The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

schools

Letter to the editor: vote for Kasper and Joachim

To the editor:

I am writing in support of Ellen Joachim and Carole Kasper for LSRHS School Committee. Ellen is running as a write-in candidate and Carole will be on the ballot. When I think of the characteristics I believe make a successful School Committee member, I think of open communication, collaboration, and community building. Both Ellen and Carole have proven track records in all three Cs.

Ellen Joachim is a Sudbury resident who is also an L-S graduate who moved back to Sudbury with her husband to raise their three sons. As a lawyer who served on the Sudbury School Committee for six years, one year as chair and two as vice chair, Ellen has clearly demonstrated her ability to communicate with administration, parents, and staff. She worked collaboratively to help the Sudbury Public Schools grow and continue to be the excellent school system it is.

Finally, Ellen will work for the L-S community—the whole community. I know that she believes, as I do, that all L-S students are the responsibility and priority of the L-S School Committee, regardless of which of the many zip codes represented at L-S they come from. As the mother of two boys who have graduated from L-S and a third who is currently there, Ellen understands the social, emotional, developmental, and academic needs of the high school population. She has worked to build relationships with staff and administration to help her own children get the best possible education for each of them, and she will be able to build on those strong bridges to help all of our children. Ellen’s professional and volunteer experiences uniquely position her as a candidate who will help the entire L-S community come to the table so that we can work together to build an excellent future for our students, staff, and entire school.

Carole Kasper is a familiar face in Lincoln because she has been a tireless volunteer and voice for our schools and our community. Her professional background as an organizational consultant make her an incredibly well qualified candidate. She has proven time and again that she can help build community, collaborate, and bring parties to the table, and that she prioritizes open communication and thoughtful listening. Her professional background paired with these skills make her an ideal candidate to help L-S navigate the rapidly changing world and help keep open the conversations about what the future of L-S should look like.

Carole currently has a son at L-S and will have another there next year. Like Ellen, she has worked to build relationships at the high school that will serve her well as a School Committee member.

Please join me in voting for both Ellen Joachim and Carole Kasper on Monday, March 26.

Sincerely,

Becca Fasciano
8 Linway Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Hullinger supports wife for LSSC

To the editor:

I am proud to support Siobhan Hullinger as a write in candidate for the Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School Committee. I can personally attest to Siobhan’s deep knowledge about LSRHS and her strong appreciation for the important role LSRHS has in our communities. Siobhan has previously served on the LSRHS School Council and the Housemaster Search Committee. She currently serves on the board of the L-S Scholarship Fund and has actively supported various athletic teams as a “captain’s parent” and fan for our three children who have graduated from or are currently attending L-S.

For years, Siobhan has watched virtually all of the LSRHS, Sudbury School Committee, [Sudbury] Board of Selectmen and [Sudbury ]FinCom meetings, providing her with an extensive knowledge about the matters facing LSRHS. She also understands the essential need for more effective cooperation and collaboration with SPS, the BOS, and the town of Lincoln to ensure LSRHS continues to provide an education nationally recognized by colleges and universities and a broad offering of extracurricular activities for its students, and serves as an effective steward of our taxpayer’s money.

In addition to her LSRHS experiences, Siobhan possesses two qualities that are essential to be an effective member of the School Committee. First, Siobhan is someone who researches the issues to offer informed opinions about matters facing L-S and our member towns. Second and most importantly, Siobhan is committed to the practice of civil discourse to have the kinds of discussions and collaboration that are necessary in order to arrive at informed decisions in the best interests of students, faculty, and the taxpayers of our towns.

I will be enthusiastically writing in the name “Siobhan Hullinger” for the LSRHS School Committee on Monday, March 26, and urge you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Mike Hullinger
55 Washington Drive, Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Town Meeting and election notes

Green Energy Forum is Monday night

The Green Energy Forum originally scheduled for March 14 will take place on Monday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B. Sponsors of the two plastic bottle Town Meeting warrant articles will be on hand to provide information and answer questions, as will supporters of the “Community Choice Aggregation” measure for electric power purchasing, and the “Protecting Consumers of Gas and Electricity from Paying for Leaked & Unaccounted-for Gas” measure sponsored by Mothers Out Front. Other groups will be on hand to provide information about energy efficiency programs and initiatives in town, including the new HeatSmart Program for discounts on home heating systems.

Meet L-S School Committee candidates

There are still two opportunities to meet and chat with Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District Committee candidates Carole Kasper of Lincoln and Ellen Joachim, a write-in candidate from Sudbury:

  • Tuesday, March 20 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room on the Lincoln School
  • Wednesday, March 21 from 9:30–11:00 a.m. at the home of Sabra Alden (6 Brooks Hill Rd.).

