Join us! We're always recruiting.

For spring 2022, we're holding in-person meetings every Thursday from 3:40 to 4:30. Starting in March, we're adding extra activities on Wednesday afternoons. Follow the stream in our Google Classroom (Code: vxeemk2) to know which Wednesdays, what activities, and get helpful reminders on what to expect. If we ever need to meet virtually, the Google Meet code is hortenviro.

Join Remind to get text reminders (text: @hortenv to 81010 or join using a link)

History

Stafford High School had few clubs when it first opened, but one of them was the Agriculture Club because our county was a thriving farming community. Several decades and three school buildings later, our identity as a rural region has changed. The Agriculture Club faded away many years ago. In 2016, we had a thriving, well-established Environmental Club sponsored by Mrs. Brown from the Counseling Department. Ms. Ashwood was new librarian and wanted to share her passion for plants and the "botony-lite" science known as horticulture. The Horticulture Club was formally approved that same year. As staff responsibilities have changed over the years, the Environmental Club was in need of a new sponsor. Students and staff had confused the two clubs since the Horticulture Club's beginning, so we decided to combine them into one environmentally conscious, hands-on, active club. Our priorities are solid science-based research, civic activism, and experiential learning. We're together to grow people, community, and plants!

Purpose (Taken from the Horticulture Club founding application)

The Horticulture Club seeks to enrich the lives of students through the cultivation and management of plants. The club's unique goal is to bring out the planter and green thumb in anyone wanting to make the planet greener.

1. The Horticulture Club is responsible for planning, maintaining, and harvesting the edibles garden on school grounds.
2. The Horticulture Club is dedicated to sharing and practicing sustainable gardening best-practices and ornamental garden design techniques.
3. The Horticulture Club assists with connecting gardeners in our school community with horticultural and agricultural professionals and information resources.

Membership

Club membership is open to all students at Stafford Sr. High School. Staff members are welcome to join in club activities.

Club Sponsor:

Mrs. Ashwood, Librarian

Ashwoodnl@staffordschools.net

Biography:

Ms. Ashwood attended Hartwood Elem., (old) Gayle Middle, (old) Stafford Sr. High, and graduated from Colonial Forge High School. She earned her Bachelor degree in Fine Arts in Art Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and promptly enlisted in the US Navy under Advanced Computers and Electronics. She attended boot camp, Apprentice Technical Training, and Fire Controlman "A" school in Great Lakes, IL. She continued training in Dahlgren, VA and advanced to Petty Officer Second Class upon graduating from AEGIS MK 99/400Hz "C" school. She was stationed in Everett, Washington for four years and deployed twice. She separated from the Navy and earned her Masters in Library Science from the University of Washington in Seattle. Ms. Ashwood then formally trained in Horticulture earning two certificates at Edmonds Community College (Nursery Grower and Ornamental Landscape) before returning to her home in Virginia with hopes to work at SHS. She loves her school, her students, and her home.