"They are beautiful, aren't they?" asked the WGHS senior, who planted 24 rosebushes along the fence with her father, David, about three years ago.

Finkle, 17, said she looks forward to the coming of next spring because the San Jose Unified School District not only installed a sprinkling system to water the roses but also planted more roses along with the original ones this summer.

"We will have more roses next year," Finkle smiled.

Finkle got the idea of beautifying the area after she complained to her father that the fences along the baseball field looked ugly. Her father suggested she use her talents in gardening and plant some flowers.

"We decided to plant climbing roses because we had been to the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden and thought it was beautiful," she said.

Finkle embarked on her project after then-WGHS Principal Patrick Day approved her proposal and a neighbor who is a school alumnus donated money to buy the roses. The neighbor preferred to remain anonymous.

"I just thought it was a great idea to improve the aesthetic appeal of the school," Day said. "Sharon and her father put a lot of sweat into it."

But this was not an easy task for the young gardener, who knew more about herbs than flowers. She read extensively and visited numerous websites to learn more about roses before choosing three breeds: Don Juan, a breed of red climbing roses; Golden Shower, a breed of yellow climbing roses; and Joseph's Coat, a breed of roses with orange and yellow petals.

"It turned out to be a good choice because roses are sturdy, fragrant and easy to take care of," said Finkle, who is now a rose expert and planning to study landscaping architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

For the past three years Finkle and her father have been the main caretakers of the rosebushes.

According to the two, watering the flowers was a big challenge. Finkle had to drag the water hose from a gray building at the back of the school since there was no watering system near the baseball field. In fact, they had planted 24 roses simply because the hose could only reach that far. Sharon was also responsible for pruning and fertilizing the roses.

When the high school was remodeled during the summer, she asked the school district to install an underground watering system to irrigate the roses. The construction and landscaping team not only accepted her request but planted 20 more rosebushes.

"I am very happy to work with the school staff and students," said John Cimino, manager of the school district's facility and construction department. "It is a win-win situation for all of us because everyone has the same goal—to make Willow Glen High School a place the community can be proud of."

The neighbors also appreciate the Finkles' efforts to beautify the school.

John McCulloch, who walks his dog by the high school every day, has observed the progress of the beautification effort.

"It was one Saturday afternoon when I saw David and his daughter working on these roses," said McCulloch, who lives on Nola Drive. "They told me the history of the whole project. I think it is a terrific example of what people can do for their community."

McCulloch said the roses have brought the community together. Some residents stop by to smell the roses. Some cut the blooms for home decorations. Some help the Finkles prune.

"It all started with a kid who wanted to make the school look better," McCulloch said.

Finkle's next school beautification project is to construct a bronze ram sculpture for permanent display on campus. The school and the district have already approved the project—she only needs to raise enough money. It is estimated to cost about $40,000.

"I hope we can build the sculpture before I graduate next year," Finkle said.