Light refreshments will be served. If you’re planning to come to Sabra’s house on March 21, please email mhylton@bu.edu so organizers can obtain an accurate headcount.

LEAP to provide child care during Town Meeting

LEAP has offered to provide childcare to the community on Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. so parents can attend Town Meeting. The discussions of the school and community center projects will probably be either just before or just after lunch, so the LEAP coverage should enable attending these updates.

The cost per child is $10 and children must be at least kindergarten age. Those interested must fill out this Google form with your child’s name, age, parent contact and any allergies. Anyone with questions may email Katie Hawkins at leap0615@gmail.com.

Get absentee ballots by Friday

Residents may obtain and cast absentee ballots for the March 26 town election at the Town Clerk’s office through Friday, March 23. Under state law, the office cannot allow anyone to deliver a physical ballot to a voter, although a family member may apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to another family member. Click here for more information.

Girl Scouts bake sale

The Lincoln Girl Scouts are hosting a bake sale at Town Meeting on Saturday from 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. They will be selling a variety of delicious home-made baked goods and coffee, as well as Girl Scout Cookies (both boxes at $5 each as well as a la carte cookies) for those who may have missed out earlier in the year. All proceeds will support the third-grade troop’s service project which includes a donation to Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury.

Letter to the editor: SSC member urges votes for Joachim

(Editor’s note: St. George is a member of the Sudbury School Committee.)

To the editor:

I am encouraging all voters to write-in “Ellen Joachim” for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. She is a known supporter of our students who has tirelessly served and advocated with integrity for our Sudbury schools, staff and students for over 15 years.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with and alongside Ellen for many years, starting at Nixon School as fellow PTO members and, more recently, for five years on the SPS School Committee. As a colleague she is collegial, fair, respectful, and able to take on and follow through with whatever needs to be done. She is a well-respected leader—a PTO chair at Nixon, and most recently School Committee vice chair, chair, then my vice chair.

As a trusted leader, Ellen has worked tirelessly for the academic and social/emotional wellbeing of all our students. Ellen is a good listener, respectful of all stakeholders and able to ask tough questions and make tough decisions. She has performed many duties including active liaison positions on multiple town boards. She has worked closely with Chief Nix and SPS administration to ensure comprehensive and strategic safety measures were put in place across the schools.

Ellen has been active in attending multi-town School Committee roundtable discussions and supported tri-district collaboration between LPS, L-S, and SPS. A former lawyer, she is well organized and process-oriented, and she has a solid understanding of budget drivers across Sudbury, negotiation experience, and an eye for efficiencies whenever possible.

I have no doubt that Ellen will bring fresh eyes, ears and thoughtfulness to the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. She has true commitment and history as she is a former LSRHS graduate, and has been a parent at L-S for several years, with her third son a rising senior in the fall of 2018.

Please write in your vote for “Ellen Joachim” for Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee on Monday, March 26. Your vote matters!

Sincerely,

Lucie St. George
Concord Rd., Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Hullinger can see “the big picture”

To the editor:

I am writing this letter in support of L-S School Committee candidate Siobhan Hullinger.

I have worked with Siobhan on the HOPEsudbury board for a few years now, and she is genuine in her endeavors to be of service to others. Siobhan leads the Community Outreach Committee and has educated herself further about nonprofits, training with the Metrowest Nonprofit Network. Siobhan is not only ready to serve, but also willing to educate herself to be the best possible board member, whether for HOPEsudbury or the L-S School Committee.

What better qualification for the L-S School Committee than to have a board member who actually is in touch with the school, its administration, teachers, parent organization, and beyond? Not only is Siobhan an active parent volunteer, organizer, and spectator with many L-S Committees and activities, but she also serves on the board of the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund Dollars for Scholars. Serving on this board (unaffiliated with LSRHS) provides an opportunity for discussions not limited to just scholarships for students. Because members are both from Sudbury and Lincoln, it also provides an opportunity for conversations about a common goal, transcending town lines. As an LSSC member, Siobhan will bring to the table thoughts and ideas based on real observations and experiences.

Sudbury and Lincoln residents can be confident that any decisions put in front of a school committee on which Siobhan serves will have the full rigor of vetting and discussion required to make an educated plan, providing what is best for students, faculty, administrators, and taxpayers alike. Sio knows how to remain objective and make decisions based on what is best for all parties. To me, she models how to stand back and look at the “big picture.”

Siobhan’s decision to run for public office was not one taken lightly by her or her family, but they know how passionate she is. As LSRHS begins to write its next chapter, taxpayers from Lincoln and Sudbury alike need to know their LSSC members will remain vigilant to the need of all stakeholders.

Please join me and write in “Siobhan Hullinger (55 Washington Dr.”) for L-S School Committee on Monday. A vote for Siobhan is a vote for both Sudbury and Lincoln.

