has for anyone who wants to join. “….gardening is a really broad hobby where people who aren’t even specifically interested in gardening…can do it…you don’t really have to have a niche for it.” It also isn’t a club that sucks up a lot of time, unlike other after-school activities. Instead, the Gardening Club meets twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, and sessions typically don’t last that long at all, as described by the club president. “…We meet at 3:30 and…usually end at 4,.” Hawkins said., “…For the past few meetings, we’ve really just been watering the plants and looking at them and then going home. So it’s usually pretty short.”
What is in store for the Gardening Club in the future?
Because of its youth, the Gardening Club is expected to undergo many changes as the club learns about the potential areas it can improve in. One example that has sprouted already is the relocation of where the club plans to grow itstheir plants. The president explained that the club has recently been working on cleaning out planter boxes near the courtyard outside of the DE lobby, so as to put their work on display. “We want to get that area cleaned up so that people can use it, and when people pass by it, because people leave through that gate…or they’re just walking down there in general, they see that, and they’re like, ‘“Oh, that’s cool. I wonder what that is,”” ” Hawkins said. In addition, the Gardening Club hopes to add some more plants to its roster, such as year-round herbs like rosemary and thyme. that can be constantly grown.
What is the state of management in the Gardening Club?
While the Gardening Club is off to a great start, it’s soon going to need more people to join and other members to help lead operations to continue the current pace. Right now, Hawkins is managing a majority of the club by herself, but sheand won’t be able to do it forever. While her time at Oregon City High School still lasts, the president is trying her best to help establish the club as much as possible. But she’s currently a Junior, and after the end of this semester, she’ll only have one last school year to finish things up. “I’m a one-woman show. It’s just me,” Hawkins said, “I would love to have other people helping me, but…you show up every day…it’s a big commitment, and I can see why people may not want to do that. But if I could have other people wanting to do the same as me, then I would love to have a co-person with me.”
Gardening Club is a whole new club now offered at Oregon City High School, where you can learn many practical gardening skills, socialize with friends, and find out how to grow specific plants. If you’re interested in giving it a try, head to E214 at 3:30 after school on Mondays or Fridays, and get a feel for it yourself. If you find it interesting, you might end up aiding in expanding the club and see it turn into a staple of Oregon City High’s after-school activities.
