Since many traditional floral shops have added edible arrangements to their catalogues, agriculture and floral design teacher Mandi Neal thought it would be a great idea if her floral design students tried their hands at this twist on traditional arrangements.

    “I see that my students are really enjoying trying something new this semester,” Neal said. “They are able to use the basics of everythings they’ve learned so far and simply apply that knowledge in making edible arrangements.”

    Students were assigned to teams to create their own edible arrangements with the provided foods. Each student decided to specialize in different jobs to increase the speed of the process. Junior Mayte Compean didn’t have any teammates because a large portion of the class was away at the FCCLA competition the day of the project. She decided to not let the lack of help affect the outcome of the arrangement and went full speed ahead on creating her own personal work of art.

    “I like having full control over my arrangement because my style is unique and not many people understand my vision,” Compean said. “I will admit, it is hard to do all the jobs by myself but at least I will learn how to manage my time wisely.”

    The student designers had an array of foods to choose from when making their arrangements. From cantaloupe and grapes to marshmallows and chocolate covered strawberries, there are endless colorful combinations that can be made. Students like senior Katie Glick aim to make their arrangements as perfect as possible by choosing the best fruits and making the best melon balls.

    “I’m really liking this project because I have more control over how the individual food pieces look instead of being stuck with a flower that I can’t alter,” Glick said. “It gives me more creative freedom and I think that’s what makes this project unique.”