345 Marlborough StreetBoston, Ma. 02115Tel: 617-267-3824

Licensed By The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, Department of Education

RittnersSchoolFloralDesign

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A FEW THINGSABOUT THEFLORAL PROFESSION

What is the florist business like, and what doesit offer me? These are the two primary questionson the minds of most people entering theRittners School.

First of all, it is a creative business, one wherethe art of floral design provides one with thegratification of working with beautiful flowers &the challenge of using one's ingenuity andimagination in a creative role. The modern floristplays an important part in our cultural milieu.S/he is a skilled artist, using flowers as a mediaof self expression, and helping others tobrighten up their lives & dramatize importantoccasions.

Equally important, it is a potentially profitablebusiness because of modern consumerdemands, & practical because of the ease oflearning & small capital necessary to enter thefloral industry.

Opportunities await the trained floral designerin downtown flower shops, neighborhoodflorists, highway nurseries, homebasedbusinesses, shopping centers, and grower &wholesale concerns.

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CONTENTS

The Rittner Approach 4

Admission Requirements 8

Facilities 9Media 9Library Facilities 10

21st Century Technologies Used in Teaching 11

Boston 12

Course Of Study: The Day Course 13Course Contents 14

Course Of Study: The Evening Course 19Course Contents 21

Course Of Study: The Five Week Concentrated Course 20Course Contents 21

Placement Assistance 24

Fees—Our "Pay As You Go" Plan 25

Grades & Transcripts 26

Student Withdrawal 26

Housing 26

A Contemporary & Dynamic Curriculum 27

School Calendar 28

To Get Here 28

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THE RITTNER APPROACH

The old system of apprenticeship where one could spend yearsin trial & error approaches trying to gain floral skills is nolonger acceptable or necessary. The contemporary florist findspractical, educationally sound training at The Rittners School,which quickly paves the way to promising positions in thefloral field.

People from all parts of the United States as well as fromdifferent parts of the world come to Rittners to learn floraldesigning taught by experts.

The newcomer gains skill not only in basic fundamentals,but indeed, in the most advanced forms of floral art used byprofessional florists throughout the country. The RittnersSchool meets students' needs completely and effectively withits program of actual working practice with flowers. In allof our courses, all completed floral designs become theproperty of the student.

We offer three distinct courses to meet our students' differingneeds: Our Fall Day Course: Our Evening Course that isoffered twice a year (fall and winter): Our Concentrated ShortCourse that is offered mornings in the spring and summer.

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DayCourse

EveningCourse

The Day Course is our most complete training. Individual achievement is the keynote of ourcurriculum. Each student in our day course personally masters approximately 100 different floraldesigns, & becomes proficient in various phases of shop management. In other words each studentis trained to be a florist.

In analyzing the successful florist, we find that s/he has knowledge of business methods, floriculture,training in merchandising, a good code of ethics & friendly personality in addition to highly developedfloral art skills. We have incorporated all of these elements of success into our course of study. OurDay Course provides the student with a background so complete that s/he leaves the school aprofessional designer whose work is artistic, forceful & saleable. Our training, personalized with theemphasis on the individual, leaves the student self-sufficient. Because the training includes topicssuccessful florists must know, students are well qualified to open & operate their own floralbusinesses. Because of learning by doing, students are qualified to handle every floral designingassignment. Only shop experience that they will later receive on the job will give them increased speedto successfully utilize the skills that they have mastered at Rittners.

The Evening Course concentrates mainly on Floral Designing. It is a twelve and one half weekprogram, with classes two nights a week. It is offered twice a year starting in the fall, and again inthe winter. Our Evening Program is one of the few courses of its kind. It is not a hobby course, butis fully professional, starting simply, but going into advanced floral art necessary for professionaluse. As in our Day program the emphasis is upon learning by doing. The Evening Program offersmany advantages to the prospective student. Because it is at night it offers the individual a chanceof earning during the day, while learning at night. The Night Course is ideal for those who are notable, or who do not wish to go to school during the day. It is a great course for those who areinterested primarily in floral designing, but not in shop management. Our Evening Course hasproduced many successful people who have worked in or started their own flower shops. Althoughit is a professionally oriented program, some of our students have taken the Evening Course forrecreation and social purposes. It is a unique course offering enjoyable and profitable evenings ina pleasant and relatively safe part of the city.

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Our Concentrated Short Course has been set up specifically for those individuals who wanta complete floral designing course as quickly as possible. These classes run for five weeks,Mon-Fri. from nine to twelve in the morning. The Concentrated Course is offered twice a yearin April and again in June. This program is fully professional, starts simply, but also coversadvanced floral art, and provides the same hands-on learning by doing approach to floral artthat has made our school renowned for the teaching of floral design.

