Homecoming is here. On Friday, around each corner, inside every room and throughout the halls, mums and garters will be everywhere. But with the average price of a mum close to $100, students in floral design are offering cheaper, alternative way to get mums and garters.

The process of making mums is comprised of many steps with students taking one step at a time to complete an entire mum.

“First we started out with loops and points on the first disk of our mum,” senior Bailey Smith said. “Then on a separate disk, we added our backing ribbon. Next we added all of our speciality ribbon, which included whips and military braids. After all was finished, we were able to put the flower on and connect each disk to form our finished mum.”

Floral design teacher Julie Anderson helps students throughout the process.

“For making the mums and garters we went step by step through the construction,” Anderson said. “I showed them how to complete each step as we built the mum. We started with loops and points, then did backing ribbon, then specialty braids and whips, added trinkets, added the flower and neck strap, and then put it all together.

Students in the class learn how to make a mum while helping other student here on campus.

“Learning the process of mum making gives the students a sense of creativity and pride in what they’ve created,” Smith said. “With this knowledge, students can now create mums for people who don’t have the ability to get one, or make one.”