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

My Turn: Minneapolis police conduct is offensive to the values of our department

(Editor’s note: This statement was published on the Lincoln Police Department’s Facebook page on May 29, 2020 and is reprinted here with permission.)

By Kevin Kennedy

To the Lincoln community:

Today, I join my fellow Massachusetts Police Chiefs and law enforcement across the country in condemning the actions and inactions of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020.  Our thoughts and sympathy are with the Floyd family. 

As a police department, we have embraced the six pillars of the President’s Task Force on 21st-Century Policing. We are committed to our standards of professional conduct, community policing, procedural justice, constitutional policing, and treating everyone with respect, dignity, empathy, and compassion.

The conduct of the officers involved was offensive to the values of our department and our  community. 

Sincerely, 

A. Kevin Kennedy
Lincoln Chief of Police

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents to offer their 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 Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: McFall invites students and parents to discuss racism

To the Lincoln community:

I write to you from a place of humility, acknowledging that, at this point in time, there are so many areas of uncertainty that I do not have clear responses to or concrete action plans to address. However, what is weighing most heavily on me right now is how to respond, in my role as a superintendent, to the civil unrest taking place across our country and the inequities and injustices experienced by members of our communities.

I know that this message will not resonate with everyone. I also know that I may make points that may be misconstrued. My intent is to acknowledge what many of us are experiencing and feeling and to share some possible ways to come together as a community for reflection, sharing, and consideration of our collective responsibility to make things better.

I do not presume to understand what it is like to be a person of color in our country. But, the only way I know to make sense of what is happening is by making connections to my own personal experiences.

In 1992, I was a middle school teacher in an unincorporated (not a town or city) area of Los Angeles County — Lennox, Calif. This was the community that I grew up in and began my career in education. It is a poor community where most parents work in service industries in and around the Los Angeles airport. The schools were a safe haven for students within the community. I am providing this context because what is taking place now, and has taken place for decades, mirrors what occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 in response to the acquittal of four police officers related to the beating of Rodney King.

As the riots ensued, most school districts closed, but we remained open knowing that our parents were not in positions of privilege and could not stay home from work to care for their children. We kept our students in self-contained classrooms and provided opportunities for discussion about what was taking place and how they were feeling. As you can imagine, my students expressed a wide range of emotions including anger, frustration, fear, inability to reconcile the outcomes with the evidence, and a sense of hopelessness. I perceived their expressions as an overall knowing that they were not valued and protected in our society.

As their teacher, I had a feeling of deep despair. My messages to my students had always been expressions of hope: if you have a goal and you work hard, you can succeed. I held myself up as a model for my students as someone who grew up in their neighborhood and attended the same schools. But in this moment I knew that much of what my students were feeling was the truth and that my message that all you need to do is work hard was not a truth. While much of our lived experience was the same, the color of my skin provided me with privilege and opportunities that they did not have. And the color of my skin provided me with the very basic necessity of a level of safety that they did not experience.

I am certain that students in our schools are feeling these same emotions and always have. The recent acts of violence against persons of color and the ensuing injustices have not created these feelings; they have always been there. When our institutional systems clearly tell you that you have no voice, then you are forced to find other means of communication. I do not say this to universally condone the actions that have been taken, only as an understanding of how we have ended up where we are. It is difficult to think about my experience in L.A. 28 years ago and to see that the experience for black and brown people in our country has not changed. Combined with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting communities of color, racial inequities have been magnified, and my heart goes out to our families who are shouldering the impact of it all right now.

Please remember that our principals, social workers, school psychologists, and other school personnel are available if you need assistance.

An opportunity for members of our community to come together is scheduled for Thursday evening. Lincoln School grade 5-8 students will have the opportunity to join a discussion group on Thursday during the day. I am providing information below and hope that you will join us.

Please be well.

