Ray Cruze of Roosevelt Academy Honored with Growing the Future Award

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is proud to recognize Ray Cruze, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Roosevelt Academy in Lake Wales, as this year’s recipient of the Growing the Future Award.

For more than three decades, Ray Cruze has exemplified what it means to grow the future through his leadership of the school’s Land Lab program. Teaching students in grades 6–12, including ESE students, Ray has built a program that delivers an exceptional level of hands-on education across multiple agricultural and horticultural disciplines. Through the Land Lab, students receive instruction in greenhouse floriculture, aquaponics, hydroponic vegetable production, nursery crops, and Florida’s native, endangered and pollinator plants.

What makes the Land Lab especially impactful is that students learn in commercial grade greenhouse and nursery facilities, mirroring real-world agricultural environments. Students also help maintain the facilities themselves, gaining not only technical skills, but lessons in responsibility, diligence, and pride in their work—skills that prepare them for both the workforce and life beyond the classroom.

Ray has also developed strong partnerships with community organizations to support the Land Lab, allowing him to grow Roosevelt Farms, a student-run farm that sells and donates plants and produce throughout the Lake Wales community. Understanding the challenges many of his students face, Ray ensures the program meets real needs, often sending fresh produce home with students when families need it most.

As Ray’s nominator shared, “Ray and his program are a gift to those children who not only gain true skill development, but find place, purpose, and a sense of belonging.”

Ray’s dedication to agricultural education continues to have a lasting impact on his students and the community he serves. Congratulations to Ray Cruze on receiving the Growing the Future Award!