Navarro High FFA students keep 58-year-old Christmas tradition alive

AUSTIN, Texas - A 58-year-old Christmas tradition is going strong at a high school in North Austin.

More than 400 poinsettias were grown and sold this year by FFA students at Navarro High School.

The program started back in 1961 and is more than a Christmas tradition. It provides a life lesson for the kids who take part in the program.

"This is kinda what I want my life to be. I love being in greenhouses and I love watching plants grow. So it's kind of what I want my future to be," senior Valeria Cordoba said.

The money raised from the sale of the poinsettias goes back into the FFA program.

"A lot of different hands go into growing these plants," junior Alexa Perez said. "Everybody helps out whether it's Mr. Cortez or the different people in his plant-science class. The fact that they go out to people in the community I think it means a lot as well because it kinda ties together."

The students also raise several different types of livestock for local and state competitions.