The METCO Program (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities) was founded in 1966. It is a voluntary integration program that provides a suburban public school education for African-American, Hispanic and Asian students from Boston. The Lexington Public Schools have participated in the program since 1968. The program provides Lexington students and staff an opportunity to interact with many minority students and to benefit from a culturally diverse learning environment.

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE LEXINGTON METCO PROGRAM are as follows:

• COMMUNITY – We strive to contribute to and build our community by using our talents and creativity in a positive manner.

• DIGNITY – We practice mutual respect, honor who we are and recognize the victory of our struggle.

• HUMOR – We do not take ourselves too seriously, and strive to see the humor in every situation while bringing a clever sensibility to bear upon intellectual challenges when appropriate.

• INTEGRITY – We are honest and ethical in our words and actions.

• LEADERSHIP – We define ourselves with our actions. We are creative and are willing to lead by example.

• PEACE AND EMPATHY – We respect the thoughts and feelings of others, and strive to resolve conflicts in a cooperative and constructive manner.

• PERSEVERANCE – We are resourceful, work hard and always strive to do our best. We invest the time and effort to improve our skills and work habits.

• PURPOSE – We develop specific goals for ourselves, and are thoughtful and deliberate in working toward those goals.

• SCHOLARSHIP – We think critically, and aspire to achieve academic excellence.