News and AwardsHelping Students Grow in the Horticulture Industry
By David Hamilton
College of DuPage Horticulture professor Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper not only propagates the lessons of her field to her students, she also equips many of them with a thriving hope in one day finding a job.
Like many College of DuPage faculty members, she has a dedication to her students that has grown beyond the classroom. For nearly five years, she has served on the Illinois Green Industry Association’s (IGIA) HOPE Committee.
Short for Horticultural Occupational Professional Experience, HOPE is an apprenticeship program that is a prelude to students entering the horticulture industry.
“Students do real work,” said Fitzpatrick-Cooper, a St. Charles resident and the committee’s current chair. Over the years, she estimates that about 65 students have gone through the HOPE program from College of DuPage.
“They get hands-on experience on how to propagate, how to do inventory control. They find out what the market niche is in the particular business where they are serving their apprenticeships. Every month, from September to December, they visit a different kind of green industry business. They do everything from potting and pruning to balling and burlapping a tree to driving a skid steer and packing and doing equipment maintenance.”
In January, students attend the Mid-American Trade Show at McCormick Place. In February, they attend Pro-Hort, an educational seminar, in Peoria.
IGIA’s membership originally consisted of nursery growers, Fitzpatrick-Cooper said, but now includes people who retail those products, as well as landscape contractors, landscapers and associated businesses. The apprenticeship program has been around for about 28 years and College of DuPage has been part of it since the early 1990s. Generally, five to eight College of DuPage students participate in the program each year.
“Our committee makes sure that they go to a field nursery or a container nursery,” Fitzpatrick-Cooper said. “Maybe they will go to Cantigny [a park and gardens in Wheaton] for public horticulture, or they go to garden centers throughout the area.
“The students whom we encourage to apply are students that we would consider to be in their second year. So, they have had a good foundation of courses and have plant knowledge. We encourage anyone who wants to be a grower, a landscape contractor or even a landscape designer to participate in this program.”
Judi Davenport, who started her own landscape consulting and design business, said her apprenticeship first took root about six years ago at several businesses, including Midwest Groundcovers, Platt Hill Nursery Inc., Bork Garden Center, as well as at Cantigny.
“The work was not in the least what I expected and every day was a surprise,” said the Downers Grove resident, who added that those surprises stemmed from the types of chores that she did not foresee. “I knew that we were going to be doing whatever work was in progress, but we got involved in some very interesting things.
“I did not expect to be outside in the dead of winter without the insulated clothing that the employees wore. Once, I had to sit in the truck and warm up. I did get to operate a forklift shrub digger and get the plant balled and burlapped. I also greased ball bearings on a wagon.”
Davenport said she learned “real life lessons” that she applied to starting her own business. She also bonded with other apprentices with whom she still keeps in contact for professional purposes. Not all of the apprenticeship work involved physical labor, Davenport said. Apprentices also learned much about certain paths the horticulture business might take.
“I loved the fact that senior management spent quality time with us,” she said. “We were able to sit with a cup of coffee and discuss the issues that management was concerned with, discussions about America’s immigration issues and the potential effects to the industry.”
In a recent letter to Fitzpatrick-Cooper’s associate dean, the director of Member Programs and Services at IGIA, Cindy Coffman, wrote, “The program at College of DuPage should serve as the model for all other horticulture programs in the state as Julia has strived to have her program excel. Our members have been impressed with the manner in which the College of DuPage graduates conduct themselves and ultimately perform in the workplace as many of her students work for IGIA members.”
Coffman also noted that Fitzpatrick-Cooper played a role in reviewing the revision of the association’s Illinois Certified Nursery Professional (ICN) Pro examination on general standards and woody/perennial sections.
This certification program provides another valuable credential for students to consider obtaining when they enter the workforce.
“I was asked to review the test and make recommendations,” Fitzpatrick-Cooper said. “There were about 100 questions on the test that people take at different times. It’s another level of education and training and knowledge that an industry professional has. If you have an ICN Pro credential, it shows your customer that you are more than just someone who has put a sign on your truck and calls yourself a landscaper.”
After this year, Fitzpatrick’s term on the HOPE Committee will conclude. Academic advice and direction on the committee should not wither, however, since another community college horticulture professor has been selected to take her place.
“The committee grew into one that has become really important,” she said. “We are a really vital committee. It has really come into its own. I’ll be sad to rotate off.”
For more information on the College of DuPage Horticulture program, call Fitzpatrick-Cooper at (630) 942-2526 or e-mail: fitzpatr@cod.edu.C.O.D. Students Install ‘Rain Garden’ in Winfield
By David Hamilton
College of DuPage horticulture students enrolled in Rain Gardens, Horticulture 1827, recently installed a rain garden and native plants in Winfield’s Creekside Park.
