Westminster High School’s (Westy’s) Landscape Career Pathways program is a full-steam-ahead pipeline to landscape industry jobs thanks to high-energy team teachers Heather Crabtree and Lucas Naeger. For a few years now, they have been attracting students to classes and careers that most Westy students never new existed.

Often lured by the school’s greenhouse, students soon discover horticulture and an array of green industry jobs in horticulture, irrigation, installation, equipment maintenance and more. Their program is growing strong with new work stations to learn industry skills—but what Crabtree and Naeger need most now are industry pros. They need volunteers who can step into classes to demonstrate nuances of specific skills and “share their passion about their careers.” Internship opportunities would be another plus.

Currently, the greenhouse is providing vegetables throughout the school year to the culinary pathway. Those students use veggies and herbs to prepare food sold in their food truck. Traditionally, the greenhouse was used primarily for a spring plant sale, but thanks to an upgraded irrigation system, it can produce food as well as bedding plants.

It was in this greenhouse where Westy freshman Jazmin Ponce Escoto discovered her passion. “I wanted a class that was different from math, science and literature, so I signed up for the Greenhouse Management class.”  This year, she is the first one in her immediate family attend college in the United States and is majoring in environmental horticulture with a minor in horticulture at Colorado State University. Says Ponce Escoto, “It angers me that people think landscaping is a job where you don’t have to study!“