Author: wordpress_455

Dear Gardeners, 
Surveyor’s are at the school! I stopped and talked to them and asked if they were surveying for the polling place access project (the one responsible for the raspberry scare). They said, “No. We’re here to survey the whole property. They want us to pinpoint the location of the big oaks, everything.”
Please take photos of the surveyors and post to social media. This is similar to the last time surveyors were in the garden to drill boreholes for the footprint for a new Annex. 
One would think that I, as Director of Ecology Programs (still), would have been notified. 
But I wasn’t, and in the current atmosphere of threats to ecology and the garden, I should have been made aware.
It just notches up the anxiety level for the whole community.
I asked them not to step on plants. They said they would be careful.
Just a couple months ago I encountered two workers gathered around the bur oak by the tool shed, and they explained they had been asked to give an estimate for tree removal. No one had notified me.  I went to the Principal and filled him in on the history of these oaks, and organized environmental organizations to help us stop the destruction of this 300 year old tree.  When the BOE person came to do his personal observations, he agreed with the professionals that the tree was sound, healthy, biologically significant, and culturally invaluable, and should be cared for, protected, and presented to the community as a treasure. I only engaged with this delegation by luck. I was not told of their visit by the Principal. I was being excluded.
We have to be vigilant. Think Meigs Field. We have to be ready to come out and speak up.

If anyone has a list of media contacts that they could send to me, please do. 
and here are links to two articles covering what’s happened.

Green fight at North Side school

Lincoln Square Parents Furious Over Ousting Of Longtime Waters Ecology Director

The LSC has been made aware that I had accepted the terms before the last LSC mtg by one of their board members who was present for negotiations. 

Much Love and appreciation to you Garden Guardians,
Pete Leki

anonymous comment from longtime friend D. R.

(taking a cue from the LSC anonymous letters and the retribution for these emails)

“Just read the latest. I did feel like, in the LSC meeting, one thing that stuck out was that Mr. R was setting the narrative to expand his control over what is currently community plots. He gave the #s — I forgot what they were — but it would be very easy for him to couch it as “expanding” the program for students by upping the percent of their plots v. community members. He also pointed out there’s not enough recess space for the kids, setting the scene for less garden. This drives the explanation more into him just wanting control of the property, in my opinion. And it definitely shows he has been focused on a goal he is not revealing this whole time. “

Wednesday Garden Night tonight 5-sunset New school families are especially invited to visit the garden and see  what garden night is like.  Many school families participate every week, though  some are on vacation now.   We’ll have the usual task list. There are many pleasant gardening opportunities for parents and children to do together.  We’ll have a PlantID walk especially to learn the flowers in bloom in this time of the summer. And musicians are invited to serenade us while we garden or at the end! I hope they do! —- More thoughts from Mr. Leki: The days are passing and each passing day makes it less likely that the ecology program will return to Waters as we all have known it. I am still spending hours each day in the garden, with the help of neighbors and parents, caring for the vegetable beds and native plants. Our Saturday work mornings have been warm and wonderful, with a trace of sadness always nearby. I would like to recommence Wednesday evening workdays to engage more of our community and to get the garden in tip top shape.  I will take time during each workday to lead plant ID tours with some of our other native plant experts. Many of our plants are very beautiful and many are very rare. It is good to get to know them, their curious ways, and needs. The mobile phone plantID apps are great for beginners, but most seem to enjoy learning our local Chicago native flowers with people and books.  The garden community includes quite a few native plant experts (environmental science and biology professors, a former native landscaping crew training and management leader, and quite a few others with decades of experience.)  We’ve been talking about how to tend the garden in the short term, with such uncertainty.  They understand how rare and special Waters garden is and can share that knowledge with you, so more people understand why we protect it and how it’s important to the ecology program at Waters.  We hope more people will want to learn how to care for this incredible garden.  We will also try to have more music during the workdays, as we have in the past, to lift our spirits and keep us strong.  People have asked how they can help, what they can do.   Please  keep reading the news as updates come. Other news articles are likely soon.  Please spread this link so that people can get this newsletter or share our newsletters on social media and block clubs.  I want to let people have time to learn what happened and have time to sort out the truth and notice where statements were misleading or worse, notice what incorrect assumptions have been made and reflect.  Perhaps some will be unmoved by the new information, but they will need to think heavily about their reasons because others will question them deeply. Lets let them have a little time. The news is still coming out.  Stay tuned.  Meanwhile, see you in the garden. There’s lots of work to do!