They worked under the supervision of the Conservation Foundation, the Winfield Park District and the volunteer group, the Winfield Area Gardeners. Funding for the installation is provided through a grant applied for by the Garden Club from Central DuPage Hospital.
“The mission of the foundation is to preserve open space and natural lands, protect rivers and watersheds and promote stewardship of our environment in northeast Illinois,” said Jim Kleinwachter of Warrenville, course instructor and the foundation’s land preservation specialist. “By joining forces with the students and administration of College of DuPage, we are able to not only educate about how to preserve precious resources but also have a project that will have some positive environmental impact in the community.”
College of DuPage horticulture courses are designed for both homeowners and industry professionals and cover research-based practices, practical applications for the residential and commercial landscape, as well as a range of current topics.
“The College of DuPage Horticulture program has formed a partnership with The Conservation Foundation to offer landscaping and gardening courses that focus on environmentally sound practices,” said Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, professor. “This partnership combines the horticultural expertise of College of DuPage faculty members and the environmental expertise of The Conservation Foundation.”
For more information on the College of DuPage Horticulture program, call Fitzpatrick-Cooper at (630) 942-2526.Hort Therapy Comforts Children with Sickle Cell Anemia
By Ken Reed
There is a theory that plants have power. “If you have ever walked through a forest and even if you are alone, you don’t feel alone. It is almost magical,” said Carol DeSimone of Glen Ellyn.
DeSimone’s belief that trees and plants have an ability to induce comfort, peace and tranquility in people is the basis for a unique student internship that she created through College of DuPage’s Cooperative Education and Internship department and the Horticulture program.
A retired nurse, master gardener and an employee at Planter’s Palate in Winfield, DeSimone has been taking horticulture classes at C.O.D. since 2005. One day, her husband, Joseph, a Ph.D. in Genetics who directs the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center in Chicago, suggested she begin a horticulture therapy program for children who suffer from sickle cell anemia at the Have A Heart for Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation in Chicago.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disorder of the blood that attacks mainly people of African ancestry. People with this disease suffer bouts of severe pain and tissue damage in the chest, stomach, arms, legs or other parts of the body. “Children who suffer from this disease deal with a lot of issues,” DeSimone said. “They suffer severe pain and they lose time from school. They also lose friends because when you are sick, people think you are contagious, which these children are not. When you are ill, you often feel very isolated.”
Moreover, the children at the foundation live in Chicago. “These children don’t
have an opportunity to walk in a forest, so being able to see plants up close, to touch them, and to talk about and care for them is a comfort to them. They become the caregivers rather than the recipients of care.” These children, DeSimone felt, were perfect candidates for the intervention of horticulture therapy. So DeSimone took up the challenge. She contacted Elizabeth Britt, manager of the C.O.D. greenhouse, and C.O.D.’s Cooperative Education and Internship program. Receiving encouragement from both quarters, she launched her horticulture therapy program at the foundation this past summer.
“Carol’s innovative co-op is a great testimony to how our students merge previous life skills with their new passion for horticulture and create a truly rewarding and personally relevant experience,” said Britt, who is DeSimone’s adviser.
“Carol chooses horticultural activities that the kids can really relate to by using her nursing skills, which give her great insight into what these kids might be facing on any given day.
“When Carol first came up with the idea of proposing this program to the foundation, she was uncertain of her skills and whether she could do it. It has been a real pleasure to watch her succeed and see her confidence just explode while doing something she is truly passionate about.”
The children attend the program three times a week. DeSimone transports plants from the C.O.D. greenhouse as well as her own collection of propagated cuttings into Chicago and introduces them to the children, who range in age from 6 to 17. On any given day, she will have 12 to 25 children in her program.
When she introduces a plant to the children, DeSimone uses taxonomy, which is the science of describing, classifying, identifying and naming plants. She feels that using taxonomy will expand the vocabulary of the children, heighten their observation skills and give them a view of the world in a broader sense. “It can help to lessen the isolation that the illness creates and give them a feeling that they belong to something larger. It is a wonderful educational tool and one that fits well into the current program at the center.”
One day, DeSimone introduced a Plectranthus plant. “All of a sudden, it was very intimate. They asked about the plant, started touching the plant and as they looked at the plant’s leaves, they said the leaves looked like they had blood vessels. They identified with the plant. The plants limit the isolation that the children feel and allow them to connect with something.”