We are often asked, "What Course Should I Take?" The choice of which one you would like totake depends upon your schedule and individual needs. Obviously, The Day Program is themost comprehensive, covering both Floral Design & Shop Management in depth. However,we also offer a supplementary Floral Business Skills Seminar which is available to thosetaking The Evening & Concentrated Courses. The Evening Course is ideal for those who mustwork during the day. The Concentrated Course attracts students who have very tightscheduling needs. Regardless of the program that you choose, you will find the same highquality, educationally sound approach to floral art instruction. In our day, 12.5 week eveningand 5 week courses, we offer our unique, "Pay As You Go Plan," where you can pay your feesover the period in which the course is offered, with no finance charge or interest rate. All ofour courses are structured so that you will work with lots of flowers, supplies, and materials.In all of our programs, nothing is recycled or reused. You take home everything thatyou make! Our whole approach here is to teach you practical, & professional floral designskills, in a way that you will find fun and enjoyable!

ConcentratedShort Course

Which CourseIs For Me?

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Our school is distinctive in being strictly a floral designschool. The owners of our school have no outside retailinterests. Their only business is teaching floral designing.This means that regardless of the course, we take ourpurpose, to provide enjoyable and comprehensiveprofessional floral design training, very, very seriously.Because we specialize in teaching floral design, we're goodat it. Because teaching floral art is our sole means ofsupport, we work hard at it. Regardless of what courseyou decide to take, you'll find an exciting and funlearning experience, with a very positive and dynamicapproach and attitude.

We are proud of our school and of the graduates of all ofour courses. Rittner students have risen to becomeleaders in national floral organizations. In floral showsthroughout the country Rittner graduates have servedboth as demonstrators and commentators. They aresuccessful as floral designers in shops, and run leadingshops in their own localities. Whenever there is adiscussion of floral training available, the name RittnersSchool is always mentioned. Rittner people are successfulpeople. They have the knowledge and the confidence thatcomes only in attending one of the finest floral designschools in existence.

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All of our courses provide an enjoyable workshop experience ofactually learning by doing. Students make the floral designs whichare theirs to take home and keep. Thus our courses tend to fillrapidly. Due to the popularity of all of our courses, prospectivestudents are urged not to delay application procedures.

College Board Examinations are not required for entrance into theRittners School. Men and women with a high school education orits equivalent and a sincere interest in pursuing the course ofstudy will be eligible to be considered for admission to the day,evening and concentrated courses.

An application for admission must be made on the officialenrollment form, which with the registration fee must be filed withthe school before the opening session.

Prospective students from foreign countries are eligible foradmission under the conditions stated above. In addition foreigncandidates for admission must display a passing knowledge ofEnglish. The registration form and fee in American Dollars must besubmitted to the school before the school will fill out the necessarydocuments for foreign student entry.

Individuals applying under rehabilitation programs are required tohave an interview with a representative of the school. Thecounselor's approval must be received by the candidate beforemaking an appointment for an interview.

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Consistent with our philosophy of providing comprehensive educational experiences by the most up-to-datemethods, the faculty of the school is constantly developing materials to help present information with as muchimpact and clarity as possible. The Rittners Floral School has pioneered the use of instructional technology in theteaching of floral art. A unique collection of approximately 10,000 visuals are used extensively to illustratelectures in our day course. These visuals enable close examination of such areas as different flower shop layouts,window display techniques, floral materials and floral design ideas. Our extensive collection of floral design andallied subjects videos allows a wide range of learning resources. Our video resources also provide opportunities forstudent review. Powerpoint presentations are routinely used in our day course. Web sites may be shown in realtime via our high speed network and multiple monitor system Our use of educational media does not replacefaculty demonstrations and lectures. Rather these tools are used, primarily in our day course, to supplement ourlive presentations.

FACILITIES

The Rittners School Building is located in the prestigiousBack Bay area of Boston near public transportation, shoppingcenters, theaters, museums, libraries and all central activities.The building is fully equipped with a large state of the art floraldesign laboratory, lecture room, stock room and refrigeration.Each student is provided with working tools and adequatestorage is made available. Our lecture hall is completelyequipped with slide projection facilities, and for video andinternet use. Our school computer system is an outstandingtool, facilitating student handouts, materials andpresentations. We are proud of our facilities which are bothfunctional and elegant. We work hard to create an atmospherethat is warm, friendly and inviting. Music is piped into ourdesign lab for the students' comfort and relaxation. Airconditioning is provided during warm periods of the year.

EDUCATIONAL MEDIA

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To be truly up-to-date in its teaching a floral school should have anexemplary library. We are quite proud of ours. Our Library facilities may bedivided into four areas:

Floral School Library

Our specialized floral school library contains over 4,000 volumes & tradejournals which may be consulted on the premises. These deal with suchareas as American & foreign floral designing, color, retailing, holidaycustoms, antiques, marketing, sales techniques, floriculture and more.

Floral Supply,Giftware & Display Resource File

The School maintains a comprehensive file of catalogs & descriptiveliterature from importers & manufacturers of floral supplies, gifts, &display fixtures. This constantly updated, & increasing collection enablesthe schools' faculty to provide information about sources to currentstudents, school alumni, & flower shops seeking information.

Faculty Development Library

In addition to being skilled floral designers, the faculty of The Rittners School are also professional educators. As suchwe take pride in keeping up-to-date in the latest educational techniques, and applying these in our training. The facultymaintains a growing library of over 1000 microfiche documents & books in the field of education & design, & receives anumber of professional journals.

Container Library

Our school maintains an outstanding collection of hundreds of unusual containers and bases of varied sizes, shapes &styles, which adds enormously to the breadth & dimension of our teaching.

LIBRARY FACILITIES

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21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGIESUSED IN TEACHING AT RITTNERS

Through the years Rittners School has been well known throughoutthe floral industry for using the latest methods in teaching...... Inthe past we have produced award winning floral texts and videos.

Recently we have been adding to our teaching tools in new andexciting ways. Our facilities have been upgraded to include cuttingedge technologies.......

Multiple monitors and videos in our classrooms were just a start.Our facility is entirely wired.....High speed internet access and21st Century presentation software now enable us to bringtremendous resources from all over the globe right into ourclassrooms for your benefit......

Picture if you will a live floral presentation, supplemented with avisit to a major floral glassware manufacturer's web site......A discussion of exotic flowers complemented by online photos from major Hawaiian Growers..... Or a class dealing withflower sources actually showing major auction web sites!!!

Additional computers in our multimedia center & wireless access allow all students internet access and email......Useful for a student body that typically includes folks from many states and overseas...........

We will never lose the human touch......You don't have to be a computer person to come here. Live FloralDemonstrations, followed by student practice using flowers, will always remain a mainstay here at Rittners........Butthese terrific new tools used by our staff allow increased immediacy and dynamism in our presentations!!! And theyhave been getting rave reviews from our students!!

Please visit us online at: www.floralschool.com

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BOSTON

The Rittners School of Floral Design is located in one of the most prestigious residential neighborhoods in the heart ofBoston. The area in which we are located consists of brick sidewalks, gas street lights, and some of the best preservedexamples of 19th century architecture in America. Lovely townhouses, many of them converted into luxurycondominiums, in an area noted for its concern with historic preservation, contribute to a lovely environment for ourstudents. Our students have found that the charm & appeal of our facility definitely contributes to their enjoyment ofour courses. Students from out of town have found that our elegant setting in historic Boston is a definite asset.

Boston is a dynamic city pulsating with life & vigor. Although it was founded in 1630, modern skyscrapers &expressways combine with picturesque brickwork to create a unique blend of the old & new. Lovely parks, river &oceanfront all contribute to a city that is pretty as well as exciting.

For those interested in tracing our historical heritage such landmarks as The Old North Church, Bunker Hill, OldIronsides, and The Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum are to be found here.

Boston is very much a student town. There are over 200,000 students attending numerous schools in the Boston area.Thus the character & vitality of our city is very much young & alive. For those interested in the social advantages ofsuch an environment, Boston can be a very exciting place to go to school. The city pulsates with vigor & a beat all itsown!

For those who enjoy cultural activities, Boston offers outstanding advantages. Boston is considered an importantcultural center. The Museum Of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, & Institute of Contemporary Art are but a few of the manypopular art centers. Music ranges from the world famous Boston Symphony, & Boston Pops, to virtually any othertaste. Ballet, Opera, Theater & a wide assortment of movies are all available.

For those who enjoy sports, Boston offers excellent teams & very energetic & lively fans. Celtics basketball, Red Soxbaseball, Bruins hockey & Patriots football provide endless thrills & chills in this very sports conscious city. Besides thevarious professional teams, sports at the various universities in the area provide additional spectator enjoyment. Forthose who enjoy skiing & swimming, some of the best facilities in the nation are a relatively short drive from the city.