Annual CCISD Plant Sale Today and Tomorrow

The Copper Country Intermediate School District has been working with adults with moderate cognitive impairments for decades, with the program starting to incorporate learning about plants and other skills over two decades ago. 

“We’re a community-based program. I teach adults living skills and job skills. So the greenhouse is what we use to teach the students job skills, and also science and sustainability by teaching them how to plant seeds, and then we grow the transplants, and then this time every year, we have a plant sale. And that plant sale then supplements our program.” – Karyn Juntunen, Teacher of the Community Transition Program.

Karyn Juntunen has been teaching in the community transition program for about 24 years, and is the main organizer of the program. 

“I’ve been teaching here for 24 years, and then I started the Hoop House 21 years ago, but then Copper Country Mental Health had an actual greenhouse attached to the Rice Memorial Building, and they donated that to us 4 years ago and then we just moved it to a new location, and through many grants and local donations from the community, we were able to resurrect it and now the students plant the seeds and grow it, so we’re learning all of that and job skills, and customer service, and taking care of plants and the plant cycle.” – Karyn Juntunen, Teacher of the Community Transition Program.

Besides growing a “Pasty Garden” with potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and more, the students plant seeds that will attract pollinators to their greenhouse. 

“[The plant sale] is Thursday and Friday, from noon until 3. So we bring the students over there, and they will be selling the plants. We have 5 varieties of tomatoes, 3 varieties of zinnias, and then cosmos, and we have jalapeno peppers, green peppers, and another pepper called a Mad Hatter, and we have basil.” – Karyn Juntunen, Teacher of the Community Transition Program.

The plant sale is at the CCISD greenhouse in Hancock behind the CCISD Learning Center in Hancock.