The following letter will be sent to the MRU School Board. If you would like to sign the letter, please submit your name and graduation year below.

Dear Mill River School Board,

We are a group of MRU alumni who are writing to you in support of the decision to raise Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ pride flags in front of the school. Supporting Black and LGBTQ students is a basic acknowledgement of our shared humanity, and we wholeheartedly applaud this decision.
We understand that members of the community have disagreed with this decision on the grounds that they find the flags to be political and divisive. However, the existence and validity of Black and LGBTQ people are not a political issue and should not be a divisive one. Many of us attended Mill River at a time when openly racist and homophobic statements and symbols were common within the school community, and feel that these flags represent a step towards a more inclusive, welcoming culture at Mill River. We are also proud of the fact that current students are the ones who requested these flags, and are glad that the school board has empowered students to be leaders in their community and express their compassion for others in this way.
Furthermore, we assert that, as an institution of education, Mill River has an obligation to reflect the factual history that created the necessity for symbols such as the BLM and Pride flags.  The facts of our country’s past make it clear that, historically, Black and LGBTQ rights have not received equal protection under the law.  The facts of the BLM movement’s creation show that it came into being as a response to police brutality against Black lives, and that “Black Lives Matter” is a complete, independent sentence and does not imply that other lives matter less.  The facts of these flags’ history show that they came into being to protect their communities’ right to exist, not to spread an agenda.  In the context of these facts, it is clear that the flags at Mill River exist to affirm the lives of its Black and LGBTQ students and of Black and LGBTQ members of its community. This purpose cannot and should not be considered political, but merely in service of our shared humanity. We call upon Mill River to resist the temptation to view this history as subjective and to stand with the truth, regardless of whether that decision is popular.  
We hope that the school board will abide by its decision to raise the BLM and pride flags in front of the school this fall. We remain steadfast allies of Mill River’s BIPOC and LGBTQ students, and are proud of their commitment to equity and the support that the school board has shown thus far.

In solidarity,

Ellen Bevier, Class of 2012
Anna-Sofia Botti, Class of 2015
Chelsea Gibbs, Class of 2012
Hannah Kretvix, Class of 2012
Christian Brand, Class of 2015
Eleanor Ross, Class of 2010
Jake Cornell, Class of 2010
Sarah Allard, Class of 2005
Samantha Dusablon, Class of 2012
Louie DeRoxas, Class of 2010
Kate Lapp, Class of 2012
Laura Brown, Class of 2012
Caitlyn Hartigan, Class of 2011
Amy Littler, Class of 2006
Natasha Gibbs, Class of 2009
Alexandra Badgley, Class of 2014
Virginia Tyndall Jordan, Class of 1982
Caitlyn Eaton, Class of 2008
Bailey J. Allard, Class of 2010
