A few weeks ago I wrote about the preparation for the international Philadelphia Flower Show by the Greenhouse Program with the students of Lakeside School. They completed their beautiful display and spent a week showing thousands of individuals who attended the flower show all that they had designed and created.
Not only was their display highlighted on the local ABC news special on Saturday evening, but two of our students were on the national Good Morning America show as they covered the Philadelphia Flower Show. This was a great opportunity to be very proud of their work shown on national television. On top of it all they won a silver medal from the judges which is quite impressive for a small alternative school competing with colleges and universities.
On April 1st we will have a formal ceremony at Lakeside School’s greenhouse to celebrate the achievements of our staff and students who worked diligently to create Lakeside’s display at the Philadelphia Flower Show. We invite their parents and all the students for a special event in their honor.
Our students will receive their medals but what is special is that staff from the Philadelphia Flower Show come to the event to congratulate and affirm our students. We deeply appreciate the relationship that we share with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The Philadelphia Flower Show is produced by the nonprofit Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and is a fundraiser to support its mission to use horticulture to improve the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia region. Lakeside is privileged to have a part in their mission and all they achieve in our region.
It is a deeply gratifying experience for students, staff and their parents, if we recognize that these students were placed at Lakeside School because they were having difficulty finding success in their own schools for a myriad of reasons. Coming to Lakeside and entering our Greenhouse Program offered them a new sense of belonging, achievement, and now of celebration when they had so many obstacles to overcome. As in many of the hands-on programs, they found a place where they could learn, grow and experience something that would not have been a part of their former experience.
We celebrate their achievements not only in the flower show but in life. They have truly established new momentum in their lives that will change their trajectory and offer hope and momentum for change and growth that will last into their future. That is truly a set of life achievements that are well worth celebrating. Congratulations, Lakeside School Greenhouse students! We are so very proud of you and all you have become.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
