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Lloyd to speak on income inequality and racism

Glynn Lloyd

“Redressing Injustices of the Past: Building Wealth in Communities of Color” is the title of a Zoom talk by Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. Income inequality and financial insecurity are foundational to structural racism. The Federal Reserve cites the median net worth of a White family as $171,000 compared to $17,600 for a Black family. How are banks and financial institutions making amends for the redlining practices of the past? To what extent do lending barriers still exist for Black and Brown families and businesses? A pioneer in the field of transformative urban economic development, Lloyd helped found the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and most recently the Coalition for an Equitable Economy.

Hosted by the First Parish in Lincoln Racial Justice Advocates and co-sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library and Lincoln WIDE. Click here to register.

Talk on environmental and racial justice

Staci Rubin, Vice President, Environmental Justice at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), will give a talk titled “Environmental Justice is Racial Justice: Centering Equity in the Climate Movement of our Region” with on Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Introduction by Lincoln resident Andy Falender, Senior Advisor at CLF. Click here to register for this virtual meeting. Sponsored by The First Parish in Lincoln and the Conservation Law Foundation. Cosponsors include Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Lincoln WIDE, Mothers Out Front Lincoln, 350 Mass MetroWest Node, St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry, and MetroWest Climate Solutions.

Middle school stages  “High School Musical Jr.”

We’ve all heard the phrase “we’re all in this together” countless times in the last two years, and now we can hear it in a joyful, new way: in the Lincoln middle school performance of Disney’s “High School Musical Jr.,” featuring many familiar songs from the movie, including “We’re All in This Together.” The show will feature a cast and crew of 60 creative and dedicated students in grades 5–8. Shows will be on Wednesday, March 30 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, March 31 and April 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door ($10 for adults $10, $5 for students/seniors/LPS employees). Running time is approximately one hour with no intermission.

Kristin Hall, the show’s director, did two shows with the middle schoolers during the pandemic. The first, “Charlotte’s Web” in April 2021, had the actors record their scenes while apart, and everything was then edited together and streamed to ticket holders. Then in December 2021, the students did “A Wrinkle in Time,” where the actors performed masked and together (but distanced) and ticket holders were again able to watch over a weekend.

Domestic Violence Roundtable to host discussion on “Maid”

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host a conversation about the book and TV series Maid on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. In addition to being one of the most popular shows on Netflix, Maid is also a best-seller written by Stephanie Land about her experiences as a single mother and housecleaner after fleeing an abusive relationship. The discussion will focus on the portrayal of domestic abuse and a survivor’s journey after leaving their relationship. 

Reading the book or watching the series is recommended but not required to attend. Copies of Maid are available at the Lincoln Public Library as well as Wayland and Goodnow libraries. The books were donated by the Roundtable in memory of Nalini Goyal, a Roundtable member and a founding member of Gifts of Hope Unlimited. The program is free and open to all, but registration is required.

Candidate forum highlights housing, schools, and diversity

Candidates in the March 28 town election shared their views on the proposed community center, the Lincoln-Sudbury regional agreement, South Lincoln, and diversity and inclusion at a March 16 forum — the first public event held in the renovated Brooks auditorium.

Four of the races (Select Board, Planning Board, Lincoln School Committee and L-S School Committee or LSSC) are contested, and the Lincoln PTO, the forum’s organizer, addressed questions specific to those groups of candidates. The event, which began with introductions by all 16 candidates who attended, can be viewed here. An earlier forum for the LSSC candidates sponsored by the Sudbury League of Women Voters can be viewed here.

Community center cost is an issue

Select Board candidates Jim Hutchinson and Adam Hogue, who are vying for the seat being vacated by James Craig, said they supported the community center but expressed concern about how to pay for it (although many residents at the State of the Town meeting in November 2021 supported pursuing the project aggressively before costs went even higher). The project is now estimated to cost around $25 million and comes on the heels of a $93 million investment in the Lincoln School.

Hogue said he was against raising taxes to fund a community center, something that would be necessary if it were to be paid for primarily through bonding. “We have to look at different funding options,” he said, adding that the town could consider “pushing off other capital projects so we have to borrow less… This is going to be an expensive project. We have to be very conscious about how we actually fund those [projects] because our taxes have gone up quite a bit in town.”

