Toro has recently entered into a partnership with Brentsville District High School, located in Prince William County, Virginia, to cultivate the next generation of turfgrass managers. Starting this fall, Brentsville District High School will be rebranding their turfgrass program to be named the Brentsville Turf Toro Grounds Academy.
Since 2016, Dr. Drew Miller has served as the Director of the Turfgrass Management Program at Brentsville District High School. This program is the first of its kind and has an attendance of more than 200 students annually. As a result, graduates of this program have gone to top college turf programs and into professional roles in the industry. Currently, 18 graduates are enrolled in full-time turf programs at top U.S. colleges and universities, and eight graduates have taken roles in professional sports, university athletics and golf courses.
The Turfgrass Management Program takes students beyond the classroom and provides them with real-world experience in environments, equipment and grounds teams. Some experiences the students have had in recent years includes field prep for the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Championship Game and the CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup as well as SFMA (Sportsfield Management Association) Student Competitions. Brentsville students have competed against collegiate programs around the country and have won several awards.
“Working with Toro is a dream, both for myself and for the students,” says Dr. Miller. “The dedication that Toro has to quality products, training and safety is critical to inspiring and educating the next generation of professionals in this industry.”
In support of the Brentsville Turf Toro Grounds Academy, Toro and its local distribution partner, Turf Equipment and Supply Company, are dedicated to helping the program transition to a complete fleet of Toro equipment. Toro will also be helping to develop classroom sessions which will include topics such as safety, maintenance, career development and more. Finally, Toro is investing in Brentsville students beyond their time in the Grounds Academy through two $2,500 scholarships. These scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors that will be pursuing a two- or four-year degree in Turf Management or Engineering programs.
“We are invested in the future of turfgrass professionals,” says Lindsay Tucker, Marketing Manager at Toro. “In order to fully prepare students for a career in turfgrass, we believe they should learn on the best equipment possible and we are proud to partner with Brentsville District High School to help achieve that goal.”
Toro is excited to continue to grow with Brentsville and also explore partnerships with other high school turf management programs in the future. For more information on Toro’s investments or to learn more about a potential partnership, visit toro.com.