make classroom lessons come alive

Recently, about 50 students from local schools spent a day on the beautiful grounds of the Spokane Country Club to learn about ecology and the environment. They came from Cheney, Colville, The Community School, East Valley and Shadle Park high schools. Students from Spokane Community College’s Introduction to Greenhouse Management class also attended.

“It’s neat for the kids to get out taylormade burner superfast 2.0 driver and see more, to get hands-on experience with planting, do public service and also be introduced to golf,” Vanderpool said.

This year, the students learned how to plant seedlings from head landscaper Teresa Riddle. “You will be planting about 2,000 annuals in the beds around the clubhouse,” she said. “This is a huge help for us because there are only four of us on staff to do it.”

Next up was a lecture on soil types and how water moves through them by Tim Magney from Wilbur-Ellis. “It’s important to understand this for watering the lawns here and when we need to use fertilizers and herbicides,” he explained.

Golf course superintendent Jeff Gullikson co-founded the First Green Foundation, which allows golf courses around the state to host students for a day of learning. They also discover how much fun golf can be through putting contests and other activities.

Diane Baye, an instructor taylormade burner superfast 2.0 fairway wood at The Community School, brought students from the FFA (Future Farmers of America) program and her natural resources class.

Tim Kohlhauff, former staff arborist and current Urban Horticulture Coordinator for WSU Spokane County Extension, gave a demonstration on water testing. Students tested multiple samples for excess nitrogen, something the country club tests for every three months to make certain there isn’t runoff going into the ponds or aquifer.

Becky Strite is the agriculture teacher at Colville High School and also teaches about floriculture and forestry. “Most of the kids with me today are in my turf and golf course management class. They are learning about landscaping and how to plant a garden,” she said.

The last presentation was Fertilizer 101, given by Gullikson. He taught the students about the nutrients plants need to thrive, how to calculate fertilizer quantities needed and when to apply them.

“This program is wonderful because everything’s provided so it’s not a burden on the school. They have wonderful workshops and my students get to interact with kids from other schools. They see the relevance between what I’m teaching and what they’re doing here.”

“I’ve been bringing students here for 12 years,” she said. “It connects the students to industry – which is the discount golf clubs school’s mission – for possible career employment and for an overall awareness about what they’re learning in school.”

“And the kids are able to identify wildflowers on the country club grounds for their wildflower collection,” Collins added.