Osseo Education Center Reaps Benefit of Annual Greenhouse Sale

All the colors of springtime can be found at the Osseo Education Center plant sale — thanks to a special education program gardening class.

The plants are all grown by students. The effort started a few years ago when an administrator suggested adding a greenhouse to one of the school properties. Teacher Russ Wilkinson thought OEC, a transitional school for students in need of special education, would be a great place to have it.

“Our folks are so capable. They’re capable in different ways, but they’re so capable,” Wilkinson said. “We try to give them every opportunity to build that skill of: ‘yes, you can do this!'”

Students helped build the raised garden plots and greenhouse shelving as well. 

“I think the legacy for them too, if they ever came back, they could come on campus and say ‘I helped build that!'” Wilkinson said,

At OEC, students with individualized education programs are given a space to build their skills before leaving school. The students, ages 17-22, spend a range of years there depending on their needs and skill development. The students learn independence, job skills and skills for secondary education. Once students meet their goals, they graduate.

The classes are based more on life skills, like Wilkinson’s class, where students learn to work with tools. In gardening instructor Stella Warira’s class, students learn a variety of skills. They learn to follow directions, work as a team, and gather work experience that they can put on their resume.

“A lot of our students are hands-on learners. And so, just doing things teaches them more,” Warira said.

Warira said she’s grateful because many of the classes at OEC are driven by things the teachers are interested in.

“It gives us teachers the flexibility to teach what we are really good at and also to think outside the box,” said Warira, an avid gardener.

Plants for sale and their wheelchair-accessible garden boxes were all created by students.

Something New

As the students learn, they see the whole process through — from seed to sale. Each student takes a different lesson from it as they learn new skills. One student, Nathan, said he had plenty of jobs to do.

“Mainly rerooting plants into bigger pots, making sure they’re watered and refreshed. That sort of thing,” Nathan said.

Another student, Aidan, didn’t take the class, but would stop by and help.

“I like the feeling of having my hands in the dirt,” Aidan said. “I just helped out a couple of times. But the times I did, I really liked it. I think next year I actually want to be more involved during the whole process.”

Plant Sale on May 28-29 

Profits from the OEC plant sale go right back into the program.

A variety of plants are available, including vegetables, annuals and perennials, herbs and hanging baskets. There are also other items, like birdhouses, for sale.

The plant sale runs through May from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. The last days of the sale are May 28 and 29 at the Osseo Education Center, 324 6th Ave. NE.

Aidan, an OEC student, assists customers at the plant sale.

Brooklyn Center | Brooklyn Park | Maple Grove | Osseo | Plymouth