Middle School Farewell: Class of 2025 Heads to High School
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On a picture-perfect summer evening on Wednesday, eighth-graders at the John Glenn Middle School (JGMS) bid farewell to outgoing principal Kevin Tracy and set their sights on the high school as the Class of 2025. A slowly setting sun and a cool breeze accompanied the ceremony as families arrayed their blankets across Sabourin Field in a colorful display. A Hawaiian theme was chosen for the occasion and kids and parents responded with shirts and dresses dotted with palm trees and hibiscus and accented their outfits with cheerful plastic leis. A post-Covid euphoria was in the air as hugs and greetings were warmly exchanged.
Declared a Federal Holiday Thursday Evening, Bedford Observed Juneteenth on Saturday
Dorothy Africa commemorated the first official federal observance of Juneteenth by continuing a tradition she began in 2020—leading the short walk from First Parish on Bedford Common to the African Reservation at Bedford’s Old Burying Ground.
MIAA Tournament Results ~ Updated on Saturday, June 19
Editor’s Note: Updated on Saturday, June 19
Top-seeded Bedford High School’s softball team hosts Dracut in the first round of the MIAA Division 2 North tournament Monday at 5:30 p.m.
And the Buccaneers had better be ready.
More good news — the Buccaneer boys’ tennis team traveled to Lawrence and vanquished Central Catholic High School, 4-1. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday either at Marblehead or in Bedford vs. Reading.
Coach Nicole Lespasio’s lax team spread the wealth – all 18 girls on the roster got playing time, and there were 11 different scorers, led by Abby Morrissey (four goals); Allie Zorn (three), and Astrid Yerardi (three). Notable defenders were Katherine Vaughn and Julia Dearing; each caused multiple turnovers.
One Year of Standing Up for Black Lives on Bedford Common
A year since a group of residents began weekly demonstrations on the Common, racism still permeates many parts of American society.
That doesn’t surprise the organizers.
“We are certainly talking about generational change. This situation does not lend itself to quick fixes or dramatic signs of progress,” Mark Bailey declared. “There are no short cuts here.”
Shannon Leonard agreed. “It’s going to happen incrementally – we may take three steps forward and two steps back. But people will be able to look back and notice that there was progress.”
These weekly statements were sparked on social media, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Leonard, a Bedford High School graduate who grew up in Boston and was often the only white face in her class, announced on her Facebook page that “I was going to stand on the Common with a sign. And I received a response from a Bedford High classmate, who was a METCO alumna, and another METCO graduate joined us as well.”