The projected cost increase for the community center (first pegged at about $15 million in 2018) “has caused a bit of sticker shock for a bunch of us,” said Hutchinson, a former Finance Committee member. “We should take another look at the scope of the project and see if there’s any way we can maybe move some of the functions to our newly renovated school or other spaces in town and keep costs under control somewhat.” 

The town’s debt stabilization fund is another potential source of funding, as are private donations, though the town is not permitted to actively solicit donations for public projects, Hutchinson said. “I want to have dialogue with the community and do what you all want, not what I want to do.”

L-S regional agreement

Earlier this month, the L-S School Committee established a subcommittee to look at the regional agreement governing how funding for the high school is apportioned between Lincoln and Sudbury. That agreement has not been reexamined in many years.

The agreement “should be treated almost like a marriage, and what makes a marriage stronger is trust, respect, and communication,” said LSSC candidate Maura Carty. Budgeting timelines in the two towns have diverged, and the superintendent of schools must spend considerable time making both operating and capital budget requests to both towns. “I’d like to give the superintendent more time to spend with our students” while streamlining the budget process, Carty said.

Current LSSC chair Cara Endyke Doran agreed that a review of the agreement was overdue, saying the committee should update it to reflect “standard legal language and best practices.”

“There’s been a lot of talk across the river in Sudbury that’s really alarmist” when the subject of reviewing the regional agreement comes up, said incumbent Kevin Matthews (all three candidates vying for two open seats are Sudbury residents). “It’s a contract between two towns, but it’s also an opportunity to build more trust between the towns. There’s no way that anyone is going to snowball the other one in something like this.”

South Lincoln zoning changes

The future of South Lincoln in light of the state Housing Choice Act was issue #1 for the three Planning Board candidates competing for two seats. The board and its SLPAC subcommittee were working on ideas for rezoning the area to encourage more housing and commercial development even before last year’s passage of the state law, which (if enforced in its current form) would require Lincoln to allow at least 750 housing units within half a mile of the commuter rail station. They went back to the drawing board after residents complained two years ago that an initial rezoning proposal would give the Planning Board too much power at the expense of Town Meeting.

All three candidates emphasized that any changes will have to be approved by residents, not just the Planning Board. “We’re all ears to hear anyone’s suggestion,” Gladstone said. “Our job is to facilitate bringing as much information to as many people as possible so the town can decide.” Though some fear that the “we’re going to make a decision and suddenly something is going to be foisted on the town, that is simply not the case.” 

“If it does require some rezoning, the town will make the final decision,” said Ephraim Flint, a challenger who previously served on the board.

“South Lincoln is very important to the town, and whatever changes we make there, we will be living with for many, many years,” Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson observed. “I’m looking forward to hearing about more options and tools to help us all understand what something might even look like, being able to visualize and understand what this means and what the implications are.”

Mental health, diversity, and social issues in schools

The two Lincoln School Committee candidates (both newcomers running for a vacant seat) said they supported the school district’s work around AIDE (antiracism, inclusion, diversity and equity). “We have to have smart educational accountability. We spend a lot of money and we have to be sure everyone is included and gets a good education,” said Joseph Dwyer.

Kim Rajdev implied that the goals of AIDE are not well served by having children grouped by ability. “It really pains me when I hear a very young child say ‘I’m not good at math’,” she said. The schools need to “move away from content and more toward adaptability and teamwork skills… thinking on our feet.”

Later in the forum where each contested candidate was asked about the most significant issue facing their board, Dwyer echoed Rajdev’s sentiment. “What students specifically learn today will be irrelevant as a flip phone 20 years from now. We have to teach them how to learn, not just regurgitating numbers and facts. They need to learn how to learn, analyze a situation, improvise, adapt, and overcome that situation.”

Mental health for teachers as well as students in the wake of the pandemic’s disruptions is also a central issue, Rajdev said. “We need to have deeper learning, but in a measured way and check in with teachers to make sure it’s not overwhelming for them,” she said.