Beth Farrell
55 Peakham Road, Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Adults and students walk out to protest school gun violence

A group of Lincoln residents stands vigil on Tuesday, one month after the Parkland school shooting.

Undeterred by the recent heavy snowfall, a group of Lincolnites held a 17-minute silent vigil in South Lincoln on March 14, the one-month anniversary at the Parkland, Fla., school shootings. The following day, students at the Lincoln School and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School walked out of school for 17 minutes to protest gun violence.

The school walkouts were delayed a day because schools were closed on March 14, two days after a blizzard dropped almost two feet of snow on the area. But adults braved the cold on Wednesday and stood silently for 17 minutes to commemorate the 17 students and adults who were shot. Organizer Sharon Antia played a bell tone on her phone once each minute as participants took turns reading the names of the victims.

Although the First Parish Church rang its bell 17 times at 10:00, it couldn’t be heard at Peace Park—but bells rang out anyway at the end of the vigil as a commuter train approached.

“I just felt I had to find a place to be open about what I feel about guns and this tragedy,” said vigil participant Toby Frost.

At the vigil, “I was thinking about my own children. When I see something like that, the unimaginable horror as a parent I would feel…” said Margit Griffith, her voice trailing off.

“As students, it’s kind of scary to think about [a shooting] and that it could be a younger adult who just graduated high school,” said Griffith’s daughter Emma, 14. “Guns are meant for war—they shouldn’t be anywhere near students.”

“Our Constitution and our democracy are being hijacked by a false understanding of the Second Amendment,” said Chris Damon.

“No one should be able to purchase that kind of weapon, especially at that age,” said her son 14-year-old Javi Damon. Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 in the Parkland school shooting.

The next day, hundreds of students at L-S left class and walked around the high school with signs and a student speech. Police were on campus to prevent anyone from entering or leaving except in an emergency.

At the Lincoln School, about 150 students in grades 5–8 also walked out. Student Council members read names and brief pieces of information about each of the 17 people who were killed in Parkland, and the names were interspersed with poems, moments of silence, and one impassioned plea to end gun violence.

After they reentered the building, the students had an opportunity to reflect on the event by talking to adults and each other, writing letters to students or lawmakers, draw, write on sticky notes to be posted around the school in response to the question “how can we take care of each other?”

Some scenes from the walkout and student signs that were taped afterwards to windows at L-S (click an image to enlarge):

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Letter to the editor: Matthews supports Kasper, Hullinger

To the editor:

The Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee is losing two long-serving colleagues and this election on March 26 will be crucial in finding strong, thoughtful, and hardworking successors to Nancy Marshall and Gerald Quirk. I am writing this as an individual and not in my capacity as a member of the committee and its current chair, but my experience definitely informs my views. The towns of Lincoln and Sudbury are losing two key committee members, both have been serving on our current contract negotiations committee, so it is clear how critical this election will be to the future of L-S. Our towns need to send the best two candidates to serve for the next three years.

Carole Kasper is from Lincoln and has served her community and Sudbury well. She is a collaborative, dedicated, thoughtful leader and is a candidate at a time when there is much hard work to be done. She has already worked with the LSSC with her service on the L-S School Start Time Subcommittee and was a major force on that committee determining L-S’s need to balance start time and end time with our student’s health needs. Carole has proved her leadership qualities with her work with middle school parents from Lincoln and aiding in the transition of students from Lincoln Middle School to L-S.

Siobhan Hullinger from Sudbury,is well known from the community service she has already done. She serves on three boards in Sudbury: HOPEsudbury, the LSPO, and the L-S Scholarship Fund. She was also elected to and served on L-S School Council and has had three children go through L-S with her last child as a sophomore. She is hard-working, thoughtful, collaborative and best of all, very familiar with the unique culture of L-S. The towns of Lincoln and Sudbury need Siobhan on the L-S School Committee to do the hard work and make the difficult decisions that preserve the excellence in the academic experience for all students and preserve the unique culture that the two towns have fostered in L-S.

Please join me in voting for Carole Kasper and Siobhan Hullinger (a write-in candidate) on March 26. Help keep the L-S School Committee the high-performing team it currently is.

Sincerely,

Kevin J. Matthews
Haynes Rd., Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Sudbury selectman endorses Hullinger

(Editor’s note: Brown is a member of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen).

To the editor:

I am writing to support Siobhan Hullinger for a seat on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School School Committee in this year’s election.

Siobhan has a long record of volunteering for community service and a notable record of service at the high school. This not only demonstrates her commitment to the school and the L-S community, but also provides her with an understanding of the specific strengths, weaknesses, and unique culture at L-S. She understands the need for collaboration among L-S, Sudbury, Lincoln and METCO to create a seamless academic experience for our students, to address school start time recommendations, and to create an effective administrative structure for our schools.