Julia Huessy, Class of 2010
John Powers, Class of 2000
Avalon Penny, Class of 2011
Tess Romano, Class of 2010
Wyatt Kelley, Class of 2000
Kerry Swain, Class of 2006
Stefanie Taylor, Class of 1985
Hope Ahearn, Class of 2015
Melanie Lebel Schaefer, Class of 1997
Samantha McClure, Class of 2015
Joy Hart, Class of 2006
Jody Haynes, Class of 2000
Jennifer Wells Best, Class of 1992
Allison Mitchell Fitzpatrick, Class of 2001
Kristie Carr, Class of 2001
Joshua Bankert, Class of 2012
Elizabeth Bushey, Class of 2015
Elizabeth Merrill, Class of 2012
Stephanie Ifezue, Class of 2000
Jessica Raiche, Class of 2001
Seamus Nauton, Class of 2017
Annette Morley Amsden, Class of 1986
Arielle Weintraub, Class of 2004
Rachel Stillwell, Class of 2001
Grace Powers, Class of 2016
Alyssa Todd, Class of 2001
James Velde, Class of 1999
Kelley (McNamara) Avery, Class of 1985
Amber Chesser (Lane), Class of 2000
Tabitha Moore, Class of 1996
James Lorentz, Class of 2000
Ellie Hasenohr, Class of 2015
Eric DePhillips, Class of 2014
Kyle Weeden, Class of 2015
Jenny Holler, Class of 2010
Paul Black, Class of 2000
Jason Harlow, Class of 1996
Hudson Mooney, Class of 2014
Sarah Niedzwiecki, Class of 2010
Dustin Miller, Class of 2018
Alexys Sweeney, Class of 2015
Jennifer Butler, Class of 2001
Don Markie, Employee
Matt Doperak, Class of 1996
Melissa Canney, Class of 2006
Kyle Weatherhogg, Class of 2014
Samantha Daniels, Class of 2008
Max Wiehe, Class of 2012
Seamus Hartigan, Class of 2017
Sam Wiehe, Class of 2014
Meghan Faulkner, Class of 2007
Cassandra Earle, Class of 2014
Shanaya Earle, Class of 2015
Maia Melen (Plesent), Class of 2012
Heather Kent, Class of 2002
Tim Heffernan, Class of 2015
Darci Whitehorne, Class of 1992
Lindsey Morse, Class of 2000
Alisha Wright, Class of 2005
Jon Watts, Class of 2011
Lillian Pritchard, Class of 2012
Tory Dumont, Class of 2009
Joshua Walczuk, Class of 1998
Jodie Auer-Johnson, Class of 1998
Meghan Ferguson, Class of 1997
Jesse Doiron, Class of 2008
Nichole Simonds, Class of 2016
Kate Fuller, Class of 2014
Mackenzie Fravel, Class of 2010
Cara Pepler, Class of 2002
Lucas Kretvix, Class of 2014
Caitlin McNeill, Class of 2006
Lyss Eaton, Class of 2016
Jessica Moore, Class of 2009
Rebecca Werbela (Gottlieb), Class of 2000
Lindsey Pratt, Class of 2016
David Valente, Class of 2002
Caryn Casey-Hurka, Class of 1989
Aaron Weintraub, Class of 1997
Kaiya Webb  (prev. Kayla Weeden), Class of 2014
Kate Sheeran, Class of 1998
Rachel Clemons, Class of 1996
Jordan (Graves) Bloom, Class of 2008
Alex Hemmer, Class of 2006
Ian Flaherty, Class of 2018
Farley Blackman, Class of 1984
Kim Morse-Hetrick, Class of 1989
Tammy Foley, Class of 1986
Wyll Everett, Class of 2010
Sara Willis, Class of 1999
Lindsay Plesent, Class of 2013
Carisa Fenton, Class of 2005
Ashley Moore, Class of 2005
Ethan Welch, Class of 2017
Madeline Pritchard, Class of 2011
Emma Weatherhogg, Class of 2014
Kara Haynes, Class of 2003
Meghan Doherty, Class of 2004
Anna Austin, Class of 2012
Adrian Hill, Class of 1995
Erin Coote, Class of 2001
Kaidan Powell, Class of 2018
John Congdon, Class of 1986
Michelle Chapin, Class of 1989
Kelly (Sheeran) Paszamant, Class of 1993
Jill Stone-Teer, Class of 1991
Autumn Farmer, Class of 2020
Meadow Squier, Class of 2008
Joan Lattuca, Class of 1982
