Click to enlarge photo: PAC landscaping students at work.
Take a walk around Palo Alto, and you're sure to notice some changes in the landscaping around our campus.
The 13 students in Palo Alto's HALT 1319: Landscape Construction class, under the direction of Lead Instructor Kirk Williams of the Horticulture, Agriculture, Landscaping & Turf Grass Management Department, are committed to beautifying our campus through hands-on learning.
The latest landscaping project they have been working on is the transformation of an empty corner in front of the General Education Building into a tranquil space.
"This is hard to teach in lecture, so this is why this class is strictly more hands-on than the other ones," said Williams. The Landscape Construction class, which started at the beginning of the Fall 2007 semester, designed this on-going project with the help of Williams. After the plans were created, they have been working diligently to implement the hardscape foundation.
This evening class meets every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.; however, you can see the dedication and commitment of these students as they work side-by-side along with their instructor sometimes beyond the regularly scheduled class time to achieve the results that they envisioned.
"I own my own landscaping company. Most of what I do is the hardscape part of the landscaping, but I am looking for a degree in the future," said Austin Brahm, a Landscape Construction student. "For me, this is very cool because I can come out here and do what I do, and it allows me to clarify my knowledge."
At the completion of the project, all students, faculty, staff and visitors to Palo Alto will have a place for relaxing, peace and inspiration that will last for years to come.
Students can use this area to read or just mingle with friends while enjoying the features of a captivating waterway, a wooden arbor and a meandering pathway through the area.
"The students are real happy with the way things are turning out with its size and how it's looking," said Williams.
Williams has also been working with the Sculpture class under the direction of Assistant Professor of Art Cakky Brawley. Her class will design and build a bridge that will go across the stream and become part of the garden's pathway.
While this Landscape Construction class is only responsible for the laying of the foundation, there will be opportunities for other horticulture classes to bring a variety of other elements to this area. In the future, we will most likely see flowers, plants, shrubs and other greenery that will enhance this space.
"The major thing is that we would like for the students to enjoy it, not vandalize it," said Jerry Navarro, a Landscape Construction student at Palo Alto. "Students can come out here and get away from the class tensions. to be able to relax, even if it's for a couple of minutes."
The Palo Alto College bulletin 2007-2009 (catalog of courses) offers students who are interested in horticulture classes an opportunity to get a degree or certificate in this field.
The Landscape Construction course is required for those students who are working toward completing the program to obtain an associate's degree in Applied Science in Landscape and Horticultural Science.
Anyone looking to transfer to Texas A&M-College Station or Texas Tech can now take another Horticulture class, AGRI 1415: Intro to Horticulture, which will transfer to fulfill one natural science course requirement at these universities.
If a degree is not what you're looking for, then the Agriculture, Landscape & Turf Grass Management Department also offers certificates for those students who just want to expand their knowledge in these fields. These certificates are in Basic Nursery and Landscaping Operations, Turf and Landscape Irrigation, and Landscape and Horticultural Science.
"The majority of the students who come here already work in the industry and just want to further educate themselves," said Navarro. "Most of us have an outside job or do landscape with some type of horticulture. This is the closest horticultural school that is available. That's why I come here."
Palo Alto College also has a Horticulture Club available. This unique club is for anyone who has a green thumb and would like to assist and support Palo Alto's Horticulture facilities, such as the greenhouse(s) and landscape construction areas on campus. The students who join this club can help to fund projects through plant sales. Scholarships are also available for interested students.
If you are interested in the Horticulture Club or have questions regarding HALT classes, contact Williams at kwilliams@mail.accd.edu or (210) 921-5128.