New neighbors can join this email list here.   Please share the link with them and in places where they will find it.

It’s been quite a week. We’ve shared a petition and need to get back to gardening.

10-12 Saturday, July 16th, please join us for the usual garden tasks and to share music and food at the end.

While surely, there will be some discussion about current ecology program status, lets try to save discussion for a short Q&A around 11.. Its been an exhausting week. Last week over 70 people gathered and were so worried about the garden and ecology classes, they barely got any gardening done! The garden needs us! Lets not waste another garden day worrying. Instead, enjoy the garden, and be good and kind to one another. and please come at the beginning if you can.

more news soon. Hold Fast! The universe is large and many things are possible.

Hello Dear Waters friends,  This is part 2 of yesterday’s message answering some of the inaccurate  comments made on Waters Facebook page. Don’t say the ecology program is being destroyed “Mistakes” made by Waters Today Voice and CPS Miscellaneous employee Ugly Turn  Before we go there, I need to tell you that I got a message from the Principal today saying that he is sticking with his decisions, and the ecology program and garden will go on with or without me. There you go. Bold statement. Can you make a bold statement? That the Garden and Program belong to US: The people who created it, fund it, the people who fund CPS? We are looking for any and every way to influence the LSC, the Alderman and State Representative and Senator to come to our aid. Me might say: we are the oak trees, these old and  beloved oak trees. Do not cut them down and plant new… “better” saplings.Please help.This is our hour of decision. Please help.We are asking school families to create video messages from their kids, asking, demanding, that the ecology program they know, will be saved. Sing. Sing your joy and resolve.  We can change things. For more instructions, follow: https://www.watersecology.org/2022/07/11/save-waters-ecology-request-for-videos/

“Don’t say the ecology program is being destroyed.”  I don’t know what misconceptions people have about the program, but I know that if I am forced out, and have no way to impart, hand off, the complexity of the programs, the relationships and agreements between many parties, the bulk of the field ecology trips will end. No more Mighty Acorns, Lake trips, our river partnerships will dissolve. There are complicated reasons. For example, Mighty Acorns trips are funded by the Forest Preserves ($9,000 last year).  This program is premised on students engaging in stewardship activities: brush cutting, seed collecting, weed pulling. These activities must be supervised by certified land managers. The Forest Preserve District does not have enough staff to provide supervision for all Mighty Acorns schools. But, because I am a certified steward, we are able to carry on. We also have a special status because of our history with Mighty Acorns (I was a founder, and wrote the introduction to the first manual 25 years ago). Without a steward, no trips. Similar for Lake trips. So, if I am forced out, the school might be able to hire someone to teach ecology and “care” for the garden, but it will be unrecognizable from the current program. In that sense, the ecology program that I built over the past 25 years will be destroyed. “Mistakes” made by WT Recently, in defense of taking money donated by parents for the ecology program, it has been said that “mistakes were made” by well meaning parents on the WT board that overvalued my position, so that the pay level was inappropriate. First, let me say that I never once asked for a raise. I probably should have been more involved. But my interest was my work. I was very happy for WT to raise money, find grants, pay me and LET ME WORK. As I said yesterday, I am working up to my capacity, really over capacity. Things that distract me from my work make me unable to do the best job that I could. Even writing this, takes the place of other work I could be doing. But, this is important, I guess. Liz Chandron wrote to tell me that:  The prior pay structure under WT was based on the assumption that one day you would retire, and a teacher would be hired to take over the program, and this was the future cost of that position. Well that’s not a mistake. It makes some sense. We asked Mr R what the average teacher cost was and he said $105- $110,000 per year.  The LSC cut ecology back to $56,000 with no benefits. At the same time they hired a new tech teacher at $105,000, at least $65,000 coming from WT, apparently money made available by cutting ecology. There was a mistake made. But, not by Waters Today. Voice and CPS Miscellaneous employee Last Fall the November Minutes of the LSC Budget Committee informs us under Ecology: PR: Finally have a contact for procurement. Process would be six months for procurement. Instructed to create a description of what you want for the program and not what is already in place. CPOR (Chief Procurement Officer Requisition) best way to go – $75k threshold. If go bigger than that, would need to put program out for other bids (required by CPS). That’s where I understood we were. After many months of effort, in August of 2021, I received a Vendor # and CPS verified insurance and background checks. I let Mr R know and he said that for now we would just keep doing things like usual, with WT cutting a monthly check. This was surprising because the LSC had been pushing and pushing for this Vendor # and now, all of a sudden, no rush, we’ll keep doing like before. In early spring Mr. R called me and announced that he thought it would be easier to just hire me as a CPS employee, that I would get benefits, insurance coverage. Easier. And he said he had talked to Sandrine Schultz, head of CPS Sustainability, who was also, by the way, my sponsor for my Vendor Status. She is also a supporter of the ecology program, garden, and our composting program. So, I thought, “Well, maybe that would work”. But, there are downsides to working as an “employee” for CPS. One was that there is no category that could represent what I actually do in my job. The one Mr. R presented to me sounded like a first year teacher’s aid. It in no way represents what I do.  Being a Board employee also restricts my ability to speak up and speak out when necessary on school, garden, and broader social and environmental issues. I am very willing to restart the Vendor process which would allow me to be compensated for the broad scope of my work. Ugly Turn In a particularly ugly and maybe even libelous turn, several FBers equated the need for me to be under CPS control, to the recent conviction of a former Waters teacher. BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.  But, the bad things happened in the school under CPS and Principal supervision, with a licensed and insured teacher.  Bad things did not happen in the Garden.  As a Vendor I am registered at CPS, have insurance, and background checks. I, of course, work with the Principal and the teachers, parents and students every day. Please shut down this toxic bit of writing. Finally, let me end with beautiful words of inspiration, passion, hope, and urgency from members of our community:

