Frogs, caterpillars, owls and even giraffes invaded the Archway Programs Upper School in Evesham on Feb. 5, but not to fear, not only were the animals made out of flowers, the animals were made by the school’s special needs students themselves.
It was the Archway Programs winter flower show, and with the theme of “animals on parade,” flower arrangements from students in 11 floral design and horticultural classes were on display for students, teachers, staff, parents and the general public.
Founded in 1965, the non-profit Archway Programs serves students with developmental and emotional disabilities by operating adolescent, juvenile, and adult treatment and educational facilities in Evesham, Atco and Sewell.
According to Archway Floral Design and Horticultural Program Director Kristine Henle-Blank of Haddonfield, students worked for the week prior on the arrangements, which for them is a type of mid-year project.
Students researched different arrangements, choose their flowers, colors, and design and then created the arrangements in one, hour long class period.
“They did really well,” Henle-Blank said. “We have students of varying ages from ages 10–21 in the floral design, horticulture program, so the students’ ages vary, their abilities vary.”
Henle-Blank said making arrangements for the winter flower show was just another way in which students of varying abilities at the school could have different classroom curriculums incorporated into a fun activity.
“We always try to incorporate their classroom curriculum — math, science, things like that, and it’s also huge team building skills, teaches a good work ethic…so it’s responsibility,” Henle-Blank said.
Henle-Blank also said the environment in the floral design and horticultural classes is less structured than some of the students’ other classrooms, so students get to come together and collectively make decisions as a group, which Henle-Blank notes as an important skill for some.
“They get to relax a little more, they get to be creative, they get to collaborate with one another, so that they’re important skills for them to learn too,” Henle-Blank said. “So I think they got a lot out of it, and it’s a fun finished project.”
As for the theme of “Animals on Parade,” horticultural assistant JoAnne Gunson said it was chosen from some of the kids and her looking at animals on the computer and deciding which ones would be fun to create.
“Basically, each animal is picked by the kids,” Gunson said. “They look through the computer and see different ones, we watch the videos of how they were made, and they decided themselves what they wanted to make.”
Once all students and staff have a chance to view the flower animals, Henle-Blank said the arrangements will be sold, with proceeds going back into the flower shop on the Archway campus.
“We’ve already got some staff members fighting over some animals in here,” Henle-Blank said. “There’s going to be a bidding war on the owl and the giraffe.”
Henle-Blank said the show gives the staff something to appreciate, and shows school administrators and the public what the students at the school are capable of.
“Every year, we try to incorporate something new, something different, some way that the kids can display a skill or something that they’ve learned or something that they’ve just enjoyed doing,” she said.