Bill Moore, Class of 1993
Jennifer Usher, Class of 1988
Katie (Bonazinga) Zimmerman, Class of 1998
Nicole Rau Mitiguy, Class of 2008
Kate Goetz, Class of 1995
Jude Seo, Class of 2020
Allana Forti, Class of 2017
Robert Stillwell, Class of 1998
Michael Gamache
Bastian “Andrew” Auer, Class of 1996
Meredith Voutas
Stefan Grace, Class of 1994
Maria Gaiotti, Class of 2004
Isobel Nimtz, Class of 2000
Karen Prive (Stevens), Class of 1989
Ellen Merrill, Class of 2012
Leah Rogstad, Class of 2011
Carissa Stimpfel, Class of 2007
Catharine Watson DeRenzis, Class of 1988
Shelley Nemeth, Class of 1992
Alyssa Shaw, Class of 2018
Ian Miller, Class of 2016
Stacey Haynes, Class of 1995
Diane Weeden, Class of 1992
Rylee Perron, Class of 2016
Rowan Muelling-Auer, Class of 1996
Marie Whalen, Class of 2015
Kendra Carter, Class of 1992
Sam Carleton, Class of 2001
Amy Stone Downey, Class of 1993
Shanna Jones, Class of 2000
Thaisyn Hersey, Class of 2018
Emily Ryan MacGregor, Class of 1996
Janette Over Babin, Class of 1995
Alicia Towne, Class of 2020
Shane Little, Teacher
Lyndsay Corlew (Squier), Class of 2014
Gretchen Aubin Harwell, Class of 1997
Laura Bassette, Class of 1993
Charlotte Chamberland, Class of 2020
Arthur Conover, Class of 2015
Lisa Weeks Musso, Class of 1980
Samantha (Mac) Bevier, Class of 2015
Stefan Grace, Class of 1994
Heather LaFantano, Class of 2006
Emily Osmer, Class of 2012
Abbey Harlow, Class of 2004
Dan Palance, Class of 2009
Cole Mullin, Class of 2015
Skyler Ambrose, Class of 2016
Jennifer Little
 Alex D. Ball, Class of 1987
Michael Gallipo, Class of 1987
Steve Wetherby, Class of 1995
Jason Lord, Class of 1991
Amelia Fontein, Class of 2011
David Altobell, Class of 2007
Rainbow Squier, Class of 2011
Jessica Patten, Class of 1987
Stacey Haynes, Class of 1995
Isaac Mayo, Class of 1999
Greg Phelps, Class of 1996
Charity Smith, Class of 2000
Benjamin Raymond, Class of 2007
Brittany Chapin, Class of 2014
Julia Doiron, Class of 2010
Justin LaFantano, Class of 2004
Jessica Rhys, Class of 1995
Philip Bushey, Class of 1986
Mackenzie Robinson, Class of 2019
Genevieve Miles, Class of 2011
Crystal Dennis, Class of 1993
Ben Earle, Class of 2012
Harmony (Ryan) Burke, Class of 2012
Ryan Darling, Class of 2015
Anna Lind, Class of 2011
Elise (Bushey) Cassarino, Class of 1985
William Gregory, Class of 2012
Stephanie Bidgood, Class of 1990
Kyra Russell, Class of 2010
Don Piano, Class of 2012
Brytani Edmondson, Class of 2007
Melissa (Ruane) Rosenberg, Class of 1990
Ingrid (Wilson) Wisell, Class of 2002
Michael Work, Class of 2020
Reggie Richards-Peelle, Class of 2004
Kathryn Richards-Peelle, Class of 2001
Morgan Nilsen, Class of 2002
Alicia Blackmer, Class of 2020
Lillian Richards-Peelle, Class of 2006
Hannah Anderson (Wilson), Class of 1997
Rebecca (Lajoie) Maikels, Class of 2001
Sage Sanchez, Class of 2019
Olivia Miles, Class of 2009
Andrew Mitchell, Class of 1998
Ben Upton, Class of 2015
Justin J. Holden, Class of 1997
Mariz Mangundayao, Class of 2015
Alan Mangundayao, Class of 2019
Jill Talbot, Class of 2001
Karen McCalla, Employee
Madeline Pritchard, Class of 2011
Sue Ellen LaFountain, Class of 1983
Emma Bartlett, Class of 2015
Michael Geary, Class of 2010
Connor Eaton, Class of 2013
Eli Crofoot, Class of 2019
Anna Baker, Class of 2013
