As Valentine’s Day approaches, Dinuba High School’s floral culture program has been busy preparing its classrooms to serve as its own floral shop. Both students and their teacher are working together to prepare handmade flower arrangements for the big day. Although this year’s flower sales have already closed, the behind-the-scenes process offers insight into students’ future in the floral program and is worth keeping in mind for next year’s Valentine’s Day season. 

The program is led by Michaela Mederos, who is in her first year running the floral program and its Valentine’s Day sales. She says this year has been a learning experience built on “trial and error,” as both she and her students have worked through the challenges of managing, designing, and meeting order deadlines. 

To begin preparing for the sales, students in the advanced floral class are divided into teams and assigned specific responsibilities. The arrangement designs were chosen collectively, with Ms. Mederos presenting ideas and students voting and offering suggestions. Flowers come from Mayesh Wholesale Florist out of Bakersfield, which requires careful preparation to avoid shortages during the busy season. 

“I check all of the arrangements before they go out the door,” Ms.Mederos said. “If they’re not up to par, I point out areas of improvement and the students fix them.” This ensures that each arrangement meets professional standards and allows students to learn from their mistakes.

Ms. Mederos brings real-world experience to the classroom through her background working in a floral shop during college. “I tried to take anything I learned and bring it into the class,” she explains, “so students can get hands-on experience if they choose to go into the field.”

Advanced floral student Chloe Berdin plays a key role in arranging larger, more complex bouquets. Chloe explains that making the arrangements involved multiple steps, including prepping flowers, checking the petals, and assembling designs like rose grams and themed bouquets. Most of the work is completed during class time, although some students may need to stay after to finish orders.

The floral program had taught Chloe important life and work skills. “I learned communication definitely,” she said. “You have to be very communicative with the people you’re working with if you want the arrangement to turn out nicely.” She also noted that students learned how to calculate costs, manage materials, and work under pressure. 

The biggest challenge the students had to face was limited supplies.”If a stem breaks and we don’t have extras, it becomes really difficult,” Chloe says. However, despite that, she finds the experience rewarding, especially when she sees how happy customers are with their bouquets.