All the best,

Becky McFall
Superintendent, Lincoln Public Schools

1. Anti-racism resources for parents and educators

2. Event for adults — Thursday, June 4 from 6–7:30 p.m.
A 90-minute webinar from with Kathy Lopes, LICSW for parents, staff, and community members to acknowledge the educational, health, and social-emotional impact of Covid-19 (inclusive of local and national racism) on their communities and the current racial violent acts occurring in the country. Lopes will provide data, age-appropriate strategies, and resources to support adults in navigating the topic of systemic racism and how to approach these tough conversations with children of varying ages.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://simmons.zoom.us/j/92663677391?pwd=Y3Y0OFBXZ2I3S3Y4TEh4ZXBmakxpQT09

  • Meeting ID: 926 6367 7391
  • Password: 459805
  • For call-Ins: (646) 558-8656

3. Student sessions for Lincoln School grade 5-8
There will be two group discussions, one for students in grades 5-6 and one for students in grades 7-8. Discussions will be guided by the students’ needs and the groups will be facilitated by mental health staff, METCO staff, and teachers. 

  • Grades 5-6: Thursday, June 4 from 10–11 a.m.
  • Grades 7-8: Thursday, June 4 11 a.m.–noon

The link to join will be sent in a letter of invitation to the student sessions on Monday.

Information for Hanscom Middle School student sessions will be provided early this week.

Police log for May 19–24, 2020

May 18

Codman Road (8:06 p.m.) — Resident reported that a friend in Wayland may be the victim of a crime in Wayland. Wayland police were advised of the report.

Morningside Lane (9:11 p.m.) — Party reported being harassed by a party known to them. Report taken; party advised of their legal options.

May 19

Trapelo Road (2:25 p.m.) — Resident reported there is someone on their property that they want removed. Officer spoke to the individual and they were sent on their way.

Woods End Road (3:47 p.m.) — Resident turned in old firearm and ammunition to be destroyed.

May 20

First Parish in Lincoln (stone church) (1:28 p.m.) — Report that a power line to the building is down on the ground. Eversource was notified to respond.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:34 p.m.) — Caller reported their car was on fire on Rte. 2 west near Lexington town line. Officer arrived and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Fire Department arrived a short time later to handle.

Tower Road (3:54 p.m.) — Family member requested a well-being check on a resident. Officer checked and everything was OK; family member was on scene.

Old County Road (7:20 p.m.) — People who were fishing were moved along.

Lincoln Road (9:55 p.m.) — A business owner reported finding a disheveled male inside his vehicle while parked in the mall parking lot. The party was last seen walking on Lincoln Road. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate him.

May 21

Sandy Pond Road (3:28 p.m.) — Officers with Concord police at the town line investigated a report of someone finding bones in the woods. They were determined to be animal bones.

Concord Road (4:20 p.m.) — Party reported that a bicyclist wasn’t wearing a mask while on trails between Walden Pond and Flint’s Pond.

Walden Pond boat ramp (4:32 p.m.) — Report of a male party exposed himself near the boat ramp. State Police handled the incident

Old County Road (6:48 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Sandy Pond Road (7:44 p.m.) — Caller reported a brush fire. Fire Department arrived as the homeowner was putting out the fire.

May 22

Lincoln Road (9:28 a.m.) — Report of possible identity fraud. Investigation is ongoing.

Trapelo Road at Old County Road (9:46 a.m.) — Two-car crash. No injuries; report taken.

The Food Project, Concord Road — Manager complained of cars parking in the Food Project lot and going to Walden Pond.

Morningside Lane (3:49 p.m.) — Legal document relating to previous harassment given to a party, with a copy held at Lincoln Police Department.

Trapelo Road (4:39 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Wells Road (10:01 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing an alarm going off. Officer found it to be a septic system alarm. Management was notified.

Page Farm Road (3:48 a.m.) — Caller reported seeing a male party via their security system on the porch; packages possibly stolen. Officers were unable to locate the party and reported that there were packages on the porch.

May 23

Trapelo Road (12:54 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Wells Road (1:03 p.m.) — Elderly confused party believed someone was in the house. Officers responded and everything was fine.

Lincoln North office building, Old Bedford Road (2:34 p.m.) — Caller reported a small fire in the mulch. Fire Department handled.

Lincoln Police Department (3:14 p.m.) — Party stated that her son was bitten a while ago by an animal and was looking for information about medical care. Party refused Fire Department medical assistance.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:14 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing a mattress in the roadway. The information was passed along to State Police in Concord.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom Air Force Base (7:10 p.m.) — Officers assisting Hanscom security with a report of a missing juvenile. The party was later located.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom Air Force Base (8:52 p.m.) — Caller was looking for information on the missing juvenile. They were advised to contact Hanscom security.

