Friday it was announced that PCHS senior December “Ember” Ward has earned the latest State Championship for the school. Ward, who earned her championship in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Agricultural Proficiency Awards program, will now prepare for the 97th Annual Virginia FFA State Convention and national proficiency judging.
According to the FFA website, "Nationally, students can compete for awards in nearly 50 areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife management. Proficiency awards are also recognized at local and state levels and provide recognition to members that are exploring and becoming established in agricultural career pathways."
According to PCHS Career and Technical Education Center Agriculture teacher Carley Pavan-Ballard, this award has taken many years of hard work in what is known as a Student-Assisted Enterprise or Student-Run Enterprise.
“December has worked for this award for the past four years,” Pavan-Ballard said. “She has won the Diversified Horticulture Proficiency Award for the work that she has done over the four years. She has run the annual spring plant sale for our Student-Run Enterprise, Pats Patch Greenhouse. December has helped select plants to purchase and grow for the different sales over the years. She devoted time to sowing thousands of seeds and tending to them daily to grow them up for them to be retail ready. She has played a management role in both greenhouses for the past three years and is currently my intern for Greenhouse Management and Floral Design.”
While all of that sounds like a lot of work, it wasn’t the end of what Ward has been up to.
“December has been an active designer in the Cardinal and Gold Creations Floral Shop, which is our second Student-Run Enterprise,” Pavan-Ballard continued. “She has designed for many banquets, parties, proms, other special events and several weddings. One of the weddings she assisted with was at Mountain Lake Lodge where she helped make over 70 different floral arrangements and assisted in several large installments. This took place over the summer so much of this work was volunteer based. December has grown plants in the greenhouse that have then later been used in floral arrangements. She has grown Native MilkWeed for several years that have been planted on the Sensory Trail and then in the late summer she comes to the school and searches for Monarch caterpillars that she then assists in raising and then releases them into the wild. The Monarchs are an endangered species and the Sensory Trail is a waystation for them as they travel because it serves as a pollinator habitat which December has worked hard to create.”
The FFA website explained that the Agriculture Proficiency Award recognizes future leaders in the agriculture field.
“Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences, have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. The different areas are Entrepreneurship, Placement, Combined, and Agriscience Research."
Ward explained how these SAE experiences will impact her in the future.
“Because I have played a role in growing native plants for the Sensory Trail and have assisted in the project for several years, I was asked to attend the 2023 Land Conservation and Greenways Conference to speak about the work we have done with the Sensory Trail,” she began. “Myself, several peers, and my advisor spoke about our different contributions to the project. I highlighted on growing the native Milkweed and the importance of the plant. As a group, we presented to two different groups while at the conference. Attending the conference made me realize that the work I had been doing in the greenhouse and out on the Sensory Trail was far more important than just earning a grade. I was making an impact on my community by growing these specials plants.”
Ward also learned about other parts of the agriculture business.
“Managing the two businesses at the school has impacted me by teaching me multitasking skills as well as customer service skills,” she said. “Using these skills, I got another job locally and I am providing a service to my community. These skills are necessary through all aspects of life and I will be using them for the rest of my life. By taking these classes I have become more comfortable with public speaking and have grown to enjoy teaching younger generations what I have been taught. I have become a mentor to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in the second block where I intern for Mrs. Pavan.”
“I have worked in my school's floral department for four years,” Ward continued. “Over the last year, we completely renovated and remodeled our business. Previously, the name was ‘The Blue Thistle Floral Shop’ but it had nothing to do with our school. Another manager and I created a new business name and logo incorporating our school colors. The name is now, "Cardinal and Gold Floral Creations." Along with these changes came the new invoice and business card. The design which I helped create has been shared online, locally, and with state officials. This has greatly increased our sales and regality.”
While winning State Championships is huge, Ward has also had the opportunity to help grow the overall program in Pulaski County.
“The holidays and formal events are some of the busiest times for any floral business,” she said. “Last year, there were four events that really required more designing than any other. Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Homecoming, and Prom were the biggest sales times of the year. We made about $6,000 when you add them all up. This was such an essential amount of money we were able to restock our corsage bands, boutonniere pins, and packaged seeds. Every cent earned goes directly back into the business and classes. As Lead Designer and Manager, I do not get paid but that does not matter. I gain experience, I provide for my FFA Chapter and Agriculture Program and I service my community. That is the biggest accomplishment.”
Ember is the daughter of Elizabeth and Adam Keith of Dublin.