Field Trip to Mickman Brothers Garden Center!

Wilson Elementary School Field Trip

Zachary's Letter

As some of you know, I’ve been writing stories about some of my adventures (and misadventures!) and sharing many of them online with you. A couple of years ago I was asked by a since retired teacher at Wilson Elementary in Anoka if I would share some of these stories with her writing class. I was delighted!

Desaya's Letter

Since that time I have visited Wilson Elementary many times to share stories and talk about writing with these wonderful children. It truly does make my day each time I visit and am re-invigorated when I return to work. Once again last week I shared two of my stories with two writing classes at Wilson and was rewarded not only with the enriching experience, but also with individual letters of thanks by each of the kids. The letters above are examples of these notes.  Click here to read Zachary's letter.  Click here to read Desaya's letter.

Planting their flowers!

Each of the kids was enthusiastic about a visit to Mickman Brothers, so yesterday we were treated to a field trip by the kids to our company with 120 wonderful 4th graders.  They came at two different times and we broke them up into 3 groups of 20 children each, led by either Sara Laning, Wanda Shelmidine or me.  It took nearly an hour for the tours which included each child planting an annual ‘plug’ into a 4” pot. One can only imagine what kind of a ‘fire-drill’ that turned out to be! Each child was able to choose the type of flower they wanted to plant and they did a wonderful job transplanting and ‘watering in’ each of their plants to take home to their parents. What fun!

During the tour we all talked about the jobs each of us do at Mickman Brothers and how much we enjoy ‘doing what we do’. Our trade association, the MN Nursery and Landscape Association supplied pens and book markers for each child encouraging them to go online to thelandlovers.org to learn more about career opportunities in the Green Industry. A couple of the kids told me they’d like to grow up and have a job just like my daughter Mariah (that they met during the tour) who is an Urban Forester graduate from the U of M.

Thanks again for the wonderful teachers and staff at Wilson Elementary for making this all possible. It is great to meet and know some of the many individuals that make our school systems rewarding in so many ways!

John S. Mickman

President
www.mickman.com

Wilson Fifth-Graders Learn Natural and Historic Lessons

Wilson fifth-graders learn natural and historic lessons

Originally Posted Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:58 pm by ABC Newspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer

If only trees could talk. They would have some amazing stories to tell. For about a week, students at Wilson Elementary in Anoka walked by and touched a dead stump of a red oak tree that had lived through two world wars, women’s suffrage when women got the right to vote, man landing on the moon, 9/11 and much more.

On a Thursday morning last week (Sept. 16), almost 100 fifth-graders witnessed the planting of a tree that is about as old as they are while they heard about the important role they play in the environment and how more people are needed to plant them.

Twenty years from now, the Sienna Glen Maple will be fully grown at 50 to 60 feet tall, said John Mickman, who co-founded Mickman Brothers in Ham Lake with his brother Chris.

Principal Diane Henning said whenever the kids come back to visit, they will feel like they were a part of something.

“It will help them to have ownership because they’ll be here when it’s happening,” Henning said. “It’s helping them understand that they’re part of the community.
Elementary students from all over the state of Minnesota took some ownership in the planet on the same day. Volunteers from 70 companies associated with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association visited elementary schools to encourage the youth to plant trees.

This specific initiative is new and called Green for Life. It received the attention of the governor’s office. Gov. Tim Pawlenty drafted a proclamation specifically for this statewide effort.

Besides encouraging environmental friendliness, this was an effort to excite kids about the horticulture industry.

“We felt that at this age none of the kids have a clear idea what they want to be when they grow up,” said John Mickman, who mentioned that two kids came up to him after his presentation and said they wanted to work at Mickman Brothers when they grow up.

Students were not merely bystanders for the 45-minute planting and presentation. While the maple tree was planted, John Mickman talked about all the ways trees help people. They make the air easier to breathe because they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and clean polluted air. The root systems help stabilize soils, which helps with erosion concerns. Trees also serve as a wind break and more appealing noise barrier for humans.

John Mickman has worked closely with over 90 students at Wilson Elementary for the past year ever since the now retired fourth grade teacher Janet Vratkovich contacted Mickman after reading the Mickman Brothers newsletter. The students have visited the Ham Lake businesses garden center and Mickman has taught the students a lot about the industry.

The students, who are now fifth-graders, did not forget John Mickman over summer vacation. When he came to the school last Thursday, they yelled out his name and happily greeted him.

Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers