Landscaper Jim LaMontagne, right, talks with Thetford Academy horticulture students, from left, Wolfie Dowell, Mavis Downey, and Garden Coordinator Ehrin Lingeman about the rain garden near the new Riverwalk Apartments in White River Junction, Vt., on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. LaMontagne, a 1971 graduate of Thetford Academy, led Lingeman's class on a field trip through the plantings he designed around the building and told them to follow their interests, but to also seek a well rounded education. "Doing what you love to do - playing in the dirt - is such a small piece of the pie," he told them about running his business. "There's all the other stuff that goes with it." (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. valley news — James M. Patterson