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I’m thankful for my mother and for all the mothers who have cared for me and so many others the world over. I am also thankful my children have me for a mother because I love them dearly and try my best to give them what they need. And for those of us whose mothers have departed from this life, here is a prayer that gives me comfort every time I read it. It is reprinted today in memory of Jennie Doherty and Evelyn Mason—two wonderful mothers I had the privilege to know and love: I remember thee in this solemn hour, my dear mother. I remember the days when thou didst dwell on earth, and thy tender love watched over me like a guardian angel. Thou hast gone from me, but the bond which unites our souls can never be severed; thy image lives within my heart. May the merciful Father reward thee for the faithfulness and kindness thou has shown me; may he lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and grant thee eternal peace.  Amen 

FREE tonight from 7-10 p.m. is the first of the Revolving Museum’s ARTventures Series.  The experience, at the Lowell National Park Visitors Center, will include massive video projections on a smokestack, carnival acts, a Native American Pow Wow, experimental light projects, and ethnic music and dance. Only in Lowell can you find an artistic revolution that spans all ages, turns history into urban rebirth, and partners artists with scientists, techies, and activists. According to their website: “…ARTventures will integrate some of the country’s most innovative art, science, and educational programs, creating a truly extraordinary artistic and theatrical adventure.” This sounds worth checking out–especially if the weather is nice.

Today is also the last day to see the amazing work of Lowell’s youngest artists, on display at the nearby ALL Arts Gallery across from the Visitors Center at 246 Market Street (gallery hours: 11-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.) 

We had a huge elm tree in front of our house when I was a kid; unfortunately, it was dead. So instead of being a beautiful and graceful shade tree, it was rather scary looking and potentially dangerous and had to be removed. 

Well, did you know that there are more Elm Streets than Main Streets in the U.S.? Apparently, this is because of the immense popularity of the tall, fast-growing, vase-shaped trees that created majestic archways over neighborhood streets all over the eastern part of the country. Besides our one dead elm tree, I recall my mother lamenting the loss of the beautiful trees that she remembered from her childhood. One-by-one they all succumbed to Dutch Elm disease, a deadly fungus that was introduced into this country in the 1930s by beatles in a shipment of lumber (one of the perils of globalization, I guess).  

Now, I am happy to report that a disease-resistant variety is available at Home Depot! These trees grow six feet a year, and are very hardy, especially in urban settings. For more information, listen here. 

I know Jackie’s depressed about voter turnout and to be sure, there is much that is wrong with our world – a lot of it of our own making. However, the return of the American Elm gives me some hope, hope that we can save ourselves, that science can help us out of the mess we have made of things, that we really can, in the words of the Jewish commandment tikkun olum, heal the world.

Yesterday was the first “Walking Wednesday” at the Lincoln School. The weather could not have been better and more than 300 of the school’s 478 students were dropped off or rode their usual bus and were let off at the DMV parking lot around 8:00 am to participate. Many parents, some pushing baby carriages, joined their children for the walk. Staff and volunteers in bright orange vests supervised the students and colorful balloons added to the festive atmosphere.

 Several months in the planning, the idea originated with the  Greater Lowell Health Alliance as a way to promote healthier lifestyles and to look at the obstacles facing students when opting to walk to school.  The Lowell School department, Lowell police and, of course, the staff and families of the Lincoln School worked with a representative of the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School initiative to plan and implement ”Walking Wednesdays” at the Lincoln School.                        

The Lincoln School principal, Sandra Dunning and her staff, were wholeheartedly behind the idea from the moment Lowell’s Transportation Director (and GLHA committee member) John Descouteaux (pictured below, center) brought the Safe Routes to School program to their attention.  The Lincoln already runs a very successful morning walking program for those students who are dropped off before the school opens in the morning, which combined with their challenging location, right on busy Chelmsford Street, makes them a perfect fit for this pilot program.  Lowell’s School Safety Officer, Paul Corcoran, was on hand with two patrol cars to keep the designated routes clear, while Mayor Bill Martin (below, left) and School committee Chair, John Leahy (below, wearing a hat), joined the students in the 1/2 mile walk. (Also pictured, on right, Fred McOskar from the school department). Other school department officials participating were Ann Murphy and Jean Franco).

 Safe Routes Rep, Davida Eisenberg, is ready for action; Principal Sandy Dunning stays on top of things back at the school:

      “Walking Wednesdays” will continue through May.

Earlier today, I complained about how Dracut had less than 25% of its voters participate in Monday’s election (see post below), but apparently folks in Tyngsboro were willing to settle for even less. Leadership decisions for the town were made by a mere 11.5% of those registered to vote in yesterday’s election—that doesn’t include the many people who are eligible but don’t bother to register. Most likely the pitiful turnout was because it was an uncontested race for many of the incumbents (that in itself is a problem) and there were no referendum questions. Whatever the reasons, the extremely low turnout further supports my fear that democracy is doomed if we can’t shake the apathy of our citizens and get more people to “check back in” as Governor Patrick says.

