Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/912628
" The team practiced often my long-learned adage: Take a 'no' and change it into a 'maybe' or a 'yes' through compromise." CalTAC, on which I served from 2007 to 2011, is all about mak- ing connections between the classroom and the world of public and education policy. e relationship I developed during that time with the office of then-Assembly Member Bob Huff and his director, Tim Shaw, enabled us to get the Water Guardians the attention they deserved. The team met with Shaw and gave him a strong presenta- tion, which led to many more. ey began to write a legislative proposal that could work statewide. With the blessings of the school board and superintendent, they wowed the city council, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, the Metropolitan Water District Water Quality Control Board, the Whittier League of Women Voters, Assembly Member Cristina Garcia and her FIGs (Fellows in Government Program students), and the Cal Poly Pomona School of Engineering. e Water Guardians were honored by the city council, and local water company President Jim Byerrum contributed $5,000 to their plan. e Cal Poly students helped with water calcula- tions for the proposal. e state Legislature presented the team with proclamations of recognition and achievement. Lessons in getting a law passed Despite these and other accolades, we were not able to make headway with the proposal. But the team practiced often my long-learned adage: Take a "no" and change it into a "maybe" or a "yes" through compromise. In early 2017, I took a chance and wrote a heartfelt plea to Assembly Member Phillip Chen. I explained the Water Guard- ians' passion and commitment, and asked for consideration to be made for their proposal. Nearly a week passed, when I received an amazing email from his office stating that he and his staff were not only interested, but had researched the viability of the proposal with local water companies and had decided to put forth a placeholder bill A Winning Plan I N A U G U S T 2 0 15 , Washington Middle School STEM teacher Susan Pritchard urged students in all her classes to consider entering the national Lexus Eco Challenge. Six took her up on it. Conscious of Califor- nia's ongoing drought, Vanessa Canchola, Angeline Dequit, Jessica Gallegos, Skye Lim, Fiona Paredes and Alma Spicher looked at the school's water use and devised plans for drought-tolerant landscaping, drip irrigation, and watering two days instead of three. They also recommended getting low-flow toilets and automatic faucets. The Water Guardians, as they named themselves, said these changes could reduce Washington's water use by at least 30 percent. With Pritchard as their adviser, the team also designed an "e-packet" — a tool to distribute educational ideas on water con- servation — available online for international audiences. Their project won the Middle School First Place Prize in the 2015-16 Lexus Eco Challenge, which came with cash prizes for college. At left, Vanessa Canchola, Dequit, Assembly Member Cristina Garcia, Lim, Gallegos, Alma Spicher and Pritchard. Below, the Water Guardians are honored by La Habra City Council. 17 D E C E M B E R 2 017 / J A N U A R Y 2 018