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

schools

Lincoln School names new K-4 principal

collmer2

Sarah Collmer

By Alice Waugh

Sarah Collmer, who has a background in performing arts, is about to take on her biggest role yet: the Lincoln School’s new K-4 principal.

Collmer, 40, comes from the John F. Kennedy School in Canton, where she was hired in 2014 after serving as interim principal. Prior to that, she was Canton’s K-12 performing arts coordinator and also taught high school performing arts. She has been a music teacher for 17 years and has also worked at schools in Franklin and Wellesley.

[Read more…] about Lincoln School names new K-4 principal

At L-S, Ryan warns parents about providing alcohol to those under 21

(Editor’s note: This article is based on a press release from the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.)

In a May 11 talk at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan reminded parents that providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 endangers lives and makes the adult potentially liable in criminal and civil court.

“We all want to celebrate the end of the school year and usher in the summer for the teenagers in our lives,” Ryan said. “But good intentions can go wrong. It is never a good idea to have a get-together in which minors are going to be drinking alcohol. Adults cannot disregard the law about serving people under the age of 21 just because the alcohol is being served on private property or just because one parent gives permission for his or her child to consume alcohol.”

Under the state’s Social Host Law, adults and minors can be punished for furnishing alcohol to a minor, with penalties including up to one year in jail and fines of up to $2,000. Those charged with drinking and driving can also receive significant penalties. In Massachusetts, a first drunk-driving offense may result in a license suspension, a fine of up to $5,000, and/or imprisonment of up to 30 months.

Ryan also stressed that adults should think about the “life lessons” they are teaching young people. “Teenagers know they aren’t supposed to be drinking, so the message parents may be sending is that it’s fine to break the law in some cases,” she said. “Often young people who have consumed alcohol don’t have the maturity to resist risky behavior and to make good judgments.”

The “Social Host Responsibility” presentations are held at schools all over the county by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY). MPY is a nonprofit organization that provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors.

Minuteman High School appoints principal

Jack Dillon

Jack Dillon

John “Jack” Dillon III of Woburn, who has been serving as the school’s interim principal for the past four months and was the school’s assistant principal for nine years before that, was selected by Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Minuteman’s Superintendent-Director from 34 applicants for the position. He succeeds Ernest F. Houle, who was appointed Superintendent-Director at Assabet Regional Vocational Technical High School in Marlborough.

“Minuteman is a great school and I’m very proud of the staff and students here,” Dillon said. “The next year will be very important for us as we try to promote a building project. It’s a herculean effort and I’m committed to working with our superintendent and our communities to help make it happen.”

Dillon has worked in education for 25 years. Before coming to Minuteman, he served as assistant principal at Maynard High School and as a health teacher and acting assistant principal at Burlington High School. He holds a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College and a bachelor’s in education from Bridgewater State University.

Candidates sought for Campus Master Plan Committee

The Lincoln School campus.

The Lincoln School campus.

In response to community interest in locating a community center on the Lincoln School’s Ballfield Road campus, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee are jointly creating the Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC). The purpose of the CMPC will be to consider infrastructure and safety issues related to the possible co-location of Council on Aging, the Parks and Recreation Department, and school functions on Ballfield Road. The CMPC’s charge will be to examine the implications on roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions.

The CMPC will be responsible for hiring, subject to approval by the Selectmen and the School Committee, a firm with the skills needed to do the work. At the 2015 Town Meeting, Article 33 authorized $75,000 for this purpose. The CMPC will determine its own meeting schedule, but it is expected that it will meet frequently between June and December, with the delivery of a final report by the end of the calendar year. The committee will gather input from the public and relevant boards, and an interim report and public feedback will be one of the items for discussion at the fall State of the Town meeting.

Interested candidates should have experience and skills that will further the work of the committee. The at-large members will join representatives from relevant town boards. Letters of interest should be submitted to both the Board of Selectmen at selectmen@lincolntown.org and the School Committee at schoolcomm@lincnet.org by Friday, May 15. The Selectmen and School Committee will hold a joint meeting to finalize the CMPC’s charge and to appoint the at-large members on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m in the Donaldson Room in the Town Office Building.

News acorns – 4/9/15

Film series about “odd jobs”

Job, profession, vocation, career—what we do or did to “earn our living” is who we were or are or will become. Does it then follow that the “oddest” jobs just might attract the oddest people, who might then provide the most peculiar and engaging stories, true or fictitious? Find out in the “Odd Jobs” film series presented this month by the Lincoln Library Film Society:

  • Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. — Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjøkkenet), 2003. In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles. 95 minutes.
  • Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m  — Watchtower (Gözetleme kulesi), 2012. In Turkish with English subtitles. 96 minutes.
  • Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m — Pickpocket, 1959. In French with English subtitles. 75 minutes.
Marimekko's Unikko fabric by Maija Isola.

Marimekko’s Unikko fabric by Maija Isola.

Talk on Design Research store on April 26

Put on your new or vintage Marimekko dress and dig out your beloved Sarpaneva casserole pot and bring them to “Remembering Design Research,” a modern design program in Lincoln on Sunday, April 26 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall.Former Design Research (D/R) co-owner Jane Thompson’s slide show will describe the heydays of the pioneering modern design store in Harvard Square (1953-1979), and textile historian Susan Ward will illustrate the history of the Finnish Marimekko fabric and fashion company, whose brightly colored fabrics and dresses were one of D/R’s mainstays. There’ll also be groovy ’60s music, a Marimekko fashion show, a show-and-tell, book signing, silent auction, raffle prizes and fabulous Finnish treats. Tickets are $27. More information is available on the Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln’s website.

Registration open for Minuteman postgrad, community programs

Minuteman Technical Institute (MTI), part of part of Minuteman High School, is now accepting applications for September 2015 admission into nine different postgraduate programs: advanced automotive technology, building construction technology, cosmetology, culinary arts/baking, dental assisting, early education and care, electrical wiring, hospitality management and plumbing. Minuteman Community Education also offers April vacation and summer programs for children up to grade 12 as well as continuing education for adults.

Adults may apply to an MTI program to hone their skills in a technical area, retrain for new employment or learn new skills. MTI offers interest-free payment plans for all of its programs, and students who live in one of Minuteman’s 16 district towns receive a 50 percent tuition discount. Open houses with more information about postgraduate programs and the application process will be held on May 12 and June 9 at 6 p.m. at the school (758 Marrett Rd., Lexington). For more information and to apply, go to www.MinutemanTI.org or call 781-861-7151.

Spring Fling features a capella group, puppets

Celebrate the end of a long winter at the Lincoln Public Library’s Spring Fling on Saturday, May 2 from 1–4 p.m. At 1 p.m., Tufts University’s co-ed a cappella group the Amalgamates will perform. The group has released 13 CDs and has performed at venues including Fenway Park and the National Portrait Gallery in London. At 3 p.m., the Toe Jam Puppet Band will be on hand to perform interactive songs, stories and& puppets, including a barn dance and a car wash song where kids get sprayed. Refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon.