Thank You Jean

Our community suffered a terrible loss when Jean Sorensen recently lost her battle with cancer. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends. We want our community to know how much Jean meant not only to us, but to the larger Wakefield community to which she devoted so much of her time and energy in her later years.

Jean did not have children in the Wakefield schools and was not a lifetime Wakefield resident, but she worked tirelessly as co-chair of the Galvanize Wakefield Committee. That effort energized voters in the cause of better public education for our children, and ensured that future generations of Wakefield students will attend a beautiful, state of the art school.

Moreover, she served on the school district Technology Council and shared her passion for education technology with the council. Jean was always on the lookout for ways to move our schools forward with technology. More broadly, she demonstrated the idea that passion and commitment for a cause does not have to derive from self-interest--it can come simply because you care about the future of your community.

Jean was recently appointed to the Event Planning Committee (EPC) where her contributions and impacts were felt immediately. She helped a great deal with communications, social media, and volunteering countless hours at planning meetings and events. Her work with the EPC was reflective of the value she placed on a connected, engaged, and vibrant community.

To truly honor someone that is no longer with us, it is said that you should attempt to emulate in your own life the example that person set. Jean was dedicated to helping Wakefield and its schools, and she freely shared her gifts and talents in her committee work and in ensuring that the new school became a reality. Jean, unfortunately, will not be able to see the delight on students’ faces this September when the new Galvin opens – one of her many significant legacies. Therefore, for all of us in Wakefield who were lucky enough to know Jean, let us pay tribute to her.  As we see the new Galvin, we should remember Jean and use our own gifts and talents to make Wakefield and, in extension, the world a better place. 

Thank you, Jean.

We miss you,

Your Wakefield Friends