Common Ground is a reversed inclusion classroom that allows high school students to form connections within the Life Skills Classroom, a program that works with Medford High School students with significant disabilities. The goal was to incorporate students in Common Ground within classrooms and activities to feel included within the MHS community. Ava Heinegg, Laurel Baxter, Stefan Langshur, Aidan Barry, and Bendjy Augustine worked alongside Ms. Andre to create an environment in which the students could participate and feel welcome. By working together doing team building activities, they implemented a more inclusive environment that will outlast their time at Medford High School. This was an existing program that the group adapted to remote learning through activities over Zoom.

Students from the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (CCSR) at Medford High School have added their own unique beauty and whimsy to the jersey barriers surrounding the outdoor cafe at Shanghai Moon restaurant in Haynes Square. Working together on two afternoons, five students painted all seven jersey barriers with flowers and butterflies. The traffic-facing color scheme of black, red, and white echoes the logo of the restaurant, and the inside dining area evokes the warmth and lightness of summer days. The idea for this project originated with CACHE in Medford and the Medford Chamber of Commerce, and the painting sites are being managed by ArtsMedford, a community organization supporting artists and community.

This project is a continuation of last year’s “Medford Porch Jam.” Colin worked with Mr. Skorker and other members of the community to find talented musicians across Medford. People were asked to record themselves singing and playing to whatever songs they would like to play, and send the videos to Colin who compiled them in a video. Their videos featured guitar, piano, and bass playing, along with singing. The goal of this project was to create a sense of unity and togetherness across Medford through the love of music. Many believe that music is a universal language, and Colin wanted to exhibit that belief through this project.

On Saturday, November 7th, the CCSR collaborated with the Mystic River Watershed Association and the City of Medford in order to host a cleanup along the Mystic River. This event took place from 10 AM to 12 PM. The participants wore masks and remained six feet apart at all times in order to ensure the safety of our community. The participants collected a total of 17 bags of trash along the Mystic River! We want to say thank you to Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn for helping us out, as well as everyone who participated and helped put this event together! We hope to see you there next time!

This is the official calendar for the December “Good Deed” Challenge!! There are daily challenges this month to demonstrate kindness towards people in our community. Please join us and while doing so, take pictures of yourself doing these activities and post them on social media, tagging @MedfordCCSR. Happy last month of 2020! Let’s end on a positive note!

Sixth grade students, Nathan Quinn, Charlotte Foti, and Abby Charlton have organized a book drive for the CCSR. After collecting books at the McGlynn and the Andrews, they plan on distributed them to the Little Free Libraries around Medford. The drive was held from December 14th to December 22d. The group raised over two hundred dollars!