DeSimone often gives each child a flower or a piece from the plant that they can touch and locate the plant’s identifying characteristics. “I see a greater comfort with me and with the plants among the children,” she said. “If they do find their way to a career in horticulture, they will have learned some new skills that will give them an advantage.” One new skill the children have learned is plant design. The children designed the centerpieces for a recent Have A Heart for Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation fundraiser. The children also participated in the creation of a quilt that was part of the fundraiser. DeSimone bid on and won the quilt.
DeSimone said the children will also soon grow plants that will be located at the foundation. “Often, these children are disenfranchised. They feel sort of forgotten,” DeSimone said. “When I can see a child light up with something that they can accomplish, it is magical. I feel as though I am almost cheating because I feel like I am getting more out of the experience than the children.”
For more information on C.O.D.’s Cooperative Education and Internship program, call Jean Spahr, (630) 942-2657, or visit: www.cod.edu/Service1/CECS/CoopEdu/CoopEdu.htm. For more information on the college’s Horticulture program, call Britt, (630) 942-3806, or visit: www.cod.edu/horticulture/.
For information on the Have A Heart for Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, visit: www.haveaheart4sicklecellanemia.org/.
Friendly Neighborhood Bug Man
By Ken Reed
Forgive Don Orton if he appears to be a little … well … buggy.
That’s because for the past 35 consecutive years, Orton, who lives in Wheaton, has been teaching entomology (the study of insects) and plant pathology at College of DuPage.
He’s even been labeled “the friendly neighborhood bug man” by his brother.
The part-time C.O.D. instructor says he has always been interested in the mysterious world of insects and the diseases of trees and shrubs. “It’s been a life-long interest of mine,” Orton said. “It may be an unusual subject, but it is important to the green industry. I do get kidded about it though.”
Orton says it is important for commercial growers, landscaper designers and contractors to learn all they can about insect pests and diseases of trees and shrubs. The presence of pests or diseases can destroy crops or ruin the attractiveness of products, all of which adds up to lost profits. It behooves them to learn all they can, he said.
Through the years Orton honed his knowledge and shared his expertise about insects and plant diseases while working at a variety of garden centers and nurseries in Crystal Lake, Elgin, Hinsdale and Glen Ellyn.
He is a retired state nursery inspector and the author of a textbook, “Coincide,” which he uses in his C.O.D. classes. He is a widely-recognized expert in insects and plant pathology and was hired by C.O.D. to teach part-time back in 1972.
“The C.O.D. horticulture department faculty, staff and students are so blessed to have Don as an adjunct faculty member,” said Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, C.O.D. professor, Horticulture. “His passion for plant diseases and insects is legendary — he has jars of insects stored everywhere.
“Don is well-known not only for his vast knowledge but also for his idiosyncrasies, such as losing his keys and coffee, and making his students wear name tags. We know that it is one of Don’s classes when there are shouts of excitement after something interesting shows up under the microscope.
“He has touched so many people. Students often come back to him for help in diagnosing plant problems or just to talk and catch up on his family. His loyalty and dedication to our program are very much appreciated and we look forward to many more years.”
“My 35 years at C.O.D. have been very pleasant,” Orton said. “I really have enjoyed my time at the college and hope to continue to teach for many years.” Orton notes that the college has provided him with excellent equipment in his classroom, such as a binocular scope that allows students to magnify miniscule insects that are three millimeters in size.
Orton says he enjoys his students, who over the years have included teachers, nurses, tree trimmers, a pediatrician and garden center employees.
He uses a lot of “show-and-tell” in his classes, noting that he and his students even develop and hatch insects in class. Sometimes, when a student discovers an insect while looking through a microscope, the noise levels ratchet up as other students scramble over to see the discovery. “If there is another class nearby, I’ve learned to close the door,” laughs Orton.
That’s one thing that Orton emphasizes to his students — have fun. “I wouldn’t do this for 35 years if I wasn’t having fun.” In fact, each day when Orton heads out to his C.O.D. teaching assignment, his wife invariably calls after him: “have fun!” “C.O.D. has allowed me to continue to develop as well,” Orton said. “I always tell my students, ‘If we keep this up, we might learn something.’
Horticulture Students Finish One-Two-Three
By Ken Reed
Three College of DuPage Horticulture students captured the top three prizes in the hand-drawn division of the annual Illinois Landscape Contractor Association landscape design contest.
The three are Lori Arrigo (Elburn), first place; Katrine Kurtyka-Czop (Naperville), second; and Heather Barker (Lombard), third.
In addition, Jane Jahimiak (Downers Grove) took top honors in the Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) division of the contest.
“We are proud of these students and their accomplishments,” said Judy Burgholzer, coordinator/professor of Horticulture.
For information on C.O.D.’s Horticulture area, call Fitzpatrick-Cooper, (630) 942-2526.
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