The Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) will have their annual Christmas tree and Poinsettia sale on Saturday, December 6, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on their North side campus at 7725 North College Avenue. All are welcome to attend the event, its related holiday festivities and refreshments.

Visitors may choose and cut pine trees for only $3 per foot or ISBVI personnel can cut trees for them. Fir trees range from $40 to $50 due to the length of time it takes for them to grow. Freshly made wreaths are $10 to 12 and swags are $8 to $10.

Poinsettias are $4.50 to $20 and will continue to be sold in their Greenhouse during the month of December as long as supplies last. Hot cider and cookies will be available in the Greenhouse during the December 6 sale.

"We will continue selling them until they are gone," said ISBVI horticulture teacher Elizabeth Garvey. "In addition to Poinsettias, Cyclamens, Ferns, Kalanchoes, little Cypress trees, Norfolk pines and Rosemary trees will be available. There will also be Paperwhite Narcissus and blooming holiday planters that are made by our students and our volunteers. We will also have fragrant herbs, parsley and sage for sale," she added.

ISBVI's teaching Greenhouse was built in 1996 and is one of the newer structures on campus. "I was hired to start the horticulture program here almost 20 years ago," she said. With help from volunteers and students under her guidance, it has been blooming ever since.

"All proceeds from the sale support ISBVI horticulture programs and our campus grounds, including landscaping. Students plant and help maintain several gardens on campus. Our next sale will be our 'Make Room for Spring Plant Sale' scheduled around Valentines Day," Garvey explained. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Purdue University with a minor in Therapeutic Horticulture. She also has a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University.

ISVBI employee Karen Sanders assists Garvey during the school year in the Greenhouse and helps during the summer time with students. She also works on promotional signage and brochures for horticultural events. The Poinsettia and Christmas tree sale have been a combined fund raising event at ISVBI for many years.

"The tree farm at ISBVI started around 1992. Our fourth and fifth grade students plant about 100 to 200 trees annually. Since the trees require about eight years to mature, we determined that students could have a tree sale when they were seniors (12th grade). They work at the sale with some staff and local volunteers. Each spring, new trees are planted to replace the ones that are cut down. Trees are trimmed in June and weeded throughout the growing season," ISBVI teacher Dave Schnieders explained. He has coordinated the annual Christmas tree sale since its inception.

"Eight years after that first planting, we had a sale and have been doing it ever since. It was a very big success. Over the years, thousands of dollars have been raised to fund school activities and groups like the Best Buddies Club, Keever Garden Club, Leo Club (a younger Lions Club) and other student activities," he noted. The Best Buddies Club is an International club sponsored by the Shriner family with 40 different chapters in high schools across Indiana.

"Today, there are over 1,000 Christmas trees planted along the east side of the 63-acre scenic campus. The variety of trees includes Canaan firs, Norwegian spruce, Scotch pines and White pines. We are the only 'choose and cut' farm within the city limits that I know of," Schnieders emphasized. "We have this event for one day only because we do not want to deplete our tree supply for the following year. There will be free hot chocolate, cookies and a warm fire to keep visitors comfortable," he added. A special appearance by Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus and Jingle Jon & his reindeer will occur at 10 a.m.

ISBVI's Campus Guide provides a chronology of their history. In 1844, Indianapolis philanthropist James Ray visited the Kentucky Institution for the Education of the Blind and began to implement his idea for a school in Indiana. Some KIEB students exhibited their reading and writing skills to the Indiana Legislature, which created an act to send Indiana students to Kentucky and Ohio until a similar school could be developed in Indiana. The school was originally located on eight acres of land in downtown Indianapolis on the Indiana War Memorial's present site in 1847. After the legislature created the War Memorial Plaza in 1920 that included property belonging to the school, ISBVI relocated to their current northside campus. The legislature purchased a 63-acre parcel of land on North College Avenue for $72,000 and began construction in 1926 that was modeled on a school for the blind in Scotland. The new campus commenced operations in September of 1930. ISBVI's mission is "to serve as an integral part of Indiana's continuum of special education services to assist students, parents and local schools through its on-campus and outreach programs."

ISBVI's annual Christmas tree and Poinsettia sale is a great way to support the north side school as their dedicated staff continues its mission in helping prepare students for tomorrow.