The administration at Air Academy High School has finally approved an accredited horticultural course for the 2024/2025 school year. Mrs. Roache, the current environmental science teacher and soon to be course director and teacher of Horticulture: A Study of Plant Science and Agriculture, was the visionary behind this massive project. With her extensive knowledge of sustainable agriculture and permaculture, Roache is prepared to create an amazing course with the district’s full approval. 

“I think it will give Air Academy students an opportunity to experience something new, something different. We have the traditionals : Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It’s just a different path, a unique class that students can enjoy, embrace, and pursue at the collegiate level,” Air Academy’s Assistant Principal, Sean Whitson said.

Whitson believes that applied sciences and vocational skills are often overlooked in the high school curriculum and that this course will be the catalyst for a new and improved science program at Air Academy. 

“Kids should be excited about science, and I think that it will give them a spark. It may even spark them to do bigger and better things after Air Academy,” Whitson said. 

The first of many steps in getting started and obtaining the approval of the administration and district was designing the course to meet “state and district standards” – specifically, NGSS standards, the National Guide for Science Studies. 

The course had to align with a college field of study, while maintaining the rigor of a high school level course. 

So far, Roache has created both the full course guide and a step-by-step semester guide for 2024/2025. She’s done extensive research on possible career paths and occupations, calculated the costs for each student, and considered the costs to start the program. In the future, she hopes to start a greenhouse and transform the enclosed courtyard into a thriving garden. 

“This might be a step in a bigger program. We would love to eventually maybe bring in some other food science and agricultural science to create more of an opportunity in that field,” Air Academy’s principal, Dan Olsen exclaimed. 

Roache believes hands-on learning is the best kind of education. It improves cognitive skills and builds teamwork, improves problem solving skills and immerses students in real world issues. 

“I really want schools to understand that kids work better when they get their hands dirty. Science should be tactical,” Mrs. Roache said. 

Horticulture is how Roache sustains herself. She raises quails for protein, reroutes her bathwater to water her plants, and grows her own food. Now she wants to share her homegrown sustainability with others. 

“I [find] myself being satisfied at the end of the day. I [find] myself being joyful to share this abundance with my neighbors, and friends, and those that needed the security of food. That’s why I keep doing it,” Roache said. 

For now, the course is on its way to the Board for review. On December 14, Roache will defend her course in front of the Board of Education.

The Board votes in January, around the end of Winter Break. Roache has to give supporting evidence of the benefits of a horticulture program at Air Academy High School, as well as find fifteen prospective students who are interested in taking the course. 

Next year, the senior courtyard will be fully transformed into a beautiful and fully functional garden for students who are interested in horticulture, permaculture, or even just looking to relax and interact with nature. 

Air Academy High School will be the first public school in District20, and in Colorado Springs to have a horticulture focused program and class.