In October, members of the Lexington High School community banded together, making get-well cards to support Dr. Jean McGuire during her hospital recovery.

On Oct. 11, McGuire, the co-founder of the METCO program and the first black woman to serve on the Boston School Committee, was stabbed while walking in Boston. 

To support McGuire during this difficult time, Melissa Buttaro, a member of the counseling department, and Barbara Hamilton, the director of the school’s METCO program, organized the card-making initiative. 

“I wanted to talk to people about it but there were no words. If I have no words, how about action? So what can I do? I thought, how about get-well cards?” Butarro said. 

Members of the Lexington community received an email regarding the incident and the card-making initiative. Immediately, both faculty members and students volunteered to help. 

“I want to make sure that we are supporting [and] encouraging. She’s part of our community, part of our education community; I want to support anyone in our community that was harmed,” Jessica Sperandio, an art teacher, said.

Like Sperandio, many members of the LHS community are making cards for McGuire. Students have created thoughtful cards in the METCO office, the Counseling Department, and their art classes. 

“Folks did a really fabulous job with it. I would come back to my office and read through them, and sit here in tears, because people really put some thought and some heart into it,” Buttaro said.

The organizers have emphasized the importance of celebrating McGuire’s activism and accomplishments in the cards. 

“We’re giving her warm greetings for peaceful healing, and thanking her for her work,” Buttaro said.

The LHS community hopes the get-well cards will comfort McGuire during her recovery.

  “It’s important that when people are healing, they know that people are there for them and how much of an impact they made on us,” Sperandio said.