We have noticed social media posts saying that Oakwell is a done deal and will be sold to Natural Lands. NOT SO! While that would be amazing, it is mere speculation at this point and it is too soon to pop the corks. We, too, have heard those rumors.
We have been careful to provide only facts, to avoid misstatements and also to avoid throwing any kind of monkey wrench into the process. The superintendent has asked for our patience and understanding as he and the district work toward a resolution. What we do know is that the district has made the decision to sell Oakwell, has found a buyer, and is negotiating the sale.
When they are ready, law requires that the school board takes a public vote to finalize the sale. There will be advance notification of the vote. That is when we celebrate.
Anyone who has been involved in the sale of real estate knows that it is a complicated process that could go awry at any point. The sale of a valuable property owned by a school district is particularly complex.
SIT TIGHT! We will continue to give factual updates. For now, these words from Dr. Yanni are all we have. Thank you for your continued support.
I am honored to serve the Lower Merion School District as your Superintendent! I am incredibly impressed with the dedication of our administrators, faculty, staff, and Board, all of whom are focused on ensuring our students' success.
I come to LMSD with over two decades of teaching and leadership experience, having served as a teacher, principal, curriculum supervisor, assistant superintendent, and superintendent, always holding fast to the core value that ALL students can and will reach their maximum potential when we provide a high-quality education, along with the time and support they need to grow and develop.
As our students "Enter to Learn" you will see this vision manifest in a variety of ways.
2023 Lower Merion High School Graduate, Turned Activist Noah Fohrer, Documents Her and Her Fellow LMSD Classmates Fight To Save & Preserve Oakwell.
Video Courtesy: Jan Terweish
Video Courtesy: Jan Terweish
The above picture is what 13.4 acres of Oakwell looks like today. Home to 700 mature trees-some in excess of 100 years old. Home to hundreds of species of birds and other animals, and is the site of numerous historical structures.
Help us Preserve Oakwell.
If the Lower Merion School District proceeds with its plans, all of those trees, animals, and structures would disappear in favor of auxiliary athletic fields to be used by the students at Black Rock Middle School. Help us Save Oakwell
If you would like to purchase a $9 SAVE OAKWELL or PRESERVE OAKWELL lawn sign, Please Email us at preserveoakwell@gmail.com
Lower Merion School District touts their excellence in education, and their cooperation with the community, But actions speak louder than words. A hasty decision made years ago threatens to destroy hundreds of trees and an historic estate. While public support to save the property is growing, the school district stubbornly continues to forge ahead with their costly, ill-conceived plan
Harriton High School Student Pauli Voelkel Takes us on a Tour of Oakwell.
Lower Merion High School Senior Noa Fohrer Tells the LM School Board That They Are Out Of Touch With What Students Really Want, and That Destroying Oakwell Is Definitely Not On Their List Of Things To do.
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Please speak out at Lower Merion School Board Meetings
https://www.lmsd.org/board/meeting-schedule
clickn the specific meeting for details
Please write to Lower Merion School Board Directors communitycomments@lmsd.org
Please write to your Lower Merion Township Commissioner
http://www.lookup.lowermerion.org/forms/whocomm.html
Please write to Lower Merion Zoning Board Zoning Officer Scott Houchins. shouchins@lowermerion.org
Need help with these contacts? We're happy to assist
PLEASE VISIT OUR SISTER SITE AT GROWOAKWELL.COM
Some say that those of us who oppose the School Board plan to destroy hundreds of trees for ball fields are pitting the children against the trees. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course our children are more important than the trees. Our children are also more important than school district programs.
Yes, we do understand the importance of school sports. But the greatest threat our children face is the prospect of environmental catastrophe. Environmental degradation will have a more profound impact on our children and their generation than any school program.
The School Board has prioritized its programs before our kids’ futures. They have endorsed a plan for sports fields, and then, having acknowledged that it is an environmentally bad plan, expect compromises be made to support those plans. The School Board has it backwards.
For the benefit of our kids’ future, we first need to commit to avoiding further environmental destruction, and then, given the constraints imposed, devise the best programs possible. Our children’s planet, and therefore our children, come first, not the programs. Our children deserve better from us. Twenty years from now we want to tell them with pride we acknowledged the problem and were were part of the solution, and contributed to saving their finite, priceless natural world.
“When children play in natural spaces, they’re far more likely to invent their own games than in more structured settings – a key factor in becoming self-directed and inventive adults later in life”
~Richard Louv
"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Trees are sanctuaries.”
~Herman Hesse
Copyright © 2024 Preserve Oakwell - All Rights Reserved.
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