Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable change within the METCO space. For those who don’t know, METCO is a program funded by Massachusetts with the goal of increasing diversity within schools and expanding educational opportunities by taking kids from Boston and putting them in public schools that reside outside of Boston.
In LS, the METCO space–located to the left of the entrance of the A200’s–has been evolving both through its community and physical space. Years ago, if one were to pop in, they would see solely METCO students around. Nowadays however, there is a far higher mix between Boston students and local LS students within the space. The reasons behind this change may be in relation with the growing integration amongst METCO and non-METCO students throughout the school. To get a larger view on the topic, I interviewed one of the METCO directors, Damen Kelton, and a senior at LS, King David, who has been a part of the program throughout all of his high school career and beyond.
When asking Mr. K about how the space has changed, and if he imagined it would evolve to where it is today, he responded by saying that it was his goal from the start to include Boston, Lincoln, and Sudbury students into the space since LS is their school. He asserted that everyone should be able to be a part of the safe and nurturing environment as well as having access to resources, such as field trips or food, which he’s been working hard to achieve and provide. To expand, Mr. K pointed out that his second year was more effective in achieving these objectives compared to his first year, emphasizing the time and dedication needed to produce such changes within the community. Mr. K also stated that he believes having cross-cultural relationships in co-curriculars, the senior spot, and more are big factors to the amalgamation amongst students who live in the different towns.
To reflect on the hard work Mr. K has been putting into improving diversity in the METCO space, King David was a great person to reach out to in order to get his insight on how he thinks the space has been changing and his thoughts on it as a METCO student and senior. Mirroring Mr. K’s goals, King David states how the space has become more inclusive compared to his time as a freshman when it was “strictly METCO kids,” whereas now “more people are coming in and using the space to their advantage.” He also shared how he’s happy with the direction the space is going in, as well as the rise in student awareness regarding the space; now people seek out METCO to “study and chill out and vibe out.” To conclude the interview, King David shared his hopes regarding the future of the METCO space; he wishes more people would come over and also understand how it is truly a welcoming and safe space that’s open to everybody, no matter where you live.
