Winning “neighbors’’ course

A third-grade course developed by staff at Brookline’s Frederick Law Olmsted site and teachers in Brookline’s public schools has won a competitive Award of Excellence from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Called Good Neighbors: Landscape Design and Community Building, the course was called an “outstanding contribution” to the profession of landscape architecture. The course is being incorporated into the public schools’ third-grade curriculum, according to Geoff Tegnell, K-8 coordinator for social studies. Students learn about how well-designed parks make communities stronger. They visit the Olmsted site, parts of the Emerald Necklace designed by Olmsted, a landscape architect’s office, and more. The National Park Service is also packaging the course for use in other communities across the country. Three Brookline teachers worked particularly hard on the curriculum, Tegnell said — Martha MacDonald of the Baker School, Gretchen Albertini of Devotion School, and Vicky Ferstler of the Heath School. — Andreae Downs