The Math Department faculty has worked to include all students especially during the pandemic. Teachers follow the first mathematical practice of 'making sense of problems and persevere in solving them' and have found creative ways to help students solve problems. One way teachers do this is by using features of the online platform Desmos to work real-time with students and observe their problem solving processes.

Linked from the LHS Math Department web page is "Celebrating Black History in Math," an incredibly interesting site to learn about black mathematicians, created by LHS teachers and students. This site is a testament to the breadth of LHS's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Math teachers promote joy in learning in several ways including math jokes, puns, cartoons. This year math teacher Mr. Doucette used music to welcome remote and in-person students this year, setting a tone for fun and focus. Although they missed sharing pie in classes on March 14, that tradition is sure to be back next year.

Student teams in math and robotics have remained active over the past year, continuing with learning and competitions, while also finding ways to make a positive difference in their community, such as using 3-D printers to manufacture PPE when needed early in the pandemic.

This week we recognize our four Deans. Before their first day at LHS, each student is assigned to a dean, who will follow that student throughout their years at LHS. Each Dean works with his/her team to support their students. Each Dean Team consists of a dean, the dean’s secretary, a school counselor, a homeroom teacher, and the building’s support personnel. Here is a list of just a few of the responsibilities assigned to each dean:

• Approve/record/review student absences

• Record Open Campus contracts

• Deal with all administrative issues for assigned students

• Approve visitors to the school

• Oversee student schedules

• Assure students are on-track to graduate

• Administer discipline

• Meet with students/parents/other deans/principals/teachers

• Chaperone all student events

• Confer diplomas

We send HUGE thanks to each of our four deans who know each and every one of their students and who work to make Lexington High School a warm and inviting place: Nicole Canniff (Science Building); Scott Kmack (Arts & Humanities Building); Jaffrie Perrotti (Math Building); Crystal Hunter (Science Building); and Rebecca Wilusz (World Languages Building).

The LHS Visual Arts Department offers 20 visual art classes; supports membership in the National Art Honor Society; offers six areas of advanced study (ceramics, photography, digital art, painting, and AP art studio); and advises four after-school clubs (Art Club, Pottery Club, Digital Art Club and Illustration Club). These teachers also encourage and support our students who enter their artwork in national competitions. That’s a lot of work for nine teachers!

And, all these teachers are working artists; they maintain their own studios and are busy creating their own work, in addition to instructing our students.

Thanks to these amazing artists and teachers who make Lexington’s Visual Arts Program so rich and rewarding.

METCO stands for Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities. This program is voluntary, inviting students living in Boston to be educated in Lexington, one of the seven original suburbs to partner with the Boston initiative in 1966. Boston students bring a wealth of lived experiences that enrich the cultural diversity of the our school system.

Ms. Barbara Hamilton is the Coordinator for K–12 METCO students living in Boston. From her office at LHS, she oversees all the Boston students in Lexington—she and her staff support nearly 60 students at LHS. Ms. Hamilton is supported by Felicia de Soriano (Administrative Assistant), Gretchen Segars (Academic Support Teacher) and Social Workers Cheryl Crowder, Audi Lynch and Rachel Philippe. The METCO Team supports students in all aspects of their lives that involve their education or well-being.

Ms. Hamilton knows all of these Boston families and their children, some of them since they began their education in Lexington’s elementary schools. She works with both the students and their families on many logistical issues, including transportation, schedules, after-school activities, and academics. Our METCO families truly rely on Ms. Hamilton and they trust her to advocate for our Boston students. Lexington Public Schools, and LHS in particular, are truly fortunate to have Ms. Hamilton and her outstanding team to support our Boston students. Thank you for all doing to enrich our educational environment and support these students and their families!

Led by Naomi Martin and Deb Psilopoulos, the Athletics Department has reinvented high school sports during the pandemic, honoring their mission to provide athletics for all students as an integral part of the educational process and experience. Starting last spring, Naomi and her team visited over 90 Senior ’20 athletes at their homes to recognize their athletic careers at LHS, adapting the Senior Day traditions so this cohort of student athletes didn't miss out. The Department has worked tirelessly, under MIAA and Middlesex League guidelines, to provide students with the opportunity to play team sports. While this year is unlike any other, Naomi and Deb are going above and beyond to give students a sense of normalcy and to keep the team spirit alive. Thank you for all you are doing!