Keith Lebel, Class of 1999
Juliann Bardin, Class of 2017
Whitney Cole, Class of 2006
Emerson Pomeroy, Class of 2019
Audrey Furneaux, Class of 2007
Hadley Mueller, Class of 2011
Lea-Or Zarfati-Eirmann, Class of 2019
Annie Pigeon, Class of 2010
Paige St Lawrence, Class of 2018
Liz Yaddow, Class of 2001
Michael Cole, Class of 2001
Devin Soule, Class of 2002
Mary Ellen Carter-Gilson, Class of 1991
Tess Beauchain, Class of 2018
Lisa Cotrupi, Class of 1979
Olivia McPhee, Class of 2018
Jeremiah Brooks, Class of 2010
Carolyn (Fortier) Behrendt, Class of 1996
Koie Sabourin, Class of 2001
Ariana Thomas, Class of 2001
Anthony Cange, Class of 2020
Alexandra Dansereau, Class of 2013
Betsy Coco, Class of 2010
Marissa Barbieri, Class of 1997
Santiago “Bay” Sanchez, Class of 2017
Laura Usher, Class of 1998
Elias Baumann, Class of 1990
Emerson Rondinone, Class of 2018
Nathan Sabourin, Class of 1996
Christine Derbyshire, Class of 2000
Nicholas LiCausi, Class of 2002
Justin Sabourin, Class of 1999
Zach Ballou, Class of 1996
Allison Nemeth, Class of 2020
Emily Ferraro (Galarneau), Class of 2001
Jared Pill, Class of 2002
Gabriel Clapp-Clark, Class of 2017
Teigan Farwell, Class of 2019
Paula Kalakowski, Class of 1989
Reese Earle, Class of 2016
Ben Norton, Class of 2011
Taylor Manley, Class of 2019
Alyssa LuBow, Class of 2016
Serena Clapp-Clark, Class of 2015
Nikki A Wilkins, Class of 1989
Tammy Hogenauer, Class of 1989
Matthew Roy, Class of 1989
Joanna Jenney, Class of 1989
Alex LiCausi, Class of 2007
Grigor Dumbović, Class of 2011
Hans Huessy, Class of 2009
Lindsay Bemis
Deb Pratt, Class of 1986
Megan Work, Class of 2017
Eben Pratt, Class of 2010
Aaron Weintraub, Class of 1997
Amber Wood, Class of 2008
Virginia Henwood, Class of 2000
Tyler Shelvey, Class of 2020
Brian Bardin, Class of 2013
Jensen Burke, Class of 2013
April Manney, Class of 2014
Christopher Henwood, Class of 2002
Bernadette Higgs, Class of 2016
Joy Sylvester, Class of 2003
Taryn Muelling, Class of 1994
Janet Kennedy-Farmer, Class of 1987
Molly Marzalek-Kelly, Class of 2002
Shellie McClallen, Class of 1998
Peter Guggenberger, Class of 2015
Joey Russo, Class of 2011
Stacey (Wetherby) Adams, Class of 1990
Robert Bromley, Class of 2002
Jennifer Bassett, Class of 1995
Cathy Leonard Louttit, Class of 1976
Christina Guggenberger, Class of 2012
Todd Dias, Class of 1991
Gretchen Gettel, Class of 1989
Sam Sloane, Class of 2014
Leslie Bardin, Class of 2011
Kristal Haynes-Hier, Class of 1995
Jimmy Wildman, Class of 2001
John Marchinkoski, Class of 2013
Biza Bemak, Class of 2010
Tara Beattie, Class of 2016
Sabrina Thomas, Class of 1988
Caitlin Colletti, Class of 2006
Steve Lattuca, Class of 2009
Sydney Kennedy, Class of 2019
Aislinn Gilmour, Class of 2017
Dan Fenton, Class of 2007
R. Glen Grusmark, Class of 1987
Gabriana Whipple, Class of 2016
Molly Marzalek Kelly, Class of 2002
Matthew Johnson, Class of 2002
Jeffrey Towsley, Class of 1976
Sarah Marzalek Kelly, Class of 1995
Cheyenne Taylor, Class of 2014
Deb Munson, Employee
Erin Stickel, Class of 1995
Hannah Kehn, Class of 2000
Duane Carleton, Class of 1984
Jenna Geery, Class of 2007
John Ellis Jr, Class of 1999
Maddie Cornell, Class of 2013
Elaine Lord, past employee
Alexa Mullin, Class of 2014
John Etzler, Class of 2006
