Advanced Career Education Center at Hermitage
🔍 Program: Floriculture & Greenhouse Management Program
Travel to ACE from your Homeschool on Day 1 or Day 2 after your first class of the day.
ACE Classes run from 10:30am – 3:15pm
Horticulture Science Honors
1 credit, DE optional (semester 1)
Greenhouse Honors
1 credit, DE optional (semester 2)
Floriculture Honors
1 credit (semester 2)
Return to your homeschool for end of the day dismissal.
🧠 Learning & Coursework
This program focuses on plant science, greenhouse operations, and floriculture practices used in agricultural and horticultural settings. Instruction takes place across a fully operational 30 × 60 greenhouse and a ½‑acre outdoor garden, where students are responsible for maintaining growing spaces, managing plants, and supporting four public plant sales each year. Students also engage in applied work that includes professional floral design services for events, reinforcing real‑world expectations for quality, consistency, and presentation.
🌱 Hands‑On Work & Environmental Conditions
This is a hands‑on, outdoor‑ and greenhouse‑based course. Students are active regularly and should expect tasks such as planting, watering, pruning, potting, and maintaining plants and growing spaces. Work may take place in warm, humid, or outdoor conditions, and students should be prepared for exposure to soil, water, fertilizers, and plant materials.
📜 Certifications Student Leadership
Students in this program are expected to participate in FFA (Future Farmers of America) as part of their professional development. FFA involvement supports leadership skills, teamwork, responsibility, and industry engagement aligned with agricultural and horticultural careers.
In addition to earning course credit, students will work toward industry‑recognized credentials, including:
These credentials allow students to graduate with documented skills, certifications, and career preparation—not just a grade.
🔍 Program Prerequisites
Must be a Junior or Senior in HCPS
👩🌾 Responsibility, Care, & Attention to Detail
Successful participation in this course requires consistency and accountability. Plants and growing systems depend on daily, precise care, and missed steps can directly affect outcomes. For example, annual production cycles such as poinsettia sales require plants to be covered and uncovered on a strict daily schedule to achieve proper growth and coloration. Students are expected to follow instructions exactly, complete routine tasks reliably, and understand how individual actions impact plant health, quality, and program success. Attention to detail and the ability to correct mistakes are essential skills in this field.
👔 Professional Conduct & Daily Expectations
This course operates with expectations aligned to agricultural, greenhouse, and customer‑facing work environments. Students are expected to
Purchase specific work attire for daily wear when attending ACE classes and events
Closed‑toe shoes are required at all times.
Additional protective equipment may be required for specific tasks or activities.
Display a visible ID badge at all times
Demonstrate professional behavior, punctuality, accountability, and respectful communication
Students must wear work‑appropriate clothing suitable for greenhouse and outdoor environments, including clothing that can get dirty or damaged.
⬇️ Work attire sample images appear in the image below
📢SPECIAL NOTE: Students in this program are ALLOWED and EXPECTED to wear jeans (non-distressed) as approriate for outdoor work.
2 years – 6 credits – Advanced Career Education (ACE) Center at Hermitage
This program is designed to be completed in two years during the 11th and 12th grades.
Year 1 ( Junior Year)
Graphic Imaging Technology I - 1 credit (Honors): Graphic Imaging Technology I will introduce students to the graphic communications industry. Students will explore digital file preparation, image capture, color theory, digital file output, press operations, and bindery operations. Students will practice workplace safety and develop skills in measurement, mathematical problem solving, interpersonal communication, and the job application process.
Graphic Imaging Technology II - 2 credits (Honors): Graphic Imaging Technology II will prepare students for a career in the graphic communications industry. Students will gain knowledge and practice their skills in digital file preparation and output, type, page-layout, graphics, photo imaging, color management, and illustration.
Year 2 ( Senior Year)
Communication Systems 1 credit (Honors): Communication Systems provides experiences in the fields of imaging technology, graphic productions, video and media, technical design, and various modes of communicating information through the use of data. Students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills using the universal systems model. Students also learn about the impact of communication on society and potential career fields relating to communications.
Graphic Communications Systems - 1 credit (Honors): This course provides experiences related to a wide range of tools and materials used to reproduce information and images. Students develop competencies in message design, composition and assembly, and message transfer and product conversion. Various digital and print output techniques and devices are used to develop concepts into finished products.
Imaging Technology - 1 credit (Honors): Students in Imaging Technology apply the principles of design in the creation of images. Students explore the development of imaging as a communication medium and its evolution into the digital realm. Image-editing software allows students to enhance images and develop a portfolio. Investigation focuses on career exploration and the application of photographic and imaging technology across various industries.