Our Instructor

The Landscaping & Horticulture Instructors, Mark Amstein and Michael LaMontagne, are developing a top quality program that is current with the needs of the business community, driven to best serve the educational experience of students, and guided by the Massachusetts frameworks.

Curriculum

The Landscaping & Horticulture Program introduces students to the growing field of business and office careers. This comprehensive program emphasizes the development of skills in office procedures and practices, software applications, business concepts, and oral/written communications. Students learn the function of the modern office and develop both the interpersonal and professional skills needed for careers in business. Subjects of study include business computer applications, records management, telephone procedures, principles of desktop publishing, business terminology and concepts, compiling and editing spreadsheets, lists management, solving business problems using a financial calculator, and document formatting (i.e. business correspondence, mass mailings, reports, tables, graphs, etc.). Students use office equipment in both hands-on applications and business simulations. Equipment includes networked computer workstations, fax machines, desktop calculators, scanners, xerographic equipment, printers, and digital cameras. A variety of office settings within the school are used as a laboratory for student practice and skill building.

Projects

FCTS, as the regional vocational high school of Franklin County, does so more than teach in a lab classroom and simulation environment. Students gain experience by assisting with FCTS facility projects, along with occasional projects for municipal and non-profit groups. Real world projects truly provide the students with an opportunity to apply what they have learned. Our students thrive on authentic work! You can demonstrate and practice a skill, but there is nothing like using those skills for real,under the direction of your instructor who now acts as your supervisor.

Landscaping & Horticulture Customer Work: FCTS, as the regional vocational high school of Franklin County, does so much more than teach in a lab classroom and simulation environment. Trade programs have large shops filled with the same tools and technologies used by those men and women working in the trades. As a true extension of the classroom, authentic automotive projects are critically important to the learning environment. Occasional projects from municipal and non-profit groups offer hands-on learning to the students. Real world projects truly provide the students with an opportunity to apply what they have learned. Our students thrive on authentic work! Requests for FCTS business work must provide educational value to the students and must align with the curriculum. If you are a municipal group or non-profit organization, you can contact Jocelyn Croft, Director of Vocational Curriculum.

Skills Required for Success in the Landscaping & Horticulture Trade