Green Thumb Chieftains Program Prepares Sapulpa Students For Future Careers

The Green Thumb Chieftains (GTC) program at Sapulpa High School is a job training initiative that prepares students for life after graduation.

Founded in 2018, the GTC grew from a longstanding partnership between Sapulpa High School (SHS) and Dr. Dan and Nita Denham, whose farm served as the program’s original workspace.

Image Provided By: Sapulpa Green Thumb Chieftains

SHS students worked on the Denhams’ farm for years, tending to animals and landscaping. Eventually, the farm’s activities expanded to include raised bed gardening, sparking the vision for a greenhouse project.

With the support of SHS Superintendent Rob Armstrong, the program acquired a greenhouse to cultivate vegetables, fruits, and flowers for public sales.

Today, students spend afternoons on the farm caring for animals and working in the greenhouse.

Image Provided By: Sapulpa Green Thumb Chieftains

Through the GTC program, members gain valuable skills in measuring, weighing, mixing, and creating products, along with packaging, labeling, pricing, and selling them. They also learn to handle cash transactions and assist customers at a cash register, building real-world experience for future careers.

GTC's latest projects include producing candles, fire starters, and natural home and body products like whipped body butter, lotion bars, lip butter, goat milk soap, beard balm, and organic laundry and dishwasher powders.

Image Provided By: Sapulpa Green Thumb Chieftains

Students also engage in creating farm and nature-inspired art.

To learn more about the program or to find out when and where their next sale is, visit their Facebook page at Sapulpa Green Thumb Chieftains.

Image Provided By: Sapulpa Green Thumb Chieftains