At the back of HVRHS sits the ag-ed wing, where chocolate milk sells and holiday spirit flourishes every year thanks to the FFA’s Holiday Store.
The greenhouse transforms into a storefront selling over a dozen products, some locally sourced. Notable among the selection are the blue spruce and fir trees from Canada, poinsettias, Cabot dairy products — including cheese, eggs and the popular chocolate milk — and homemade wreaths.
“The Holiday Store has been around since the 1940s,” said David Moran, one of the ag-ed teachers and coordinators for the event. “It was created to align with common standards that students need, that they’re able to practice in a way that is connected to the community.”
Ag-ed students make up most of the staff at the store, and they must go through extensive training before participating in the event, said Housatonic Valley FFA President Riley Mahaffey. “Training starts roughly two weeks in advance for our students,” Mahaffey said. The four ag-ed educators — Ms. Boardman, Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. Moran and Mrs. Melino — lead the training. “They go through five stations of training. Knowing what to expect from the unit, identifying the plants, running the register, working with customers outside,” Moran said.
The Holiday Store is a true group effort. Every student in an ag-ed class participates, as the event takes up a majority of class time in the winter. “Class time is definitely devoting 95% of our time towards the Holidays Sales and Marketing because of how much we actually get out of it,” Mahaffey said. “You’re learning the aspects of your class through Holiday Store.”
Students are expected to spend at least eight hours working in the store during the month it operates. How serious they take that time commitment is up to the student. “It’s open until 4:30 after school, so I know some students do it after school before sports, during flex blocks, and during their class time they can use as well,” Mahaffey said. Students can also work in the store on weekends. “On the weekends we’re open all day,” she said.
While students are required to spend at least eight hours in the store, there’s no cap for those that want to contribute more time. “The average student spends 8 hours, but you have those excelled students that go for 16, 20 hours, and then some of them it’ll be three or four,” Mahaffey said.
Moran said students build a multitude of skills staffing the Holiday Store. “Mainly communication, problem solving — that’s constant — a lot of times the students have to encounter all kinds of problem solving,” Moran said. “When they meet with customers and serve people, they gain a lot of confidence, and you can just see the confidence grow as they work through the unit.”
There are also specific professional and business skills incorporated. “They learn the business aspect of it while getting a grasp of everybody in our program and working as a team,” Mahaffey said. Mahaffey explained students track their time using a digital system. “Responsibility and accountability with our clock in system, making sure that you’re being accountable for your time and honest with your time.”
After the Holiday Store closes, students are graded on their performance and knowledge. “Their summative is based on how well they produce, how well they sell, their work ethic, and the time that they invest,” Moran said.
Profits from the Holiday Store are donated to area food banks and a nonprofit chosen by a vote of the student body. “The five food banks come in at the end of the unit in January, and we present them significant funds and also a nonprofit,” Moran said. “It’s been the Jane Lloyd Fund … a fund for women that are living with cancer and want to stay in their homes. It covers some of their everyday expenses.” The amount given differs, but it usually stays within a certain range. “The last couple years they’ve given $4,000 to $6,000 away,” Moran said.
Reception of the Holiday Store is generally positive — among student participants and customers. “It has a very good reputation, and for some people, it’s their only interaction with the high school from the community,” Moran said. “We have celebrities come in, and they really connect with those students in front of them and do something to serve the community.”
