(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following was submitted by Bill Ray.)

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School has always had a strong sense of its history. That history was celebrated and extended last Friday, April 27, at the Wall of Recognition ceremony which took place from 4 to 6 p.m in the L-S Library. 

James Newton, Joseph Pacenka, Pauline Paste, Anita Pearson, and Bill Schechter, the 2012 honorees, many of who were accompanied by family members, were introduced by current and past faculty members to an audience of L-S school committee members, administrators, and staff that ran the gamut from teachers with fewer than 10 years at L-S to folks associated with the early days of the school. 

Newton worked in the history department from 1967 to 2008, serving as its coordinator from 1987 to 2004. 

Pacenka was an applied technology teacher from 1965-2011, serving as department chairman from 1971-1976. 

Paste was finance director from 1989-2006. 

Pearson was a nurse’s assistant from 1977-1982 and office manager from 1982-2004. 

Schechter taught history from 1973-2008, serving as department coordinator from 1984-1987. 

After the formal presentation, the audience moved outside the library to witness the unveiling of the centrally located Wall of Recognition where the names of the new recipients have been added to those of the 24 past honorees. Music for the ceremony was performed by a student string trio and Accent, a student a cappella group. 

As the citation on each recipient’s plaque (to be placed in the area where he or she worked) makes clear, each of the honorees has meant much more to Lincoln-Sudbury than is conveyed by the simple mention of his or her title and dates.  

Newton, in his remarks, perhaps best conveyed the spirit of the school in recognizing his mentors and urging current staff to “listen to the kids” and remain true to the values of being “fiercely different” while also being “companions sharing the adventures of the mind.”