The L-S School Committee candidates agreed on the importance of addressing mental health issues among students. The high school needs more data and metrics on this issue, Carty and Endyke Doran said. 

“The services are there,” but a majority of students don’t feel comfortable asking for help with mental health. More school-wide programs and events would help with that issue as well as building a sense of inclusiveness and confidence among students, Carty said.

Matthews supported improving student services but observed that “all of that needs to be paid for,” which is challenging in a time of declining enrollment and revenue at the high school. “It’s important  for us to be very cognizant of how we’re going to take care of students who have been impacted by the pandemic mentally and emotionally and have them be educated in a way that’s equal to everything else.”

“We need to know what’s working and not working so we can appropriately allocate funds and resources for our students,” Endyke Doran said.

The School Committee candidates were also asked if parents should have input on how the schools present information on controversial social issues to students. Many districts around the country are arguing over how (or even whether) to teach about topics such as race and homosexuality, although those issues were not mentioned specifically in the Lincoln forum.

“Yes, it’s our kids, and we should have input,” although local schools must be guided by state education standards, Rajdev said. If a parent is concerned about age-appropriate teaching material on controversial topics, “that discussion should be happening with the teacher and the superintendent. The School Committee is there to make sure the district is following the strategic plan and is supporting the administration” as its board of directors.

“There’s something that should be 100% clear: anything that is taught at school should be public to the parents,” said Dwyer, adding that he was recently told that he would have to sign a nondisclosure agreement if a school board were to tell him what was being taught. “That’s wrong. Parents have the primary responsibility. It’s very important for parents to know everything that is being taught, chapter and verse.”

Housing and diversity

Both Select Board candidates identified the housing crisis as the most pressing issue facing the board. “We need more housing and I do believe we can afford to do those housing units down there” as directed by the Housing Choice Act, Hogue said. “We can’t move slow on this; there’s a housing crisis in this area, and we need to develop and pass more housing options for people… [if] we’re going to get serious about this as a community.”

While Hutchinson said he supported the act’s intentions, he said it’s flawed in its current form. “The state needs feedback from us on how to fix this. Seven hundred and fifty units is not appropriate for our town… I believe residents would like to help do our share with the housing situation, but let’s get the implications of this act right first.”

Two of the Planning Board candidates agreed that housing is the biggest issue for the board right now. “The housing crisis is real. We all want South Lincoln to be a more vibrant place, and that probably requires having more housing there,” Olson said. “This will consume a great deal of the Planning Board’s time over the next couple of years.”

“What’s being asked of the town is some that’s desirable in some sense, but the scale is out of proportion to what we can achieve,” Flint said. Because of two-acre zoning and other  factors, most of Lincoln’s housing “tends to be upper-end and that’s significantly changed the economic demography of the town. How do you deal with that?”

Gladstone said he felt strongly about getting the community center built and hoped that additional development would help pay for some of it. 

“It all goes back to housing,” Hogue said when he and Hutchinson were asked what they would do to help Lincoln become more inclusive and diverse. “You can talk about diversity all you want, but if people can’t move here and afford to live here, we’re not going to have diversity.”

“We have to put our money where our mouth is,” said Hutchinson. As a member of the working group deciding how to spend federal pandemic relief money, he said he supported creating two new AIDE-related positions, one to guide teachers and a consultant to help build the town’s diversity programs. “It’s not easy to figure out what to do on some of these issues, and I’m looking forward to learning lessons [from the consultant] on best practices.”

Town spending measures for fiscal 2023 outlined

The proposed town budget for fiscal 2023 (click to enlarge).

Following are some of the spending-related warrant articles that will be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, March 26.

The proposed town budget for fiscal 2023 is 3.0% higher than last year’s. A summary (right) can be found on page 8 of the Financial Section and Warrant, with a detailed breakdown beginning on page 57.

Voters will be asked to approve spending $1.18 million from Community Preservation Act funds on 14 line items. Debt service for the Town Office Building renovation ($304,660) and the Wang property purchase ($111,550) accounts for 35% of the total. The largest other requests are $310,000 for Town Hall athletic field drainage improvements, $205,000 for library parapet repairs, and $119,950 for improvements to access to Codman Community Farm (in concert with $210,000 already approved for driveway work in 2020 but never spent due to the pandemic).