Letters of support  Dear Waters Community, I am shocked and very saddened to hear about the challenges the ecology program is facing at our school. My daughter was fortunate enough to have been accepted to Waters through the lottery and we were so happy when we got the news she could go there. One of the core reasons we selected Waters was because of the ecology program as it offers such an enriching educational experience that is vital for young people to have. Mr. Leki not only teaches the students about the natural world around them but allows kids, parents, teachers and the local community to play an important role in supporting and sustaining this planet. And through his work we can all realize that this is no easy task but through years of dedication, perseverance and above all, team work, that we can all benefit our natural world together no matter how old you are.   The garden is a special space that inspires the students and community to pay attention to nature. It provides a gathering space for all people and so many different kinds of wildlife that need this area. Our world is facing a climate crisis and the city does not offer green play spaces that are easily accessible or utilized by many people. The Waters garden offers a place for everyone in the Waters community that they may not otherwise experience. It has taught and will continue to teach many generations how vital our appreciation of the natural world is and inspire these students to take control of the climate crisis and become a more thoughtful and respectful person to our planet and all of the living things in it. As a concerned and active member of the Waters community I respectfully ask how can we risk taking this away from the students? What is the motive behind this change and who does it benefit?  Best, The La Pratt Family Dear Members of the Waters Local School Counsel and Principal Rutkowski: We are incredibly fortunate that the Waters Ecology Program is at our school. It is not justa class. The Waters Ecology Program and Garden makes our school unique across all the schools in Chicago—it makes it a special place to be, where children are uniquely supported and nourished. My family and I moved to this neighborhood so our children could attend Waters Elementary School. We chose Waters and this community specifically because of the Ecology Program and the Waters’ Garden. We have learned that we are just one of many families who, over the years, have put down roots here to in order to be a part of the Ecology Program, Garden, and the school community that thrives as a result of these critical resources. We are in a time of crisis for our common home. The climate crisis has been called the “defining crisis of our time,” but it is one of many crises we are experiencing all at once.1 There is also the sixth mass extinction happening currently (the biodiversity crisis), a pollution crisis (ofair, land, and water—by chemicals, plastic, heavy metals, radioactivity, noise, and light), and deforestation and natural resource depletion (we are using our natural resources faster than they can replenish themselves).2 There is also a gun  United States, including, as we know, here in Chicago.3 This is the context in which we must raise and educate our children. 1 United Nations, The Climate Crisis—A Race We Can Win (2022), https://www.un.org/en/un75/climate-crisis-race-we-canwin#:~:text=Climate%20change20is%20the%20defining,a20race%20we%20can%20win%E2%80%9D. 2 Robert H. Cowie, et al. The Sixth Mass Extinction: fact, fiction or speculation?, BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Vol. 97 pp. 640-663 (2022), available at, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12816; United Nations, As Humanity’s Environment Footprint Becomes Increasingly Unsustainable, Global Leaders Recommit to Joint Climate Action, at Opening of Stockholm Summit, https://www.un.org/press/en/2022/envdev2046.doc.htm (“[H]uman demand on natural resources has become unbearably heavy, with ecosystem degradation compromising the well-being of over 3 billion people and a growing tide of pollution and waste costing some 9 million lives annually.”); Laura Parker, The world’s plastic pollution crisis explained, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, (2019), available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution (“Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues, as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them.”). 3 Statement on Gun Violence Crisis from 60 National Organizations, June 6, 2022, available at, https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/zLatest_News/Statement_Gun_Violence_Crisis_from_60_ National_Organiz  2 There is no escaping that this is the world they have inherited, from those who came before and those who are still here now. The Ecology Program and the Waters Garden are a refuge in this storm—for Waters students, Waters parents, and the community members who surround our school. Having such a refuge is important in and of itself. A rich body of research now formally demonstrates what many of us have long known— spending time in nature has both physical and psychological benefits for human wellbeing.4 Green spaces near schools promote cognitive development and self-control behaviors in children. Exposure to natural environments improves working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention control.5 The impacts of green space on the brain is profound, students briefly gazing out at a garden during an academic task results in them making fewer mistakes!6 Exposure to green space also reduces the risk of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, mood disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and substance use disorder.7 Time in nature also increases children’s ability and likelihood to engage cooperatively with others.8 Research has also found that it is the more wild spaces that have the greatest ability to strongly reduce stress hormones like cortisol and α-amylase.9 We give our children an enormous gift each day by sending them to school in a building surrounded by a garden—not just any garden, but a garden they tend themselves, that the community members around them tend, and that their grown-ups and their friends’ and classmates’ grown-ups tend. A  garden where soil is cultivated for food. A garden where Mr. Leki and community members carefully tend wild spaces to allow them their wildness (with all its amazing benefits!) and to support our precious native plants, which bring beauty and inspiration, home for incredible insects like butterflies, and build our soil for continued sustenance. The children have a place to explore, where there is wonder and awe, and also care and security.ations.aspx; Sarah Owermohle and Krista Mahr, America’s Gun Violence Crisis, POLITICO PULSE (2022), available at, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pulse/2022/05/25/americas-gun-violence-crisis- 00034936. 4 Kirsten Weir, Nurtured by Nature, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY, Vol.51, No. 3 (2020), available at https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature. 