During the best of times, they provide an important resource and service for our students, but during this pandemic they have been on the front line, helping our kids cope with all the uncertainty. As social workers, they listen to and advocate for kids, focusing on the whole student. They provide a much-needed anchor for students and their families, and fill in the gaps as our kids navigate the bumps in their journey. Whether a student needs a friendly place to regroup, a check-in, or serious intervention, our social workers are always there to help and support them during their time at LHS. We are so grateful to have Martha Queenin, James Farnham, Stephen Babbitt, and Claudia Vanegas on our team. Thank you for all you do!

COVID has made the job of our nurses much more intense and time consuming than normal. Starting this week, they will be doing even MORE! Our fabulous nursing staff of Janet Foley, Susan Kaftan, Raeanne Brazee, and our nursing leader, Karen Rufo, are distributing and collecting the surveillance testing kits for staff and students. It is a Herculean task and we cannot thank them enough for all they are doing!

Our custodians are the unsung heroes of LHS; they go above and beyond what is asked of them and always with a smile on their face. Like most superheroes, their actions may not be that obvious, but their impact certainly is! Almost everything that happens at LHS is made possible by the behind-the-scenes work of this team—book drop off and pick up, graduation rolling rally, COVID surveillance testing, to name a few of their achievements. They keep the school clean and safe for all of us and we couldn't be more grateful!

Thank you to our daytime custodians: Joe Vieira (Head Custodian), Ed Casey, Tom Geary, Joe Mitchell; and our night custodians: Mike Sullivan (Head Custodian), Bill Allen, Alessandro DaSilva, Ronaldo DeFreitas, Robert Erickson, Robert Marcin, Matthew McCarthy, David McKenna, Steven Moody, Eric Pekarsky, and Robert Walters. Thank you for all you do!

Their mission is to promote social/emotional, academic, and career development for all students. Each counselor supports over 200 students, spanning every grade level, each requiring their own specific assistance. The team helps students to choose classes, solve scheduling issues, and plan their post-LHS lives. The Counseling Department provides seminars for students and parents to help navigate the daunting college application process. The counselors wear a multitude of hats to assist our students in many ways, ensuring they stay well informed and on the right path.

Thank you to Stacy Glickman, Stacy McFadden, Scot Schaming, Maggie Shih, Jeremie Bateman, Francisco Hernandez, Tim McClelland, Stephanie Michael, Emily O'Neil, Melissa Buttaro, Carrie Hamblin, Matt Medugno, Esther Kim, Linda Prisco, Hannah Coombs, Nicole Magliozzi, and Anita Quinn. We are so grateful you are on our team!

Coming into Fall 2023-24 academic year, Andrew (Andy) Baker was LHS's Interim Principal and was LHS’s Associate Principal, a role that embraces many aspects of the educational experience and is critical to the smooth operation of life at LHS. In the years prior to the pandemic and throughout 2021 to present, you may have seen Andy at school wearing his signature bow tie, enjoying a cup of coffee, and advocating on behalf of students and educators for everything including courses, extra-curricular activities, social–emotional well-being, and the campus experience. During the pandemic Andy continued to be visible and available, regularly presenting helpful information at parent meetings and webinars (when we sometimes get a peek at his pets zooming across the screen). In fact, Andy worked all summer with a special team from LHS to figure out the best possible way to incorporate remote and hybrid learning situations for the 2021-22 school year —a very challenging assignment!

The LHS PTO is so thankful for Andy's leadership and his constant support to students and educators. He is a patient listener, seeks to understand perspectives, is committed to finding or securing data to help inform and make decisions, and truly cares about students at LHS first and foremost. He understands today's teens and we are very fortunate to have Andy as part of the leadership team at LHS. Thank you, Andy, for all that you do, everyday, for LHS students, staff, and families!