At CitySprouts, We Celebrate Our Teachers

Marcus Kassick, Community Engagement Coordinator [TerraCorps]

Every spring, we come together as a community to celebrate the work, joy, and growth that happens in our school gardens. This year’s Dig It! event was more than a fundraiser—it was a celebration of the incredible educators who make CitySprouts’ work possible every day. From honoring teachers who’ve shaped the foundation of our program to sharing in laughter, stories, and generous support, Dig It! 2025 was a joyful success. We’re proud to share that, thanks to you, we raised nearly $30,000 to support garden-based learning in Cambridge and Boston Public Schools!

As guests gathered, the space filled with warmth and gratitude. Community partners, school staff, friends, and supporters gathered over food and conversation, sharing stories and reflections about the impact of our students’ garden learning. Stories of planting seeds, harvesting vegetables, investigating invertebrates, and exploring the natural world filled the room! These are the everyday moments we often celebrate quietly, but at Dig It!, they took center stage.

From left to right: CitySprouts Executive Director Susan Diller, Awardee Janet Forte of CPS, CitySprouts Founder Jane Hirschi, Awardee LeRoy Attles of BPS

This year at Dig It!, we were proud to honor two remarkable educators, Janet Forte and LeRoy Attles, with our Environmental and Community Impact Awards. As longtime partners in our work, Janet and LeRoy represent the heart of what makes CitySprouts’ programs thrive: passionate teachers who bring garden learning to life for their students. 

LeRoy Attles has been a Science Specialist at the Haynes Early Education Center for the past eight years and an educator for over fifteen. He’s also served as a vital member of CitySprouts’ Program Committee for five years, where he brings a thoughtful, passionate perspective grounded in his day-to-day experiences as a teacher. LeRoy’s commitment to nurturing a love of science and the natural world is felt not only in his own classroom, but also across our organization. Whether he’s engaging young learners with hands-on investigations or contributing to our program development, LeRoy is a leader and a champion of school-based garden learning. His impact is deep, and his belief in students’ potential is infectious. As LeRoy shared in his heartfelt speech, “I absolutely love what I do, absolutely love what I do. I love my students dearly.” That love is the root of his work, and it shows.

Janet Forte has been an educator with the Special Start program at the Peabody School in Cambridge for decades, and her connection to CitySprouts stretches all the way back to our founding in 2001. In fact, it was in Janet’s classroom that our founder, Jane Hirschi, first began gardening with children. Jane credits Janet not only with inspiring her to pursue this vision, but also with encouraging her to keep going. In so many ways, CitySprouts wouldn’t be what it is without Janet’s early influence and continued partnership.

Her insight, creativity, and deep belief in young children’s ability to learn from the natural world have shaped our curriculum, strengthened our Cambridge programming, and inspired generations of students and CitySprouters. As Janet shared in her speech, "I've always felt that CitySprouts has given more to me than I’ve given CitySprouts." She went on to say, "I am so grateful to Jane and to CitySprouts for giving me so many opportunities to continue facilitating those sorts of authentic learning experiences, getting the kids in the dirt and finding the joy of worms, and I’m just so grateful to CitySprouts."

Janet’s words remind us of the heart at the center of this work: curiosity, care, and the power of connection.

By honoring Janet and LeRoy, we’re celebrating the kind of teaching that changes lives. We’re reminded that behind every thriving school garden is an educator who believes in its power. And at CitySprouts, we are lucky to walk alongside some of the very best.

Special Guest Speaker Irene Li giving her speech!

One of the most memorable moments of the evening came from our keynote speaker, Irene Li, a chef, restaurateur, food justice advocate, and co-founder of Mei Mei Dumplings. Irene’s story was not only inspiring but deeply personal, reminding us of the profound connection between food, identity, and community.

In her speech, Irene Li reflected on her upbringing and how her earliest memories of food helped shape her values and ignite her passion for cooking. Growing up, food wasn’t just a meal, it was a moment. “In our family, the most joyful moments and the ones I remember most have always been around food,” she shared, “whether that was the weeknight at the family dinner table or a big celebration.” These moments sparked a lifelong love of cooking and a deep belief in food as a tool for connection, care, and change.

But Irene’s reflections didn’t stop at nostalgia. She invited us to think more broadly about how food can be a lens through which we see the world. Her relationship with food led her from the family table to the restaurant world, and then even further, into work focused on equity, sustainability, and justice. “I love that so many people tonight have used words like delight and wonder and magic,” she said with a smile. “And I think we all need to find more of that, if we’re gonna survive this moment we’re in.”

Irene reminded us that food is more than nourishment. It’s a bridge between generations, a story we carry, and a source of joy and empowerment. Her words echoed the work that CitySprouts does every day in school gardens: helping young people connect with the natural world, understand where their food comes from, and recognize their own power to grow, share, and lead.

We were honored to have Irene with us, and deeply grateful for the wisdom and warmth she brought to the evening.

But the true highlight of the evening? The people.

The educators who came to celebrate one another. The families, volunteers, and first-time guests who joined us in supporting the next generation of leaders. This year’s Dig It! reminded us that CitySprouts is more than a program, it’s a community rooted in care and powered by passionate educators.

As we head into the growing season, we carry this energy with us. Your support ensures that our garden educators have the tools they need to bring science, joy, and wonder into every schoolyard. And more than that, it affirms that teachers deserve to be celebrated, not just one night a year, but always.

Thank you for growing with us. Thank you for honoring our educators. And thank you for helping CitySprouts continue to cultivate learning, leadership, and a deep love of the natural world in every child.

With deep appreciation,

The CitySprouts Team