For most people, the news about Monday’s elections in Dracut was more about who got voted in or out—absolutely important but not what struck me about the race. For me, a disturbing aspect of the election was the fact that less than 25% of eligible voters even bothered to participate. That means town leadership—the people making decisions about taxes, police, fire and the schools, which will directly impact the lives of every Dracut resident—was determined by a small minority of people. Am I the only one alarmed by this trend? Yesterday, at my favorite local coffee shop, I expressed these concerns to the young people making my brew, only to become further distressed. Both Mary, who is 20 and grew up in the Highlands, and John, who is 19 and grew up in Belvidere, (not their real names) proudly announced that they were not registered to vote, nor did they have any intention of voting, ever. “Why bother?” noted John. “My vote won’t make a difference.”  When I protested that every vote did matter and gave specific examples of close local races in recent memory, John pointed out that it definitely didn’t matter in national elections. Without replaying the entire argument, it was his parting comment that really got me: “Maybe I’d vote if there were honest politicians who actually did what they promised to do.” Obviously John didn’t know I was on the school committee, but as you can imagine, I felt inclined to defend myself and every other person who has done what I consider an act of great courage–that is, put your name on the ballot and run for office. more »

In France they say bonne rentrée when people return to work and school after the summer vacation. Having just returned from a ten-day vacation, I feel how appropriate that phrase can be – but whether the transition is smooth or shocking depends on many factors.  It would be nice to be able to let the relaxed, happy feeling of vacation seep into the fabric of daily life, but it wears away too soon, lost in the snarl of morning traffic, the piles of mail and laundry that must be waded through, and the lengthening ‘to-do’ list. For me, reading my email and favorite blogs is the best way of getting reoriented. I was thrilled to learn that the Cambodian opera sold out every performance, but sorry to hear about the tennis-court controversy (as one who plays at Callery Park in the Highlands, I think I can safely say that these are the worst courts in the city – trash-strewn and cracked with sagging nets).   It’s taking awhile to catch up to the unfolding events in the city council election and the MA-05 race, and I didn’t realize until too late that the Council was debating the two proposed new schools last night or I would have gone to the meeting. It seems so short-sighted not to take the State’s offer and do both of these last two schools, completing the building program that began in 1992, and for which many city councilors now congratulate themselves.

Still, taking the good with the bad, it is nice to return home to green lawns and tulips and daffodils in bloom. And, the lilac at my back door is blooming and filling the air with perfume – c’est bon!

It’s one thing for political leaders to talk about the importance of civic engagement, and it’s another to actually do it. This Saturday, Governor Patrick and Lt. Governor Murray, along with their families and hundreds of volunteers, will be participating in a clean-up program that will include 49 parks and beaches from across the state. Here in the greater Lowell area, the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest is the local site for clean-up activities. According to the governor’s website: “Just as they belonged to the generations that preceded us, our parks belong to each of us and to our children. That’s why I’m joining volunteers from across Massachusetts to clean-up our local parks just in time for summer. I hope you’ll join us.” For more information about our State Forest and details on the upcoming park clean-up program, check here.

At its monthly meeting this morning, the City Manager’s Gang Advisory Board reviewed its progress in a number of ongoing areas around gang prevention, as well as determined some new, immediate priorities. The board’s efforts include developing summer jobs for youth, improving community access to a crime prevention hotline, and renewing emphasis on neighborhood groups and services to those areas most burdened by gang activity. Better communication with diverse groups throughout the city, such as the rebirth of the city’s Race Relations Council which met last week, were also discussed as a way to improve relations between residents and government agencies. Created as an outgrowth of the city’s gang prevention summits held over the past few years, members of the Gang Advisory Board include the city manager, superintendents of both the police and the schools, the district attorney and staff from his office, Middlesex Community College president and her staff, a representative from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, as well as youth provider organizations, and other members of the community. 

From the start of today’s meeting, the news was not great as Acting Police Superintendent Lavallee explained that gang activity in the city had increased since March, and with warmer weather, those incidents will likely continue to rise. He also noted that increased police presence in high-gang areas tended to displace activities to other locations rather than simply reducing them. A key problem with reducing gang activity is the lack of cooperation from victims and witnesses, mostly due to fear, which is why improving access to hotline reporting services and outreach to the community are seen as essential components to reducing gang-related crime. News on the summer job front, however, was not as bleak. The city expects to offer more »

At its seventh annual Celebration of Teaching Awards dinner last night, the Rotary Club of Lowell awarded $500 each to the top three teachers of the year: Judith Conners from the Lincoln Elementary School, Patty Manning from the Bartlett Community Partnership School, and Michelle Richiotte from Lowell High School. The club chose the three winners, who represent excellence in teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels, from 25 candidates nominated by their peers–a group of nearly 1,200 full-time teachers from across the district. 

As the nominees were announced and their qualifications read to the crowd of 500 people, each school cheered loudly for its candidate—some more wildly than others. For instance, the Shaughnessy displayed support for their candidate by waving multi-colored pom poms and the McAvinnue belted out an original, rhyming cheer. The best parts of all, though, were the written comments by elementary children in support of their teachers: One student wrote: “Mrs. Goes is a good teacher because she makes me learn a lot of things. She makes me learn so much that it can’t all fit in my head.” Another student wrote: “I have not known you for a very long time, but for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a very good teacher.” My favorite was from a Varnum School student: “Mrs. Rizzo is nice and she doesn’t yell. She is smart too. Teachers are usually smart, but she is especially smart!” In addition to the teachers’ awards, the Rotary Club gives out $10,000 in student scholarships annually. The 25 teachers honored to be nominated by their colleagues this year were more »