5 Kathryn E. Schertz and Marc G. Berman, Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits, CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Vol. 28, No. 5 (2019), available at, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0963721419854100. 6 Kate E. Lee et al., 40-second green roof views sustain attention: The role of micro-breaks in attention restoration, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 42 (2015), pp. 182-189, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494415000328?via%3Dihub 7 Kristine Engemann et al., Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood, PNAS, Vol. 116, No. 11 (2019), available at https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1807504116. 8 Raelyne L.Dopko et al., The psychological and social benefits of a nature experience for children: A preliminary investigation, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 63, No. 1 (2019), available at, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature. 9 Alan Ewert and Yun Chang, Levels of Nature and Stress Response, BEHAVIOR SCIENCES, 2018 May; Vol. 8 No. 5 (2018), available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5981243/.  3 The Garden is an irreplaceable asset. But this letter is not about the garden alone. It is not only the exposure to natural spaces that is good for children’s wellbeing—it is the connection they feel to nature itself.10 Waters’ Ecology Program gives our children that connection. For over a decade, Mr. Leki has designed and executed a holistic program that teaches children to (1) observe and work to understand the living systems of which they are a part, and on which they depend; (2) contribute meaningfully and with care to those systems; and (3) build sustaining community across differences. These are precisely the skills that our children most need to successfully navigate these challenging times and the ones to come—and to build healthier, safer, and more vibrant future for themselves and one another. I have witnessed first-hand Mr. Leki’s powerful work with the Ecology Program. This year I volunteered to help with the annual first grade play, which tells the legend of turtle and snake. Through song and drama, first graders get the opportunity to teach the history of their school—how the Chicago River once flowed through the school grounds, the way people moved the river a few blocks away to be deeper and straighter, and the way a group of students stepped up and took action to build the garden they wanted to see and play in and explore at their very own school. It is a beautiful story, and the children are in awe to learn of their special place in their school’s rich history. First-graders then get to teach this history to the kindergarteners and pre-K students,who then too are able to feel connected to this history, their fellow students, and the garden that surrounds their very special school—including the amazing animals that live there. This experience gives the students a deep sense of belonging and connection—something Mr. Lekifosters throughout all his work with the Ecology Program. Mr. Leki regularly invites parents to be a part of Ecology Program experiences. This means students get to see their grown-ups and their friends’ grown-ups in the school and in their classrooms. This helps foster community and a sense of care among the students that I value immensely as a Waters parent. It is this sense of community and care, of knowing one another, and feeling connected to one another that helps us keep our students safe. As a result of these volunteer opportunities, I have connected with other parents, and my son has connected with a wider array of students across multiple grades, building new friendships and acquaintances that make our community stronger. The Garden Stewardship Days provide ways for the larger community to be involved with the garden and further build connections between the school and the community that help build a safe and thriving community for our students. 10 John M. Zelenski and Elizabeth K. Nisbet, Happiness and Feeling Connected: The Distinct Role of Nature Relatedness, ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2014 (2012), available at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916512451901 (finding that a feeling of connection to nature is a significant predictor of happiness even after controlling for general connectedness). Cartwright, B.D.S., et al., Nearby Nature ‘Buffers’ the Effect of Low Social Connectedness on Adult Subjective Wellbeing over the Last 7 Days, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH, Vol. 15, No. 6 (2018) (“Results confirmed the importance of nature exposure for wellbeing in itself, and highlighted its potential role in offering socially isolated individuals a way of satisfying the need to feel connected.”), available at https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/6/1238.  4 The value of Mr. Leki’s holistic approach in creating and implementing the Ecology Program cannot be overstated. The way the Program works up through the grades—starting the younger children at home in the garden at a place of learning and awe and completing manageable tasks, continuing out to explore the wider world, first the river and then the larger Forest Preserves, and then returning back home to contribute more richly to the garden—gives the children something to look forward to, something to aspire to, and a great sense of pride. It teaches them a remarkable sense of scale, allowing them to work and contribute over time and at varying levels and degrees as their own abilities and knowledge grows. This ability to see over the long-term, to have the firm understanding that small tasks repeated over time lead to enormous changes and incredible fruits, and to know in their bones that our world is alive and there for them, just as it is dependent on them, is what will make our children successful and great in this particular time. Mr. Leki’s skill, dedication, and hard work is what brought the Waters Ecology Program about and made it consistently outstanding for over a decade. He designed something truly phenomenal and new and made it work. For this, he is also an outstanding role model for our children who will hopefully also learn to design and implement amazing new ways of doing things. As a Waters parent, of a rising second grader and rising kindergartener, I fully support the Ecology Program. I ask that Mr. Leki’s work be sustained at the full level it deserves, with funding that recognizes (1) the executive role he has played, and continues to play, in designing and sustaining the Ecology Program, (2) the profound skill and knowledge he brings to the cultivation of native and agriculture plants in the Waters Garden, (3) his skills as an educator, and (4) the skill, coordination, time, and care he uses to build a strong and thriving school community. Mr. Leki’s work with the Ecology Program has made Waters Elementary School a destination for many and has attracted valued parents and students to our school. He should be fully supported to ensure the Program continues to thrive. Sincerely, Megan M. Hunter Waters Parent