May 24

Concord Road (12:58 a.m.) — Report of an outside fire at Walden Pond. The incident was found to be in Concord; officers assisted Concord police.

Sandy Pond Road (10:07 a.m.) — Caller complained of cars parking along Sandy Pond Road in front of his house and requested additional No Parking signs. No cars were found parked on the road. The officer spoke to the resident and left a message with the DPW requesting additional signage.

North Great Road, Paul Revere lot (2:41 p.m.) — Officer assisted the National Park ranger with a report of people using a metal detector and digging.

Trapelo Road (4:08 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Tower Road (4:49 p.m.) — Party found a dog in their yard. A short time later, it was returned to the owner.

North Great Road (6:49 p.m.) — Caller couldn’t find their car after walking in the National Park. Officer assisted the party.

Mt. Misery parking lot (7:47 p.m.) — Caller requested a check on someone sleeping in a vehicle. The party was fine, just taking a nap.

L-S announces awards to graduating seniors

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School congratulates the Senior Class of 2020. The following students received awards from faculty at the virtual Senior Awards Ceremony on May 27, 2020. Former Lincoln School students are in boldface.

Beverly Malcolm Achievement Awards
Phillip Cass, Jonathan Kolodny

Bramwell B. Arnold Book Award in Physics
Jessie Li

Computer Science Creativity Awards
Matthew Johnson, Ryan Saklad

Counseling Department Awards
Lauren Bolli, Calvin Conboy, Jada Edwards, Abigail Hayes, Aidan Hickey, Jonah Krasnow, Annie Pendergast, Jaelynn Rodney, Courtney Wright, Alessandra Wolf

Cum Laude Society
Laura Appleby, Tea Baumgartner, Hannah Bisson, Sydney Blair, Lilia Carlisle, Flavia Carvalho, Anna Cincotta, Carter Clanton, Anjuli Das, Anne Davin, Allison Densel, Alyse Diamond, Kelly Durning, Julia Eagan, Caoilin Engstrom, John Farren, Eric Feng, Julian Flack, Anna Fryling, Gregory Gallo, Abigail Ganz, Dylan Goldman, Emily Greeley, Miriam Halpern, Abigail Hayes, Sabrina Hoenig, Jason Huang, Keith Hylton, Noah Jacob, Matthew Johnson, Colby Jones, Sydney Kanzer, Jonah Krasnow, Taya Kronrod, Arlene Leavitt, Ranen Leung, Justin Lewitus, Jessie Li, Stephanie Lu, Emma Mahoney, Addison Marshall, Asher Martin-Rosenthal, Alexandra Meal, Ethan Minkoff, Casey Monteiro, Benjamin Morris, Hannah Murray, Caitlin Myron, John Oblak, Kylie Oblak, Simon Perry, Aidan Prendergast, Pierre Regensburger, Ari Roth, Emily Schmelter, Parker Simon, Brett Sorbo, Madeleine Stephan, Mary Stewart, Elina Suter, Zachary Tam, Nicholas Tan, Anna Trecker, Abigail Truex, Jack Weidenbach, Hope Weldon, Max Woolf, Claire Zhang, Charlotte Zieselman, Shelley Zuckerman

DAR Award, Wayside Inn Chapter
Lilia Carlisle, Casey Monteiro

DAR Award, Good Citizenship
Carter Haydon

Drama Award Bowl
Julian Flack, Ryan Gies, Kathryn Kimble, Casey Monteiro

Drama Service Awards
Anne Davin, Abigail Ganz, Allison Kim, Asher Martin-Rosenthal, Katherine Palmer, Alexandra Zieselman

English Excellence in Writing Awards
Lauren Bolli, Lilia Carlisle, Caoilin Engstrom

English Love of Learning Awards
Carol-Lena Breiter, Natalie Elmes, Zoe Felsch, Anchita Thakuri

Forum Recognition Awards
Alkinoos Armoundas, Ryan Beatty, Arlene Leavitt, Justin Lewitus, Alexandra Meal

Technical Theater Awards
Ryan Beatty, Roshan Kharbanda

Harriet Rogers Book Awards
Lara Garabedian, Emily Greeley, Aidan Hickey, Sydney Kanzer, Emily Schmelter, Keaton Silsby, Marisa Singh, Elina Suter

