Thomas Mifflin Elementary School and Academy Park High School in Philadelphia, PA, were selected to participate in this pilot. The students entered their orchids into Junior Flower Shows held at the participating schools, as well as a Youth Orchid Class at the Philadelphia International Flower Show. The Junior Flower Show was such a success that it is being presented here as a template for other organizations to use.
The main goal of this program is to spark an interest in youth about horticulture and the natural environment by educating them on how to raise and show orchids. This project also empowers youth to learn how to best care for their orchids. A secondary goal is to encourage youth to become involved in the conservation and care of orchids by becoming participating members in the American Orchid Society, affiliated orchid societies, horticulture societies or botanical gardens.
At its simplest, a Junior Orchid Show is a project where young people learn to grow and bloom orchids and display them for judging. Inherent in the process is the joy in watching an orchid bloom. The concept can be applied in conjunction with an orchid society show, a botanical garden show, a classroom or school project, or any other similar experience for young people. Our first Junior Orchid Show was a classroom project associated with the PHS’s annual flower show. The links below provide a copy of the final project report for the pilot project and worksheets that were used in the classroom. Questions or comments can be sent to the Education Committee at education_committee@aos.org.