Governor Dukakis Comes for Visit

The Conservatory Lab Lower School had two very special visitors last week. Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and his wife Kitty have long been friends of our school and have seen our students perform several times, but today they got to see our students in class – where it all begins.

The Governor and his wife live nearby in Brookline and have been supporters of the arts for many years. Kitty’s father, the late Harry Ellis Dickson, was a first violinist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for five decades and a conductor of the Boston Pops for nearly as long. He was the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s youth concert series in 1959 and retired from the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1987. Governor Dukakis played the trumpet himself and told the students that he has now handed down his trumpet to his nine-year-old grandson. Both the Governor and Kitty were delighted to see and hear our K1 and K2 students rehearse for their upcoming concert.

Governor Dukakis, who served in the 1970s and 1980s, also toured the 1st and 2nd grade classrooms and spoke with students and teachers about their experience. He has twelve grandchildren, many of whom are still in elementary school so he appreciates the richness and diversity of both Expeditionary Learning and El Sistema.

Our students certainly appreciated the opportunity to perform for such distinguished guests!