Emily Ray, Class of 2016
Joshua Ray, Class of 2020
Jenn Rocque-Tifft, Class of 1993
Alicia Blecich, Class of 2011
Maddison Garrow, Class of 2015
Maja Henkel, Class of 1998
Tiffany Cyr Keune, Class of 1993
Julie Choiniere Halter, Class of 1991
Kasey Ellison, Class of 2011
Annie Cotrupi, Class of 2014
Kayla Warner, Class of 2009
Max Bushman, Class of 2015
Michael Frey, Class of 1985
Brittany Parrish Totin, Class of 2000
Seton Mangine, Class of 1999
Bryon Billado, Class of 1981
Hayden Stafford, Class of 2015
Leah Christenson, Class of 1995
Erin Santwire, Class of 2009
Claire Felder, Class of 1999
Spencer Ahearn, Class of 2019
Jessica Smith, Class of 1991
Rachel Uhler, Class of 2016
Adrienne Bartlett, Class of 2017
Sam Raymond, Class of 2015
Allison Coopola, Class of 2009
Jorge Moreno Fuentes, Class of 2010
Tessa Badgley, Class of 2019
Chloe Hutt Vater, Class of 2016
Nancy Harrington, Class of 1985
Jessica Cecot, Class of 1992
Lauren Borodenko, Class of 1999
Meredith Winnicki, Class of 1999
Haley Wyman, Class of 2020
Jessica Dixon, Class of 2019
Jocelyn Brisson, Class of 2019
Steven Querrey, Class of 2005
Kian Hutt Vater, Class of 2015
Abby (Smith) Liu, Class of 1991
Beth Wienert, Class of 2000
Sophie Sloane, Class of 2013
Kyle Aines, Class of 2002
Seth Page, Class of 2005
Elisabeth Rondinone, Class of 2016
Tristan Zaloudek, Class of 2016
Brittany MacMurray, Class of 2015
Peggy Burke
Katelyn Young, Class of 2013
Douglas Yaremchuk, Class of 1991
Cameron Gilmour, Class of 2016
Matthew Harwood Leach, Class of 1996
Kathy McMahon Morgan, Class of 1981
Jodi Melen Manning, Class of 1988
Torie Carruth, Class of 1993
Emilee Frost, Class of 2001
Lara (Winnicki) Herman, Class of 1991
Carly Ward, Class of 2015
Chelsea Young, Class of 2016
Aurora Burroughs, Class of 2016
Allison, Class of 2014
Justin Smith, Class of 1990
Edward Montgomery
Isabel Furneaux, Class of 2009
Cortney Hodgdon
Erin Kahle, Class of 2002
Roberta Hemmer, DVM, Class of 2010
Kiera Nauton, Class of 2015
Kade Timbers, Class of 2015
Lauren (Over) Jacob, Class of 2002
Mark Jacob, Class of 2002
Richard Poissant, Class of 1985
Angela Corsi, Class of 1990
Carter Steever, Class of 2016
Zerihune Finn, Class of 2008
Lois Castonguay
Jessica Audy, Class of 2016
Donna Towler, Class of 1980
Catherine Macdevitt, Class of 1994
Annette Parrish
Betzi Irwin Sheperd, Class of 1994
Krista Gile, Class of 1994
Eugene Rice, Class of 2008
Anthony Patorti, Class of 2004
Jordan Jensen, Class of 2007
Jessica Sartor, Class of 2005
Angela Biederman, Class of 1997
Jana Olesky, Class of 2000
Karis Miller Williams, Class of 1989
Nick Parrish, Class of 1997
Molly (Carleton) Wyman, Class of 1997
Christopher Mitchell, Class of 1997
Brooke (Willis) Larimer, Class of 1997
Lucy Thayer, Class of 2002
Rosie Krueger, Class of 2005
Marc Doiron, Class of 2013
Kate McGinnis, Class of 1997
Margaret Martin Farrand, Class of 1995
Brooke Willis, Class of 1997
Sean Francis, Class of 2000
Louis Spafford, Class of 2012
Hannah McKee, Class of 2005
Stephen Krueger, Class of 2007
Duffy Carleton, Class of 1995
Minno Zelkin, Class of 2017
Laura Hayes, Class of 1988
Russ Strom-Olsen, Class of 1998
Jessica (Sobel) Norton, Class of 2000
Maria J. Stephan, Class of 1995
Kristin Schutz, Class of 1992
Kristin Blodgett, Class of 2002