Louisa High School's field of excellence is created entirely by students

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. — There is no Friday night football without months of mowing.

Welcome to the jungle, courtesy of the Jungle Turf Crew of Louisa High School.

“Everything that you see on this field is 100% done by students," said Turf Management Teacher Logan Horne. “Obviously, there is some me teaching in there, but I always like to say, when you turn on a football game for the NFL, you look at the field. Everything you see is what my students do."

Students like eleventh-grader Anthony Seay. "I do well with hands-on. And that's mainly the reason that I took turf. Because it's hands on, and I really enjoy it."

It’s more than mowing and painting.

Horne is teaching field management. It’s blending business skills, art and agronomic sciences to provide a playable, safe and awesome playing field.

A field that won the field of excellence award last year.

WTVR

"It's an opportunity. It's an opportunity to learn about this industry and kind of learn what they could do for a living," said Horne.

"They do the aerating, the edging, fertilizing, mowing, painting. What you see is exactly what the students are doing."

"It's hands-on education," said Louisa Schools Superintendent Doug Straley. “It's what it's all about. It's hands-on education. Our students are engaged, fully engaged. Delivering a product for our entire community. It's fantastic! When folks see this field, they think it's artificial turf. They don't even realize it's real grass. And it's just the pride that these students take. And when I tell folks it's students that delivered this product, they can't believe it."

Believe this. Building a football field... is Building Better Minds.