Projects that will be funded by the Community Preservation Fund if voters approve at the March 26 Town Meeting.

Debt service for fiscal 2023, excluding debt service for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and after application of a proposed Capital Planning Committee offset, is $4,32, representing a very slight decrease versus FY22. About 90% of the town’s debt service is for the school building debt, most of which was bonded in February 2019. The second tranche of bonds were issued this month, with payments starting in September 2022. 

The Capital Planning Committee recommends spending $621,094 for 17 items, the most expensive of which is $240,000 for a heavy hook truck. The other items range in price from$4,902 for Lincoln’s share of a skid steer loader for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to $60,000 for repairing the roof on one of the Hartwell pods.

Proposed cash capital expenditures (click to enlarge).

The committee is also seeking $154,866 for classroom, town buildings and library maintenance, plus $350,000 to remove the modular classrooms on the school campus. The cost for that removal plus field restoration are expected to be fully offset by future proceeds from sale of the modular classrooms. Another school district has offered to buy them for $550,000.

Advisory shoulders coming to Farrar Road

An example of a sign about advisory shoulders. See Farrar Road illustrations below.

Painted advisory shoulders will appear next month on Farrar Road as a one-year pilot project aimed at improving safety on certain roads in Lincoln.

Advisory shoulders are lanes marked with white dashed lines on either side of a road to indicate where bikes and pedestrians have the right of way. Vehicles can cross the lines to avoid traffic coming from the opposite direction but must yield to oncoming traffic if there are “vulnerable users” (bicyclists, pedestrians, or any other non-vehicle) ahead or alongside.

In November 2020, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) presented a proposal for trying advisory shoulders on Baker Bridge Road. “Ultimately, the working group decided, with resident input, that Baker Bridge Road is a complicated road, with sharp corners and hills, and we don’t collectively have enough experience with advisory shoulders in Lincoln yet to make that our pilot installation,” BPAC member Ginger Reiner said on Wednesday. Farrar Road is a walking route for residents that road as well as Oxbow, Route 126, Farrar Pond Village and the Lincoln Ridge condos, as well as being a cycling route. “We had broad support from abutters, the DPW, and police that Farrar was an appropriate location for advisory shoulders.”

Advisory shoulders have been proven to reduce vehicle speed, lower stress for those on foot or bike, and increase safety for all road users, according to the BPAC, adding that a recent study showed that advisory shoulders reduce vehicular crashes by 40%.

“It doesn’t change the way folks should use the road — it’s not like a stop sign or speed limit. It just advises about what’s safe,” BPAC member Bob Wolf told the Select Board in June 2021. 

The measure has been implemented in cities and towns across the nation as well as in Canada. Click here to see a video of how it works, or click here or an illustration. The photo gallery below shows how Farrar Road will look.

The Farrar Road design has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA). A crosswalk to the Route 126 roadside path will be installed at a later date. BPAC members will reach out in August to collect feedback on the Farrar Road treatment from all roadway users.

The pilot is a collaboration of BPAC, Roadway & Traffic Committee, Department of Public Works, Police Department, Select Board, and the FHA. Anyone with questions or comments, please email lincoln-bpac@googlegroups.com.

Click on images for closeups views of each segment of Farrar Road:

Farrar AS design
Farrar AS design
Farrar AS design
Farrar AS design
Farrar AS design

My Turn: Mitchell endorses Endyke-Doran for L-S School Committee

Dear Lincolnites,

In the upcoming town election, I encourage you to vote for Cara Endyke-Doran for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (L-S) School Committee. Cara is the current chair of the committee and, since becoming chair, has improved communications with the L-S parent community by sending more frequent updates and sharing goals and progress the L-S School Committee has made to support the school’s mission.

All four of Cara’s children have graduated from or are currently attending L-S. This provides an important insider’s view to the pulse of the students, parents, and staff.  She has an openness and willingness to hear constituents’ ideas, concerns, and feedback, enters into challenging discussions when necessary, and works to improve the school experience for all students regardless of what town they are from.