Quick Take: Please record yourself reading your letter or telling how replacing Mr Leki is not right. With smartphones, long letters lose impact, but short videos work well.

More about the request for videos: First, a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who wrote letters, showed up, shared solutions, and spoke to Principal Rutkowski about how the proposed cuts to Waters Ecology affect you.  You can find your letter and all of the testimonials posted here on the Waters Ecology website: https://www.watersecology.org/supporting-letters/

Now, we need to tell all of the Local School Council (LSC) members – who will vote on the cuts to Waters Ecology this month – how we feel about the Ecology program with Mr. Leki.

We are inviting community members to make short videos to support Waters Ecology. This is your chance to tell the Local School Council (LSC) members how you feel before they vote on the proposed cuts to Waters Ecology with Mr. Leki. 
Remember, please only submit videos of your own self or family and please email Mr. Leki (petelekisan@gmail.com) to let him know that you want him to put the video on the Waters Ecology website/facebook and that you give permission.

How you can help:
1.Record a short video with yourself or family sharing how you feel about the value of Mr. Leki in the Ecology Program and for the garden. Read your letter or simply speak from the heart!
2. Give written permission for the video to be used by sending Mr. Leki an email at petelekisan@gmail.com
3. Go to this link to upload your video: Dropbox Upload link for Waters Ecology
4. Then post the video online wherever you feel your message needs to be heard!
5. You can also add the hashtag  #savewatersecology

*If you prefer to send your written letter directly to LSC members, you can email them at: waterslsc@gmail.com
The LSC needs to hear from you before they vote this month! Let’s make our voices heard!