Literature Award
Gladys Manzira

Martin Luther King Action Project Awards
Anjuli Das, Carter Haydon, Abigail Hayes, Ryan Hu, Kevin Ji, Sydney Kanzer, Anna Kolodny, Jonathan Kolodny, Jessica Lewis, Jessie Li, Stephanie Lu, Ranjani Matthews, Oliver Neale, Madeleine Stephan, Elina Suter, Zachary Tam, Abigail Truex, Caroline Watson

METCO Athletes of the Year
Kares Mack, Courtney Wright

Outstanding Psychology Students
Hannah Bisson, Michaella DeSantis, Marisa Singh

Robert Chrusz Dual County League Sportsmanship Awards
John Oblak, Kylie Oblak

Science Department Book Awards
Kelly Durning, Caoilin Engstrom, Gregory Gallo, Abigail Hayes, Justin Lewitus, Casey Monteiro, Benjamin Morris, Aidan Prendergast, Simon Perry, Zachary Tam

Science Award for Distinguished Achievement
Parker Simon

Senior Athlete Awards
Caroline Davis, Joseph Mepham

Senior Art Awards
Ryan Alkasab, Anna Cincotta, Miriam Halpern, Gladys Manzira, Nicole Smith, Christina Stakutis, Abigail Truex, Caroline Watson, Claire Zhang

Senior Media Arts Awards
Enzo Goodrich, Evan Johnson

Jane Young Awards
Rebecca Gennari, Sarah Klein, Justin Lewitus, Kylie Oblak, Aidan Prendergast

Leadership Awards in Athletics
Simon Perry, Isabelle Acquaviva

Wellness Awards
Alkinoos Armoundas, Jada Edwards, Anna Fryling, Kares Mack

Mathematics Awards

Senior Math Awards American Invitational Math Competition
Zachary Tam

American Invitational Math Examination
Jason Huang, Zachary Tam

Massachusetts Assoc. Mathematics League Outstanding Achievement
Laura Appleby, Benjamin Morris

Mass. Assoc. Mathematics League Outstanding Achievement for Finalists
Jason Huang, Zachary Tam

Love of Learning in Mathematics Awards
Phillip Cass, Anna Fryling, Christopher Fulton-Harley, Jason Huang, Arlene Leavitt, Ethan Minkoff, Casey Monteiro, Benjamin Morris

Music Awards

Director’s Award for Band
Ranjani Matthews

Director’s Award for Orchestra
Zachary Tam

John Philip Sousa Band Award
Thomas Kneeland, Jr.

Louis Armstrong Jazz Award
Enzo Goodrich

Leonard Bernstein Award
Elizabeth Ostrowski

Lloyd Grandprey Award
William Hardwick

Quincy Jones Musicianship Award
Keaton Silsby

National School Orchestra Award
Ethan Minkoff

National School Choral Awards
Kelly Durning, Pierre Regensburger

Senior Choral Musicianship Awards
Allison Densel, Keaton Silsby

Senior Choral Merit Award
Marisa Singh

Senior Instrumental Musicianship Awards
Ryan Gies, Justin Lewitus, Brett Sorbo

Senior Instrumental Merit Awards
Alkinoos Armoundas, Calvin Conboy, Charlotte Zieselman

Charlotte Zieselman Senior District Awards Chorus
Kelly Durning, Pierre Regensburger

All State Award Chorus
Pierre Regensburger

Lincoln-Sudbury Parents’ Organization Communication Awards

Written Word
Arlene Leavitt

Spoken Word
Jaelynn Rodney

Artistic Expression
Casey Monteiro

World Language Awards

French
Anjuli Das

German
Oliver Neale

Latin
Simon Perry

Mandarin
Charlotte Zieselman

Spanish
Taya Kronrod

Luis Munoz-Marin Award
Madeleine Stephan

World Language Love of Learning Awards

French
Gladys Manzira

German
Phillip Cass

Latin
Hector Killick

Spanish
Ethan Minkoff

Global Scholar Awards
Nicholas Andolina, Emily Greeley, Casey Monteiro, Oliver Neale, Simon Perry, Ami Sao, Marisa Singh, Madeleine Stephan, Zachary Tam

News acorns

Make a ruckus on Friday for graduating seniors

The Lincoln-Sudbury Class of 2020 will be completing their K-12 school years on Friday, May 29 at exactly 2:39 p.m. The L-S Senior Celebrations Committee asks that families, friends, neighbors, and community members join together at 2:38 p.m. and stand outside our homes separately, yet together — clapping, cheering, banging on pots. and otherwise celebrating to honor students from various schools who are marking a high school or college graduation milestone in this challenging spring.

