Every winter, arrangements of multicolored blossoms fill the Academies’ greenhouse. This is the ACL Holiday Plant Sale, and it showcases resplendent plants like poinsettias, cyclamens, and Christmas cacti. Although the sale only runs from December 1st to December 3rd, the work that goes into it starts much earlier.

According to the MATA Environmental Science and Biotechnology teacher Mrs. Deborah Chaves, the purpose of the plant sale is to help students build workplace readiness skills. “The Environmental Plant Science class are the ones that do most of the growing,” she told us. “The Biotechnology class [studies] plant genetics and plant-based pharmaceuticals, so this is also important for them… to know what to do in a research greenhouse.” However, the plant sale’s profits also have a purpose. “The proceeds from the sale, once we pay our bills, go towards scholarships for our seniors in both classes,” Mrs. Chaves added.

Though the sale only lasts a few days, some of the plants have already been growing for months. “The poinsettias were started in August,” she said. “There are also photoperiod plants, [and] they require around ten to twelve hours of darkness every night.” Looking around the greenhouse, it’s easy to understand how much effort went into growing the plants, especially due to the plethora of poinsettias, the most abundant plant in the greenhouse. “The poinsettias, of course, are beautiful,” Mrs. Chaves remarked. “The colors are lovely… at this time of year, I think those are my favorite.” 

In addition to selling alluring plants to Academies’ students and staff, the greenhouse helps connect ACL with the outside world. “It’s a good way for [the students] to interface with the community [and] all kinds of people,” she said. Students from all different pathways within ACL can  be found at the plant sale as well, adding to its theme of unity. 

If you missed out on buying a plant of your own, don’t worry too much. According to Mrs. Chaves, there is more to come before the year ends. “We will have a big spring sale,” she informed us. “We grow about 800 tomatoes… and that’s a big event that happens [at] the end of April.” 

For more information, feel free to check the announcements and the official Academies Instagram at @lcps_academies.

written and photographed by Keerthi Selvam

edited by Sarasi Rout and Tryphena Pilli