Thank you! 
Waters Ecology

In this message:
Report Back from Gathering to Save Ecology and Waters Garden
Response to inaccuracies on the Waters FaceBook Page
Bring Ecology Under Control!
There Are Rules that Must Be Followed
Nobody's Going to Destroy the Garden
Don't say the ecology program is being destroyed
Mistakes made by WT
Ugly Turn
(I'll only deal with the first three today, the rest tomorrow with more positive inspiring messages from the community)

Eighty plus people from Waters School Community came out to the Garden Saturday to express their concerns and upset about cuts to the ecology program and garden, and to dialogue with the Principal and LSC. Young and old, current, past and prospective families gave impassioned testimony and asked questions that were  not easy to answer. This type of  circle of concern was able to get clarity on a number of issues, which I will report on below. We didn’t get to do any garden work! The discussion lasted two and a half hours before it devolved into smaller group discussions, sharing wonderful food, gooseberry lemonade, pico de gallo, watermellon with mint, etc,  and being seranded by Waters parent musicians.
At the same time, a group of people “talked” on Facebook about the same subjects, but unfortunately got many of the facts wrong. I wish they would have joined the circle, in person. But here are some of the misconceptions that were repeated:

Bring Ecology under control!
That the ecology program needs to be brought under the control or supervision of the school, the Principal, CPS. The FBers are confused because they lack knowledge of the development of the ecology program and garden, and its  complex and rich history. The garden / ecology program were created by a decision made by the LSC way back in 1991 to “do something” about the “asphalt desert”. At that time our school community was very stressed economically and the school was decrepit and under-resourced. The school contracted with the Center for City Schools to adopt a teaching and learning philosophy that encouraged the school community to act, to collaborate, to engage students, and parents, and community members and environmental partners to take on the problems that beset us and change the world. Teaching within the classroom was being transformed, empowering students, and teachers to pursue their curiosity about this world, and render it in science, music, art, math, history, etc. This is how the garden and ecology program got its start. This is when we learned that the river once flowed through our grounds, and about the disappeared plants communities that once grew around our ancient oaks. The ecology program and garden grew from scratch, and took many years of effort, partnering, relationship building. But it has always been integral to the school’s mission, vision, and curriculum. The LSC and Principal were always its biggest allies and defenders. Our first Principal used to say to our teachers and the eco-gardening program, “You go ahead. You do the good staff. My job is to protect your work.”
As one former LSC Chair said so eloquently yesterday,  the LSC and the garden and ecology were like one thing, everybody participated, from food to work to song.
The ecology program, as it grew from just one grade level to a full k-9 program was included in every SIP (School Improvement Plan). So, in short, the program has been “under” the school’s supervision from day one until now. I often tell visitors that it is the school that gives our garden its heft, its awesome gravity: it is the realization of years after years of student work and commitment, the physical embodiment of our proud  history.
It is also true that neither former Principal actively managed the garden or program. The management of the garden was given to me, first as an associate of the Center for City Schools (National-Louis U) and later through grants and finally funded by WT. I worked extremely closely with both previous Principals, an effective sharing of responsibility based on trust.
During these years the garden and ecology program have been showered with awards from science and environmental, arts  and educational organizations. Ecology was considered an essential.
So, the assertion that the program must be brought under “control”, that its current status is unsustainable, is simple wrong and without merit. It could be that some members of the past Council have misinformation about the garden because they are not involved, don’t take part and witness the day to day reality. I urge them and welcome them to do so.

There are Rules that must be followed
Another often repeated phrase of the FBers is that we have to “play by the rules”. No doubt there are rules. But the garden wouldn’t exist if we always and only played by the rules. Another speaker yesterday, who worked on city-wide school gardens for Green Corps, told us that you can visit other school gardens, dozens, that are moribund, in disrepair, trashed and dead. They simply weren’t able to build the relationships, partnerships, trust and innovations that sustain a healthy school / community garden.