Over the course of the last three years, Cara Endyke-Doran has been involved in the information gathering and decision making surrounding Covid-19. As a public health professional, she provided valuable public health knowledge and perspective to the L-S district. In 2020, during the first summer of the pandemic, Cara provided leadership in advocating to Gov. Baker and the state Department of Early and Secondary Education regarding testing practices and protocols for local districts to help get students in school for the opening of the 2020-2021 school year. She initiated and led the committee’s Covid-19 Testing Subcommittee which put in place pool testing well before it was offered by the state. 

As chair of the Lincoln School Committee, I have been able to work with Cara and find her style collegial and collaborative. She openly shares lessons learned and thinks about the links between the “feeder schools” of the Lincoln and Sudbury middle school programs. While Cara lives in Sudbury, she represents the interests of both communities.

The last two years have been complicated to say the least, but Cara approaches her work on the L-S School Committee with enthusiasm and has a balanced, problem-solving approach. I strongly support Cara Endyke-Doran for LSRHS School Committee and know that she will continue to have a positive impact on the students, staff and families of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. I hope you will cast your ballot for Cara, too! Thank you.

Sincerely,

Tara Mitchell
Chair, Lincoln K-8 School Committee
67 Sandy Pond Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Lincoln police now using body-worn and cruiser cameras

(Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a document that the Lincoln Police Department released in November 2020. Voters at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting approved spending $61,400 for police cruiser and body-worn cameras.)

Last month, the Lincoln Police Department implemented its Body Worn (BWC) and Cruiser Camera (CC) program. The program consists of sixteen (16) body-worn cameras for officers and five dash/prisoner cameras for police cruisers. The chosen vendor is GETAC.

The use of such cameras is considered best practices as outlined in President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing which the department has embraced since 2015. The perceived benefits of the cameras are that they:

  • increase transparency, legitimacy, and community trust
  • increase internal accountability
  • improve officer and citizen behavior
  • expedite resolutions of complaints and lawsuits
  • document circumstances of how and when force is used
  • create opportunities for training

We are pleased to be among the first wave of communities to have implemented BWCs and CCs. We are grateful for the support of town leadership and our police officers. We are confident that the community will quickly come to support and value the program and offer the following FAQ to help increase awareness.

Frequently asked questions about body-worn and cruiser cameras

What is a body-worn camera (BWC)?

A camera that is attached to the officer’s uniform, clearly visible on their chest, which captures and records audio and video of any police/citizen interaction that is governed by the Department’s policy.

Why are officers wearing cameras?

BWCs serve as a tool to document our officers’ interactions with our residents and others who visit or travel through Lincoln. They help to increase transparency and accountability, thereby helping the department maintain the community’s trust., and are valuable in maintaining community trust, transparency, and accountability. Given the great relationship we share with our community, the department continues to be proactive in strengthening our connection with its citizens.

When will police officers be recording with their body cameras?

Police officers will activate their BWC and cruiser cameras whenever they respond to calls for service or have citizen contacts where they anticipate taking law enforcement action.

What about my privacy during police encounters?

The Lincoln Police Department is mindful of the legitimate privacy concerns associated with BWC. Our officers will record, per policy, when investigating criminal activity or a violation of law. Prior to the release of any recording, the department will ensure compliance with department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure and/or the Massachusetts Public Records Law which may include the redaction of certain elements of the recording including innocent parties and non-related identifiers such as registration numbers, addresses, etc. Our priority is to protect the right of privacy and ensure the safety of non-related parties.

Are there places where officers cannot use their BWC?

Typically, officers will not record in places where there is an expectation of privacy, such as restrooms, locker rooms, medical calls, and medical care facilities — unless there is reasonable suspicion a crime is being committed or the recording of the location is material to an investigation.

