Walking the grounds near the Ypsilanti Community District Offices in winter, you’ll encounter a dozen slim trunks of leafless trees encircled by a protective netting. Continuing west, underneath the slope of a snow covered hill, hides a prairie ecosystem resplendent with diverse Michigan plants. Near the athletic entrance, the irregular snowy clumps on either side of the sidewalk, cover sleeping grasses, sedges and perennials. These are green solutions, representing the power of plants and their role in the community.
At YCHS, Laurel Wiinikka-Buesser is the Botany teacher with vision, one who supports her students’ outdoor passions, curiosity about and desire for food justice. Skills in her classroom include selecting native plants for the raised garden beds, negotiating with Facilities and Grounds to select best sites for orchards and installation of the greenhouse. Learners discover the power of nutritious herbs, vegetables, and Michigan’s diversity of seasonal fruits and vegetables. From planting to harvesting, and saving from native plants, Laurel’s students apply their new skills to make their school campus and community more resilient through green infrastructure.
In Michigan, green careers are one of the fastest growing pathways. Laurel discovered taking on the science position included creation of a new green Career Technical Education course, and enthusiastically embraced those possibilities. Supported by Susan Bryant, Master Rain Gardener with Water Resources of Washtenaw County, Jason Frenzel, Huron River Watershed Council, and Paula Sizemore, SEMIS Coalition eco-justice consultant over two years, the CTE Botany-Agriscience course was realized. This course represents a new STEM career future, partnering with nature to solve human impact problems on our planet.
To listen to the the full story of Green Careers at Ypsilanti Community High School, follow this link to the WEMU podcast and article from “On the Ground Ypsi.”
Above images from left to right: Orchard planted in Spring 2025; Math students making observations near the rain garden in Fall 2025; Summer Institute participants viewing the prairie in summer 2025; Laurel Wiinikka-Buesser teaching about the vegetable garden Spummer 2025.
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