Further, Siobhan is thorough and meticulous in her research and in deriving her conclusions and recommendations. This requires time, effort and analysis upon her part, and she undertakes this work with an open mind. I have learned to consider her statements carefully, even when we might disagree. Her willingness to argue passionately on the issues while maintaining a courteous and civil manner to her colleagues is one of her great strengths.

I urge you to write in Siobhan Hullinger for L-S School Committee on March 26.

Sincerely,

Pat (Patricia) Brown
34 Whispering Pine Rd., Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Hylton endorses Kasper for LSSC

To the editor:

I write to encourage my fellow Lincoln voters to get to the polls on Monday, March 26 and to cast their votes for Carole Kasper of Lincoln and Ellen Joachim of Sudbury for the two open seats on the L-S School Committee.

Carole is well known to many in town, having served in a variety of volunteer capacities. As everyone who has worked with her will attest, she is smart, hardworking, a natural leader, and an excellent listener. She is the only candidate whose name will actually appear on the ballot this year, so casting a vote for her will be a straightforward civic exercise!

As most know, Lincoln is not guaranteed any seats at all on the L-S School Committee. In order to make sure our voice is heard, it is imperative that a candidate like Carole, who is a strong and effective advocate for high-quality public education, joins the committee with a powerful signal of support from the community.

OK, you might ask, then who is Ellen Joachim and why should I support her for a seat as well?  To all who generally believe (as I typically do) that political races in Lincoln are dull, predictable affairs, this year is a clear exception. L-S School Committee incumbent Gerald Quirk unexpectedly withdrew from the race a few weeks ago. Ellen came forward and, after several weeks of campaigning, has demonstrated that she is by far the best choice for Lincoln voters and Sudbury voters who are committed to the high academic standards and all-around excellence L-S is known for.

Ellen served for many years on the Sudbury K-8 School Committee and is very familiar with the political landscape in Sudbury. She values the terrific faculty and rich programming L-S is rightly proud of, and she is eager to include Lincoln in any and all conversations about how to improve the experience for the wide range of students at L-S.

Like Carole, Ellen is serious about collaboration and process and is committed to the joint project that Lincoln and Sudbury began in 1954 of running a first-tier regional high school. As with any relationship, there are from time to time important issues that arise which potentially divide the two towns. These include, for example: finances, governance, and potential curriculum changes.

With Carole and Ellen on the School Committee, we increase the likelihood of intelligent and practical solutions to these questions. What do you get for your vote? That’s simple: more in the way of sensible solutions and less divisive rhetoric—a good bargain for voters under any circumstances.

On March 26, vote for Carole Kasper and write in Ellen Joachim’s name on the ballot!

Sincerely,

Maria O’Brien Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane, Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: former LSSC member supports Kasper

To the editor:

I am writing to strongly urge all of you to vote in the election on Monday, March 26. I am enthusiastically in support of Carole Kasper, whose extraordinary qualifications and competence to serve I will leave others to describe. The issue I would like to emphasize is the importance to Lincoln and to Lincoln-Sudbury of retaining two Lincoln seats on the Lincoln Sudbury school committee. With no major issues on the ballot, I worry that residents might be tempted to avoid coming to the polls. 

I served for seven years on the committee. During that time, Lincoln had two representatives. However, the year before I was appointed, Renel Fredriksen was the only Lincoln representative and if she were still a town resident, she would make clear how difficult that was. There is too much information and work involved in governance for one person to master and having only one member makes it very difficult to adequately debate important issues where the interests of the two towns may be in conflict. There are structural differences between the towns that make for complicated political and fiscal dynamics.

One such controversial issue is currently on the agenda. A number of Sudbury leaders have proposed that there be a combined superintendency for the Sudbury K-8 system and Lincoln-Sudbury. In my opinion, this is not a good idea. It would reduce the independence of the L-S School Committee and would dilute and diminish Lincoln’s influence in the governance of the school.

There are a group of Sudbury residents who have strong negative feelings about Lincoln. This group, of indeterminate size, has called for voters to not vote for Carole and to write in two Sudbury candidates on a listserve that is only available to Sudbury residents. A group of them shamelessly harassed Carole when she presented at a Sudbury forum.

Carole is working in cooperation with Ellen Joachim from Sudbury and suggests that if you are motivated to write in a candidate, you should write in her name. Doing this will insure a more student centric governance structure and continued dialogue with and inclusion of Lincoln.

But the most important message is get yourself to the polls on Monday, March 26 and support our representation at our high school.

Sincerely,

Eric Harris
138 Bedford Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.