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Lincoln student wins Rhodes Scholarship

Lincoln’s Shera Avi-Yonah is one of six Harvard University seniors to win a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University next year. As a reporter for The Crimson and now its managing editor, she helped break stories on sexual harassment, workplace abuse, and racism, according to the Harvard Gazette. Some coverage led to legal threats and even a subpoena, which prompted her interest on the limits of legal protections for the press — a topic she plans to focus on at Oxford, where she’ll compare the libel laws of the U.S. and the U.K.

Midway through her first year, Avi-Yonah discovered her love of history, the Gazette says. Her thesis adviser is Drew Faust, Harvard president emerita. “I’m a believer in studying the historical roots of problems you seek to change, and I hope examining the origins of limits to press freedom will allow me to pursue a career working to defend it,” Avi-Yonah said.

Hanscom student wins national fellowship

Hanscom Middle School eighth-grader Morgan Gibson is one of 22 students from across the country selected for an iCivics-sponsored Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship. Morgan is the only middle school representative in the group and one of only two Massachusetts students chosen. As paid student ambassadors, fellows will lead a student-centered discussion on equity in civic education, build a national social media campaign, and launch a virtual showcase in June. Last year’s students attended SXSW EDU, participated in a variety of speaking engagements, and continue to use their experiences to influence the discussion on how to improve civics for all kids. Click here to learn more about the iCivics-sponsored Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship program. 

Outdoor Touch of Christmas Fair

The First Parish of Lincoln’s Touch of Christmas Fair will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on the parish house playground (14 Bedford Rd.). Shop for treasures, holiday crafts, unique gifts, handmade mittens, sweet jams and sauces, wreaths, and more. Click here to order your wreath ahead of time. Masks required. Rain date: December 12.

COA collecting donations for gift bags

Each year, the Council on Aging visits homebound and needy seniors to deliver a gift basket full of basic necessities to them. The COA is collecting the following new, unscented, full-sized, and unopened items:

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• Pharmacy gift cards
• Stamps
• Shampoo
• Dish soap
• Paper towels
• Facial tissue
• Lotion 
• Toothpaste/toothbrushes 

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• Sponges
• Razors/shaving cream
• Deodorant
• Kitchen trash bags
• Coffee/tea
• Soap
• Laundry detergent 
• Men’s/women’s socks

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Please bring donations to Bemis Hall by Friday, Dec. 7. Questions? Call Abigail Butt at 781-259-8811.

See pictures and help pets in need

Instead of its annual holiday festival at the Pierce House, Phinney’s (also known as Phinney’s Friends) — a local nonprofit that helps low-income people keep their pets by paying for vet bills, medication, and pet supplies — has moved outside.

A majestic blue spruce on the park grounds has been decorated with multicolored lights and watercolor ornaments honoring pets in need as part of the Phinney’s Godparents Program, which offers a personalized way to provide monthly support to a specific pet or pets in need. Hand-painted ornaments on the tree feature some of the neediest pets in the program, including an elderly dog with cancer who lives with an HIV-positive owner and a lively cat who keeps her owner with cerebral palsy company.

Visitors can scan the QR code posted near the tree to learn more about the featured pets. With a donation of $25 or more, the donor gets a paper holiday ornament painted in watercolor of the sponsored pet that can be hung on the Phinney’s Angels Tree with a unique message along with the existing ornaments, or shipped to them or someone else as a special holiday gift. See their stories and donate by clicking here.