Before entering a private residence, without exigent circumstances, officers must obtain occupant(s) consent before recording inside the residence. If the occupant declines to give consent, and absent exigent circumstances, the BWC shall be turned off while inside the residence. However, when responding to an exigent circumstance inside a private residence, the BWC will be activated throughout the exigency. Once the exigency is over, and when practical, officers must obtain consent from the occupant(s) in order to continue to record. Any request to turn the BWC off and the officer’s response shall be recorded.

Can I ask the officer to turn off the BWC?

Yes, after receiving notice of being recorded and there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. The request to turn off the recording and the officer’s response will be recorded for documentation purposes. If the police officer is in a public place and involved in a police-related incident, the camera will remain on.

Are officers required to tell citizens that they are being recorded?

Under Massachusetts Law, officers are required to give notice to citizens that they are being audio recorded. Officers are not required to inform citizens that they are being video recorded while in a public place. However, per policy, officers are required to provide citizens with notice that they are being both audio and video recorded.

Can the officer tamper with the audio and video recording?

No, the GETAC system is specifically designed to prevent the user from altering or deleting any recordings.

How are the videos stored?

All videos are stored in secure cloud servers in compliance with the FBI Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) standards.

What is the process for obtaining a copy of a video recording?

The release of any recording must be approved in advance by the Chief of Police or department designee. Recordings shall be released in accordance with department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure and/or the Massachusetts Public Records Law. The Chief of Police may authorize the release of any recording deemed to be in the best interest of the community and public safety.

What happens to a video once it is recorded?

At the end of each shift, officers will upload the data to a cloud-based service to store the files. Depending on the type of video captured, data will be saved in accordance with the department policy, Rule 14 of the Massachusetts Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Massachusetts Public Records Retention and Disposition Schedule.

Why is it necessary to have an in-cruiser camera system when officers have BWCs?

The in-cruiser camera system will have two (2) cameras, one facing forward (dash camera) documenting the perspective of the officer’s view. The dash camera is able to capture a wider perspective when officers respond to calls for service, conduct traffic stops, and have interactions which occur in front of the police cruiser. The second camera will be in the rear passenger compartment (prisoner camera) where a prisoner is seated while inside the cruiser.

Who can I speak with should I have questions?

You can contact Chief Kevin Kennedy at 781-259-8113 or kkennedy@lincolntown.org.

My Turn: 57 residents endorse Rajdev for School Committee

Dear fellow Lincolnites,

We are writing to endorse Kim Rajdev for Lincoln School Committee.

Since moving to Lincoln five years ago with her husband and two young girls (entering third grade and kindergarten), Kim has taken an active role in supporting the schools. She has volunteered as a room parent in the Lincoln schools, and as a legal advisor to Lincoln Nursery School as part of the parent co-operative. Kim has gained experience working through many administrative policies of the school, and with her professional background as an engineer and attorney, she has had many opportunities to analyze challenging issues, reach consensus across a broad group of interests, and communicate the outcome.

We as parents fully support Kim’s commitment to inclusivity and productive dialogue and her dedication to advancing the strategic priorities of the Lincoln Public School. Please join us in voting for Kim on Monday, March 28.

With gratitude,

Abigail Adams
Murat Arslan
Antje Barreveld
Sebastian Barreveld
Emily Beekman
Alex Benik
Becky Bermont
Sarah Bishop
Rebecca Blanchfield
Kim Bodnar
Jessica Callow
Ted Chan
Rebecca Curtin
Jason Curtin
Chris Dale
Brianna Doo
Kristen Ferris
Jon Ferris
Caroline Fiore
Mike Fiore
Nancy Fleming
Philana Gnatowski
Trintje Gnazzo
Andy Gnazzo
Rob Graves
Cheryl Gray
Jen Hashley
Lis Herbert
Kim Jalet
Sylvia K. Perry
Bryan Kelly
Lauren Lane
Spencer Lane
Pete Lowy
Feyza Marouf
Mo Masterson Santamaria
Roberto Masterson Santamaria
Sara Mattes
Lucy Maulsby
John Mendelson
DJ Mitchell
Craig Nicholson
Caroline Nordstrom
Mark Nordstrom
Jessica Packineau
Jason Packineau
Jason Paige
Susanna Patterson
Karen Prince
Dana Robbat
Joe Robbat
Elizabeth Robbat Kelly
Katrin Roush
Aldis Russell
Jena Salon
Joanna Schmergel
Victoria Slingerland
Hannah Stevenson
Jeannine Taylor
Laura Taylor
Chris Taylor
Anne Wang
Alice “Ty” Webber
Ben Webber
Jill Zalieckas
 

