‪#‎ExploreWaukegan - Today we met with the founder of the Waukegan S.T.E.M. Matrix Program, Gerry Walanka, which serves elementary sudents in School District 60, about incorporating the environmental narrative about our unique eco-system into their regular curriculum. Mr. Walanka said, "I was excited to visit this natural laboratory for the first time that is only minutes away from each Waukegan school. The story that this can tell to our kids about why we should keep this area clean can help transform expectations and also change perceptions about Waukegan. What an extraordinary experience it would be for children to complete their project on water filtration by seeing the ways that Mother Nature does this naturally when her work is not interrupted."