Nobody’s Going to “destroy the garden”
Another FB complaint is my use of the words Save the Garden, or the Garden and ecology program are being destroyed. Yesterday Principal Rutkowski assured us that the garden wouldn’t be touched, “No bulldozers are coming”. But there are other ways to destroy a garden. If we stopped watering the vegetable beds for just one week in summer, they would all die. The gardeners who perform this task, daily, week in week out, do it out of the goodness of their hearts and love for the garden and school. The attacks on the garden and defunding of the ecology erode the bonds that keep our community functioning. The watering has to be coordinated, hoses have to be repaired and replaced, plumbing springs leaks. 
If we stopped weeding for the summer the garden would be choked by weeds. Perhaps some people take the garden for granted because they don’t see, don’t recognize the huge, sustained amounts of energy that go into maintaining its health and productivity. Look at the new gardens in and around the north swale. These were a CPS design and build project. Probably 60% of the plants have already been killed. There is no love or care invested in these plantings and it has been recognized that the entire area is going to have to be re-done. Is this not a scandal? That project costed hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was under CPS control. Where is the outrage? Why is the LSC cutting funding for the parts of the school grounds that are rich, diverse and healthy, and say not a word about this gross mis-use of school funds.

Thank you! 
Waters Ecology

Today, Saturday July 9, from 10-12, we will be gathering to

Save the Garden, and Save the Ecology Program. 

We will also be celebrating the garden and ecology program, our community, children and families, our plants and animals and Life in General.
I still don’t understand why the LSC decided to defund the ecology program by 30%. I really don’t know. But, I do know what is involved in doing the ecology program and garden, and all the moving parts and relationships that keep it going.  So, we are working on that. 

In the meantime we have been buoyed by the outpouring of support, which we will share with the LSC (and Principal). They will also be posted on our website watersecology.org. There will be a meeting of the new LSC in two weeks and we hope very much to resolve the crisis, and move into the new school year with a full heart.

For tomorrow, we will start with doing some garden stewardship, weeding and wood chipping. While this is going on some of us will be preparing food, getting the grills going, making our own local gooseberry lemonade, and generally setting up to finish up the event with some music, songs and greetings.

Please Join Us!

Mr. Leki

Please read these letters. more letters needed.

Letters of Support

Hello Friends, 
If you were a corporate CEO, or a fast food worker, or a housecleaner, or professor, and were called in and told that your wages were being cut by 30%…. What would you think? It seems to me that this announcement is really an invitation for you to leave, to retire, to quit.
That is what is happening at Waters and with the ecology program and garden. The LSC likes them both, but wants me, Mr. Leki, out. Maybe they think I am too old. Or maybe they think I cost too much. Maybe they want someone new, that doesn’t know the history of the people who made the gardens. Maybe they want someone that is more afraid to speak out about issues in the garden, neighborhood and city. Someone that would be easier to control and deal with. Maybe they think they could buy someone to teach something called ecology, that, ironically, has no attachment to the school and community.  That is what the LSC is proposing: take a 30% defund or hit the road. 

I am working with a group of parents to present some counter-proposals to the LSC that could possibly resolve this crisis.
In the meantime,  

Join us on Saturday, July 9 for a
Garden /Ecology Celebration
10-12:00 Bring food and musical instruments.
We will work, and talk and eat and enjoy the day.

LSC has been invited to hear your voices
Mr. Leki
 

Here's what some of our community say:
 
To Whom It May Concern:
 
I write, in the highest possible terms, to retain Pete Leki as the head of ecology at Waters Elementary.   It is  doubtless that the program will likely not continue to thrive under hands other than Mr. Leki's.
 
Any student that has belted out a song on the bus to Sauganash, any parent that has chaperoned an ecology field trip, knows first-hand that Mr. Leki brings unparalleled expertise in education, community-building and passion for all things Nature.
 
I ask you to ensure that Mr. Leki will continue as the leader of ecology at Waters, so that future environments, whether inside the classroom or outside in the fields, can benefit from his unique knowledge and leadership.
 
Yours,
George Cederquist,
Waters Elementary Parent.

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Water's garden and ecology program is probably one of the most important and necessary components of the Lincoln Square community. Not only does it provide the opportunity for the students of Waters to learn about plants, gardening and natural stewardship but it also provides the community with a natural sanctuary that gives peace and tranquility. As the world is reminded over and over again by the real and immediate effects of Climate Change it seems vital to teach students the values of natural stewardship. It is also vital to have a space where animals and people and plants can congregate in harmony. I hope to continue to bring my young son to the garden so he can run around and discover all of the different plants and to see how food grows. Please reconsider defunding the ecology program.
 