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Endyke-Doran seeks second term on L-S School Committee

Dear Lincoln friends, 

I am happy to announce that I am running for a second term on the Lincoln Sudbury Regional School Committee. If re-elected, I will continue to serve our school with the energy and enthusiasm needed to ensure Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School remains a place of optimal learning, growth, and development. 

My experiences over the past three years have given me valuable insights into the roles and responsibilities of the governing body and how best to support our school. For example, in my first year as a committee member, I chaired the L-S Covid-19 Testing subcommittee. Through our hard work and advocacy, L-S was one of the first schools in Massachusetts to offer Covid-19 testing to all its students and staff.

As the current L-S School Committee chair, I have led the committee to develop clear goals to ensure our actions align with L-S’s values, principles, and purpose. During this past year, the L-S School Committee has met several core duties of the governing body, such as renewed teacher contracts and updated governing policies. We have also supported in-person learning during the evolving Covid-19 pandemic with actions such as adding the Covid-19 vaccine as a requirement of employment at L-S. We have made progress toward achieving our goals, but there is more work to do. 

If re-elected, I have three priorities that I believe are essential for the L-S School Committee to work on: 

  • Enhance student services. The utmost priority of the L-S School Committee is to ensure L-S meets the academic and social-emotional needs of our students, particularly during the evolving Covid-19 pandemic. This entails continuous monitoring and supporting flexible and responsive programming to serve our students, particularly social-emotional services.

  • Improve our data-driven program monitoring, budgeting, and allocating of resources. Over the next three years, I would like to work with the L-S School Committee and our administration to improve the data monitoring of our school. The L-S School Committee needs clear metrics to ensure our programs respond to the needs of our diverse student body. These metrics will help us determine where we are doing well and where we should be allocating resources. 

  • Maintain openness and flexibility. The past two years have taught us to expect the unexpected. Our faculty, staff, and students have shown a tremendous amount of resilience. I will support the L-S School Committee to ensure we are continuously monitoring and updating our policies and protocols to the evolving needs of our students. 

If re-elected, I will build on my experience and bring commitment and positive energy to the L-S School Committee. I will strive to ensure we provide access to an environment where our children and students learn and grow.

Check out my Facebook page (facebook.com/caraforLSSC) or contact me via email at caraforLSSC@gmail.com for more information about my campaign. 

Please vote for Cara Endyke-Doran for Lincoln Sudbury Regional School Committee on March 28, 2022. 

Thank you, 

Cara Endyke-Doran
28 Beechwood Ave., Sudbury

My Turn: Mattes asks voters to reelect her as Bemis Trustee

Dear Lincolnites,

I am asking for your vote for my re-election as a Trustee for the Bemis Free Lecture Series.

The Bemis Free Lecture Series began in 1892. It was held in Bemis Hall, which was built by Lincoln entrepreneur George Bemis. It was common for wealthy men of his era to leave a legacy of buildings, and George Bemis was no exception. Not only did he build the hall to be a town office and meeting place, but he also built the second floor to be a lecture and performance space, and he endowed a lecture series.

The lecture series was modeled after the Chautauqua movement of his time, which aimed to bring entertainment and culture to the masses. The Bemis Trust charge for the lectures states that the series was “to bring education and edification to the citizens of Lincoln.” The ordinary folk of Lincoln were to enjoy what previously had been reserved only for a wealthy and elite society. The endowment for the lecture series was doubled in 1982 by the bequest of native son John Todd, and the charge was expanded to include “entertainment and recreation.”

The series has hosted Robert Frost, Archibald Cox, John Kenneth Galbraith, Julie Taymor, Imago Theatre, Grace Paley, Dr. Benjamin Spock, the Steel Band of Blue Hill, Maine, a basketball clinic run by Dave Cowens, Mission: Wolf, Margaret Mead, Julia Glass, Michael Fitzgerald, and many others of great note.