Get ready for kindergarten

For parents of children who will be starting kindergarten in September, watch this “Welcome to Kindergarten” video and come to a virtual kindergarten orientation on Monday, June 8 from 6:30–7:30 p.m. The Google Meet link will be distributed earlier that day. Meanwhile, please complete the forms linked to this information sheet.

COA’s June newsletter available online

The Council on Aging’s June newsletter is now online — read it by clicking here. (Note that the new support group for those who have lost a loved one during the pandemic will begin on Tuesday, June 2, not June 5).

Covid-19 growth is slowing in the area

While cases of Covid-19 are still increasing in Lincoln and surrounding towns, the curves are flattening and rates of increase are slowing. For comparison, here are the total number of cases and cases per 100,000 residents in some larger cities and towns. (Source: Mass.gov)

Year20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
TTHMs (ppb)36.854.229.356.169.274.773.773.7837983

Click either chart to enlarge:
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Photographer and fellow Lincolnites click to help the needy

Corey Nimmer

If you want to help a worthy cause and get a nice photo of your family, you have about five minutes to say “cheese.”

As the pandemic worsened, Lincoln photographer Corey Nimmer, like many others, lost much of his business as the lockdown made it impossible for him to go to people’s homes and take portraits. He also felt helpless until he remembered that “in challenging times, the best thing is always to turn my attention to other people and see what I can do to help.” Thus was born Lincoln’s version of the Front Steps Project.

Like the project from which it sprang, the effort involves a quick five-minute visit to families who sign up. From about 20 feet away, Nimmer takes a family portrait outdoors on the front steps or somewhere else near the home. He then sends the family a digital photo. In return, they make a donation ($50 is suggested but any amount is accepted) to the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP), which operates a food pantry for residents of Lincoln and Weston and also offers financial assistance.

Nimmer had seen the plea on LincolnTalk for food and monetary donations to the food pantry, which has experienced a sharp increase in the number of families who need help during the pandemic — it’s now serving 250 clients, up from 198 in February, even as supplies from the Greater Boston Food Bank have declined. He reached out to SVdP’s Ursula Nowak and Sarah Bishop, who were thrilled to have another source of help.

“Corey has been an absolute pleasure to work with, bringing so much joy to so many families and so much assistance to so many of our neighbors in need. It’s because of people like him that we at SVdP can do the work we do,” Nowak said.

He hopes to keep the project going until he’s photographed 100 families. As of May 26 (his single biggest day, bringing in $1,125 from just six households), his work has raised a total of $5,200.

Nimmer, who also goes by Corey Flint (he married into the venerable Flint family and lives on the Lexington Road homestead), grew up in Hyde Park and moved to Lincoln three years ago. “I’d never even had a garden before that, but I’ve really fallen in love with farming and growing food,” he said. His Front Steps web page has details on how to schedule a photo session and a gallery of project portraits as well as links to his photography business and other projects. “I’m not really thinking too much about any future business at this point,” he said. “On a personal level, this has been really helpful in terms of feeling useful, and it’s just been great to get out and meet a lot of people in the community I might not have otherwise.”

McFall signed to three-year contract extension

Superintendent of Schools Rebecca McFall

The Lincoln School Committee has announced a three-year contract extension with District Superintendent Rebecca McFall. She succeeded retiring Superintendent Michael “Mickey” Brandmeyer in 2012.

“The continuity of Dr. McFall’s strong leadership benefits our children, our faculty, and staff, and our Lincoln, Hanscom, and Boston communities as we work to enhance education while navigating the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of renovating the Lincoln school buildings,” the committee said in a statement.

“We are grateful for Dr. McFall’s resilience in guiding our schools’ rapid transition to remote learning while never losing sight of our district’s long-term educational goals. She and her leadership team also have reached out with compassion to those who depend on our schools for food, technology, and emotional support.”