Thank you
David Grant a community member

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To Whom it May Concern -

I’m writing in support of full funding for the Waters ecology program. I bought a home about a block from Waters in 2019 and was first introduced to the garden then. I spent many summer nights taking walks among the plants, but it wasn’t until Summer 2021 that I became more involved. Since the pandemic struck, I had been a member of Lincoln Square’s mutual aid group. Last spring, we partnered with Mr. Leki and the Waters Garden to grow food for our neighbors who were facing food insecurity. Because of the efforts of the students, Mr. Leki, and others, we were able to make weekly deliveries of fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and more to some of our most vulnerable neighbors. In the process, members of the mutual aid group became garden volunteers—helping to prep beds for student use and to care for the veggies they had planted during the previous semester. As someone who plans to send my child to Waters in a few short years, I am acutely aware of how this kind of interconnectedness builds healthy, thriving communities and, in turn, improves the education of our children. When I purchased my home, I heard repeatedly from friends and neighbors who said things like “What a great location! You’re so lucky to be in the Waters district!” This kind of enthusiasm for a local school does not come without hard work—hard work like the kind Mr. Leki puts in every day for this school and these students. Please consider doing what you can to fully fund Waters’ unique and vital ecology program.

Warmly,
Taylor Fenderbosch 

Dear Waters Community,

The other morning I was at the garden helping one of the waterers wrangle the long garden hose. I saw a tall man walking and stopping on the sidewalk along the perimeter of the garden. He stopped, read the signs, looked in, craning his neck. Finally, I asked if he had any questions about the garden. He introduced himself as the new Principal of another nearby CPS school. He said that his school community wanted to start a garden and they told him: “You have to see Waters School Gardens”. So, that’s what he was doing. But he told me that he had no idea that our garden was so big, so rich, and so incredibly beautiful. I gave him a tour and told him some of the history of the garden: its small, heroic beginnings, its historic location on the bed of the old Chicago River, anchored by our ancient oaks, and the energy and creativity of our struggling community that converted 1.2 acres of asphalt to garden by hand!
One of the last things he said was something about how the mixture of garden boxes filled with flowers and vegetables, with the exuberant growth of native plants was just breathtaking.
That was an angel’s message at a time when the worth of the garden is being challenged by some in the school community.

Do you have a message that you would like to share, to help save the garden and ecology program? Here are excerpt from some messages I have received:

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“I am so sorry to read this… My heart crumbles. Your ecology program was the thing that made us choose Waters and neighborhood all the way from Venezuela.” Alicia M. parent

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“… we consider the school and gardens a community treasure, a wonder held in common. Our kids played on the playgrounds (several iterations). We shared in the raspberries, we hear the Scouts and neighbours at the fire pit singing songs, we play on the turf field on weekends, we marvel at the raised bed gardens and the variety of growing things, we are in awe at the centuries-old majestic trees in the South gardens.”  Eric C. neighbor and parent

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 “For us the ecology program has been the stand-out experience at Waters, and not being able to fully participate in that was one of our great sadnesses during the 18 months of remote learning. However, the remote classes with Mr Leki were a highlight of remote learning, and proved to be the spark for many family outings, as Ewan and I walked the streets of the neighborhood trying to identify the tree species that he had learned about in class, or went to the Waters garden to draw plants and leaves. Upon return to in-person learning Ewan has loved being part of the Mighty Acorns and we are excited for him to continue with that next year. Growing up in the city with so many outdoor spaces covered in concrete or plastic, this early exposure to nature is vital for our kids. Childhood nature exposure is associated with increased self-esteem, and better quality of life as children, along with improved mental health in adulthood.” Jeremy A, parent and neighbor

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“I’m writing because I was alarmed to hear that the Waters School Ecology Program budget is being cut by 30%. I’m a neighbor of Waters and a community development professional. Although I don’t have children, I moved to the neighborhood twelve years ago because of the school and the gardens. I work in many cities across the country, helping communities to develop sustainably and equitably. I’m often in touch with school districts and principals. I can tell you that the Waters School Ecology Program is a gem and would be the envy of many other cities. It provides the sort of experience that kids will identify later as their favorite part of school, one that supported them academically and personally. For the neighborhood, the gardens function as a community hub, a place that adds immeasurably to quality of life. The numbers of families who benefit from the gardens far exceed those who volunteer or whose kids attend Waters.” Ellen S. neighbor 

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Please join us:
Save the Garden! Save Ecology! Celebrate the Garden Community
Saturday, July 9, 10:00 until Noon
Bring food, drinks and musical instruments, soccer balls, volley balls and frisbees.
If you are not able to join us, Please send us a message of support that we will share with the LSC and the Principal.

Thank You,
Mr. Leki