These plants, and others sold at the event, provide valuable hands-on training for adult students working toward their high school diploma or GED, while also earning science and elective credits. The proceeds from the sale are reinvested into the program, buying supplies for the next year. 

The botany-greenhouse program has been running this way since teacher Anita Leimbach and community education facilitator Cheri Prince took it over in 2014 after the previous instructor retired. While Prince now helps coordinate the sale, David Dau joined as the new instructor four years ago. 

“These students learn how to be responsible,” Leimbach said. “One student could screw up hundreds of plants in 20 minutes if they don’t listen to directions. The sale from last year gives us the money to buy the soil and the pots for this year. So, they're all trading on last year's good students.” 

 In early March, the class was transplanting coleus into larger pots. Three teenage boys worked side by side. 

Senior Sajjad Alsarifee, who hopes to grow a lawn in his yard, explained transplanting is important. His friend, junior Mohamed Hameed, said it helps the roots spread out. 

Junior Khalid Khudair explained: “The roots are too smashed in together; when they germinate, you have to make sure they have space to live in. Being compact isn’t good.” 

The boys came to Entrada for different reasons, none of which involved becoming botanists. 

“I came because I wanted to get my credits finished faster and I can test out of classes,” Hameed said. “I’m getting science credit and it’s hands-on, which makes it more fun than some other classes. I like that we give back to the community when they buy the plants. It provides students more opportunities.” 

Khudair, who had missed 1.5 months of class while on a vacation, was catching up on credits, while Alsarifee admitted he had skipped class his sophomore year. 

“I always had something better to do, like walk around,” he said. “I’ve made up a lot of credits here.” 

Leimbach said her students come from a variety of backgrounds, including those who speak English as a second language, as well as students who are homeless or autistic. 

“This is a rewarding class for many of our students. We’ve had students who excel in this who don't academically because it's hands- on; that's the difference. Everybody can do it, and some of these are smart kids. It just does my heart good to see these kids who have struggled to do so well. It’s the beauty of this program. They see progress and get to see projects completed. They come and see the plants remembering they may have transplanted them or made cuttings and now they’re in bloom,” she said, adding, “Some of them never even knew where a tomato came from.” 

Typically, about 15 students attend the class twice a week for two hours. The course lasts about a month and counts toward the 24 credits Entrada students need for graduation. Currently, most of the 800 Entrada students are between the ages of 17 and 20. 

“We have at least one botany class every session. Dave often will do it in the summer. Then come January, we offer two classes till May, which is more than we’ve had in the past. They always fill up,” she said. 

Junior Jade Shafer-Pedersen has taken the class five times. 

“I love this class,” she said. “It just gives me an outlet for creativity and it’s a personal connection between me and the plants. It just gives me a sense of peace in my school day, it's a nice safe space. I’m proud of these little guys for growing. I've learned so much from this class. I've only really grown house plants before and now, I’ll probably play with plants for the rest of my life. Anita and Dave are good teachers. They let us do our thing and then help us when we need it.” 

When Shafer-Pedersen came to Entrada, she had “zero credits.” 

“I never went to high school before. When the whole COVID virus happened, everyone went home from school, and I never went back. I never stepped foot in high school,” she said. “I never thought I would come back until I tried Entrada. I love it here. It’s so different.” 

After finishing transplanting, Shafer-Pedersen and the others asked if they should remove the growth from the geraniums, deposit old soil and move the bags of new soil into the greenhouse. 

“That's another thing I like,” Leimbach said. “They say, ‘Should I do this? They know what needs to be done and take that initiative. They care about the plants and the program.” 

The program has blossomed over the years. It’s no longer just rows of plants in the greenhouse. In a portable classroom under lights, 4,000 plants are growing. By the time the sale comes around, there will be 2,400 tomatoes, 3,400 squash and cucumbers, and 2,000 peppers, in addition to geraniums, coleus, and house plants. 

“When Dave was hired, he brought it to another level. He built the grow stations, and they germinate better there than the greenhouse because we could keep them a steady temperature. Then we bring them all over to the greenhouse. He’s also done hydroponics in the winter in the classroom, so the students are learning about that. Every year we learn to make it easier, so students can have a lot of success, and we get better results. He’s taken it to a more scientific level where I come from a gardener perspective,” she said. 

Dau not only helps with the 10,000-plus plants at Entrada, he has set up a 3,000-plant sale at nearby Jordan Valley, a school for students that have severe multiple disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, communication impairments, genetic disorders and syndromes, deaf–-blindness and, for students who are extremely medically fragile. 

He also runs a business from home, selling about 1,500 plants. 

“Once we set the expectations for the class, everyone realizes the relevancy. They learn how to set up the greenhouse, how to plant with healthy soil, how to water correctly, how to work as a team. Anita helps them understand the importance of the plants and the process; I’m the mad scientist,” said Dau, who has taken Utah State University’s master gardening class three times as “there’s always something new to learn.” 

The former school principal said students get dirty in the self-sustaining program. 

“They’re learning how to propagate plants, transplant them into pots, grow lettuce and kale in hydroponics using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil, they’re learning that a controlled atmosphere and soil temperature has helped growth, so they’re learning the science behind it,” he said. “They’re understanding plants and what they need.” 

He explained students gain confidence by realizing they can grow plants without killing them, that asking logical questions will get them answers, and that giving plants attention is key to their success. 

“Growing plants is part art and part science. For many, this is outside their comfort zone so they’re learning to work in teams as they learn new skills and vocabulary, to take direction and work with others, to be resilient and to appreciate a job well done,” he said

Working with some of his immigrant students has led Entrada to grow plants native to their homelands.