Mr. Jerry Williamson

"It was unbelievable last year," said Jerry Williamson, horticulture teacher at Opelika High School."It was wall-to-wall people."

Williamson said the students started growing the plants in June.They grew them from seeds, plugs, small plant grown in a tray with its own separate cell, and cuttings, he said.

Around noon on Monday, students were moving the plants out of the greenhouses at Opelika High School and setting them out for sale.Prices at the sale range from $1.50 to $10, Williamson said.
...
This is the last year for Williamson, who was teacher of the year at the high school, last year.And his last plant sale.

Jerry Williamsonjerry.williamson@opelikaschools.org

- Jerry Williamson, horticulture instructor, Opelika High School;

Last year, horticulture students had about 150 people waiting at the gate when the plant sale began, said OHS horticulture instructor Jerry Williamson.All of the ferns were sold within three hours, he said.

Students in Williamson's greenhouse management class have grown about 1,000 of the ferns from plugs since last June.They have also fertilized and taken care of the ferns since then, Williamson said.

Proceeds from the plant sale will help fund the FFA banquet, which includes providing scholarships for students with 4.0 GPA, Williamson said.Funds raised from the sale will also go back into providing supplies and maintenance for the horticulture department, he said.

The OHS greenhouses are located behind the high school.

Jerry Williamson

Opelika High

Jerry Williamson is innovative and dynamic in the classroom, infusing his students with tremendous motivation and instilling in them an appetite for the joys of learning.He aids without reprimand, corrects without disparagement, and teaches by example and deed as well as textbook fact.Mr. Williamson is extremely popular with faculty and students, who seek out his advice and counsel.This he gives without reservation, unselfishly and without condescension.He is the epitome of a classroom teacher.

AUBURN - Opelika High School horticulture instructor Jerry Williamson has been named the Southeast Regional Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year, making him one of five finalists for the Association for Career and Technical Education and McDonald's national Teacher of the Year awards.Opelika City Schools Superintendent Dr. Phil Raley said he is very proud of Mr. Williamson and his many accomplishments…

"We're certainly proud of Jerry Williamson.He brings a lot of recognition and some really good things to the young people of this community.He and Doc Avery run a program out there that is second to none.Of course you've seen the money that we've spent on that program.It's gone from thirty kids when they first came to over 200 youngsters now taking the program.This is just another indication of the kind of work that's going on in the horticulture program at the high school, and Jerry Williamson is to be commended."

...
Williamson will travel to Law Vegas in December to compete for the national Teacher of the Year award.

Return to Local Headlines

This year's Opelika High School poinsettia sale began Wednesday and will run until all of the plants are sold or Dec. 9, whichever comes first, horticulture instructor Jerry Williamson said.
...
Slightly cooler temperatures inside the greenhouse at night helped to bring out the plants' vibrant colors, Williamson said.

Poinsettias are native to Mexico.The colorful part of the plants are actually not flowers, they are colored leaves called bracts, Williamson said.

Although poinsettias are usually associated with the holiday season, if properly cared for the potted plants can flourish for years.

Williamson suggested keeping poinsettias inside in a well-lit location, preferably near a southern-facing window.The plants do not thrive if they are placed in warm or cold drafts such as near fireplaces and vents.

Poinsettias can be fooled into creating the brilliant colored leaves again each year if they are placed in the dark from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during the first three weeks in October.Williamson recommended placing the plants inside a closet and to leave the door closed throughout the 12-hour period each day.The plants need to be returned to a sunny area during the remaining 12 hours.

Funds raised from the poinsettia sale will go back into the maintenance and operations of the three OHS greenhouses.Proceeds from the sale will also go toward the annual FFA banquet, a time when the horticulture students are rewarded for all of their hard work throughout the year, Williamson said.

Students in the greenhouse management class learn all aspects of running a greenhouse business, including creating a company plan and logo, Williamson said.

The annual OHS poinsettia sale is a way for the students to share what they've learned in class with the community, Williamson said.

"It gives the kids satisfaction knowing something that they've grown will be in someone's home being enjoyed for the holidays," he said.

The poinsettia sale will be held at the same time, Monday through Friday, until all 500 plants are sold or Dec. 13, whichever comes first, said horticulture instructor Jerry Williamson.

The poinsettias are available in mainly red, but several white and marbled varieties are also available, in 6-inch and 8-inch pots, Williamson said.

The 6-inch potted plants cost $5.50 each, and the 8-inch plants are $9.50 each.

Students in the OHS greenhouse management class took care of the popular holiday plants, with Juanita Lasaath serving as the head grower, Williamson said.
...
Lasaath was responsible for overseeing the care of 1,000 plants, which included fertilizing and watering, after they arrived as 3-inch plugs from a California nursery in September, Williamson said.
...
Half of the plants were purchased during pre-sales for the annual event, which included orders from area schools and churches, Williamson said.

Jerry Williamson, 24-year horticulture instructor at OHS, said it is a rewarding experience for him and his students to see the plants they've nurtured being picked up and purchased."These are student-grown plants," Williamson said.
...
Williamson said roughly 1,000 ferns will sell in three days."Last year, we sold $7,000 worth of plants in three hours," he said.

Despite having temperatures in the 40s and a driving rainstorm on the first day of the sale last year, horticulture students sold $9,000 worth of plants in three hours, OHS horticulture instructor Jerry Williamson said."Needless to say, we sell out pretty quickly," he said.This year's plant sale will include annuals such as begonias, petunias and impatiens, and vegetables, including banana peppers, eggplant and tomatoes - all sold in six-pack containers.Perennial plants, including lantana, verbena and salvia, will be available in 4-inch pots.Boston ferns, Kimberly Queen ferns, asparagus ferns, spider plants, as well as impatien, geranium and lantana baskets in 4-inch pots will also be on sale.Students sold 100 Kimberly Queen ferns in just five minutes last year, Williamson said.As a result, students have prepared 300 to sell this year, he said.Another popular item at the plant sale are the geranium baskets, with up to 400 sold each year, Williamson said.All of the plants were grown by greenhouse management students at the high school, who have been preparing for the sale since last August."It gives them a sense of pride because they can see something they've grown on the front porches all over the community," Williamson said.