Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-06-09
BY DOROTHY WALESKI,
STAFF REPORTER

%AA - AeANA OAS INV
The next time you pass Rich
ard Montgomery High in Rock
vile take another look at the
landscaping, the football field,
the baseball diamond and the bus
circle.
The details of the planning and
all the actual work on these pro-
jects were done, not by "profes-
SIGNALS" but by youngsters at the
high school. Look closely and
you will agree that the work done
is professional" in standards.
Richard Montgomery offers
unique course, landscape plan
ming, as part of its vocational
program. 1t is certainly the only
one in the state and probably in
the country of its kind, although
there are other schools that teach
landscape gardening.
Landscape planning is a three
year course, elected" at the end
of the ninth grade. This means
that all the students in it are
there because of a desire to study
in this field and not because of
any outside requirement.
Mrs. Winona Reed has been
teaching the course since it was
set up in the fall of 1916 under
the direction of former Super
intendent Edwin Broome and Will
liam Federman, Supervisor of
Vocational Education. The plan
of study was prepared by Mrs.
Reed in advance while at Leland
Junior High.
Except for preparatory mech
anical drawing classes, landscape
planning starts with drafting, in
the 10th grade, and mathematics
related to engineering problems
based on practical skilIs. This
years class includes Ralph Col
Inns, John Durbin, John Kingdom.
Robert Lamar and Tommy Smith
and two students in the ninth
grade, Mike Rose and Richard
Candy.
Formulas from geometry and
trigonometry are used but never
labeled as such since Mrs. Reed
doesn't believe in soaring her
boys. An exception is made in
working "cut-and-fill'' problems
where the end method is SubStit-
uted for higher mathematical for
mulaS.
Field experience comes in the
18th grade where the students do
the actual construction work for
their plans from the drafting
room. An outdoor theater for
Montgomery Hills Junior High
is still in the planning stage but
next year our young landscape
planners will actually build the
theater. This will involve learn
ing to use bulldozers and tractors
as well as hand grading.
Past projects include the farm
pond on the Dawson land in pre-
paration for a future biological
outdoor laboratory and the engin-
eering details from Clarksburg's
athletic area No project for pri-
vate individuals will ever be I'M
dertaken.
The planting plan for the Board
of Education Administrative
Building has also been finished
and the actual planting is expect
ed to start in the fall. 18th grad
ers this year are Sydney Corn
well, Mike Mills, James Mitchell,
John Mohler, Bob Dalton, Robert
Russman, Jess Swain and George
Waleski.
There is only one senior, jim
my Souders from Rockville, to
be graduated from landscape
planning this June. AS a rule,
the 18th grade furnishes the lead
ers to assist the underclassmen
in the field. One of the unique
features of this unusual program
is that three grades and four diff.
ferent courses are being taught
at the same time by the one
teacher, Mrs. Reed. Visitors are
always impressed with the bust
nesslike atmosphere prevailing
in her room at all times.
Visitors are also amazed by the
professional quality of the work
turned out. For a high school
course it is exceptional and most
of the credit for this should &c
to Mrs. Reed. She brought to il