These past two years have proved a serious challenge for an organization that has been known for live events. So, like many others, we pivoted to a webinar format.  In celebration of Juneeteenth, the Bemis Lecture Series and the Lincoln Historical Society hosted a virtual event with Professor Elise Lemire, who grew up in Lincoln and is author of Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts. Dr. Lemire’s presentation was titled: “Slavery in Lincoln: Reckoning with Our Past, Planning for a More Honest and Inclusive Future.” The live discussion was recorded and made available through Lincoln’s online video archive as well as YouTube. The YouTube video has already been viewed by over 670 people. Clearly, the Bemis Free Lecture Series has a wide reach!

We hope to return to live events as early as this summer and look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, comments, and/or suggestions, please contact me at 781-259-04231 or samattes@gmail.com. Again, I ask for you vote on Monday, March. 28.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

News acorns

L-S Pops Concert on Thursday

The L-S Music Department presents their annual Pops Concert on Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. The String Orchestra’s program will include “Simple Gifts” arranged by Carrie L. Gruselle and a John Williams trilogy arranged by Calvin Custer. Symphonic Band will perform music from the motion picture “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Chicago: Pop and Rock Legends.” Concert Band will perform highlights from the Disney movie “Moana” as well as selections from “The Best of Journey.” The Treble Choir, Concert Choir, Combined L-S Choirs, and Singing Valentines quartets will perform songs by the Backstreet Boys, Queen, and Disney’s “Tangled.” 

Lincoln-Sudbury Friends of Music (LSFOM) will offer a pops concert-themed goodie bag for sale at the concert, which will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9 / Verizon channel 32 and live-stream here.

Workshop on fostering antiracism in kids

Deep racial disparities persist in our society, and research tells us that children begin to notice and assign meaning to skin color by age 2. This makes racial literacy a critical part of preparing our children to lead lives as engaged, equity-minded problem-solvers in the world.

Geared for White or multiracial parents and caregivers, “ABCs of Racism: Fostering Antiracist Conversation and Action with Kids” on Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. will be led by Wee the People, a Boston-based social justice group, and explores fundamental concepts of systemic racism, the barriers that block us from engaging with kids around race and racism, the social science of race awareness in children, and strategies to start and sustain antiracist and action in school and at home. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Email dleopold@minlib.net for the Zoom link. 

FELS talk on educational innovation and technology

FELS, the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, will present its annual Faye Goldberg-Scheff Memorial Lecture on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. in the lecture hall at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

This year’s talk will focus on the impact of educational innovation and technology on teaching and learning in today’s diverse classroom. The evening will feature panelists who will approach the topics from a wide range of professional perspectives. They will share their thoughts about the challenges and opportunities in education via innovation, interventions, neuroscience, technology, and equity and inclusion that have arisen in the first two decades of this new century and their impacts on teaching and learning. Click here for details on the panelists.

Admission is $10. All proceeds will benefit FELS, a nonprofit organization that awards enrichment grants to L-S faculty and staff to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions.

WWP hosts events on Thoreau video game and Cape Cod walks

The Walden Woods Project will host two upcoming events: “Walden, a Game: A Virtual Experience” on Tuesday, March 29 from 7–8 p.m., and “Six Walks: A Conversation with Ben Shattuck” on Thursday, April 28 from 7–8 p.m.

Developer Tracy Fullerton, director emeritus of the USC Games program, will discuss the evolution and intention of the classroom computer game and provide a brief demonstration of the newest module, “Civil Disobedience.” Educators will speak to their experience using the game in the classroom, followed an audience Q&A. Click here to learn more and register.

With little more than a loaf of bread, brick of cheese, and a notebook, Shattuck set out to retrace Thoreau’s six walks through the Cape’s outer beaches from the elbow to Provincetown’s fingertip. Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau is a resounding tribute to the ways walking in nature can inspire us all. Join us for a reading and conversation about the book with Ben Shattuck, moderated by National Book Award Winner Nathaniel Philbrick. Click here to learn more and register.