Category Archives: News

Wayland Town Crier 10/2/15: Honoring Lauren Astley’s memory at Wayland site. Some 30 volunteers came together to honor Lauren Astley’s memory by working at Wayland’s Habitat for Humanity site on Saturday. Construction had begun in January 2014, and with two duplex houses being built for four families, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Wayland Town Crier 9/15/15: Slain Wayland teen’s parents applaud anti-violence program funded by Patriots. The parents of slain Wayland teenager Lauren Astley joined the state attorney general and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft Tuesday to announce a new initiative that will educate high school students about dating violence. Dubbed “Game Change: The Patriots Anti-Violence Partnership,” the program aims to stop domestic violence and sexual assault by reaching out to young people and helping the adults in their lives spot warning signs of unhealthy relationships.

WCVB 9/15/15: Patriots give $500K to fight teen dating violence. Attorney General Maura Healey announced a new partnership called “Game Change: The Patriots Anti-Violence Partnership,” which takes a multi-faceted approach to violence prevention education.

The program, funded with $500,000 from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and $150,000 from the Attorney General’s office, will provide training for students, faculty and coaches at 90 public high schools in Massachusetts.

At Fine Arts Awards Night on June 5, the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Award was presented by Mary Dunne. The annual award is:

“Given to an outstanding arts student who exemplifies musicianship and kindness, is cutting-edge progressive and appreciates a good laugh.
Lauren was a wonderfully unique, young woman, who saw the art in fashion,
Loved the camaraderie of singing with her fellow Muses,
And enjoyed playing the French horn in a multi-generational ensemble.
She did all of those things while wearing fabulous high-heeled shoes and a contagious smile.”

The award was presented to Gene Barton, an outstanding student who was a director in the T-Tones; was accepted to All-State and plans to study music in college. He plays the trumpet and has been a member of the Wayland High School Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Concert Choir & T-Tones.

University Chaplain Jan Fuller and several members of the Class of 2015 participated in the Baccalaureate service through song, prayer and personal reflections on May 22. Source: Elon.edu

The Rev. Dr. Janet Fuller’s remarks:

“In the midst of our celebration to honor your accomplishments, we also remember a member of the class of 2015 who is not with us today. Lauren Dunne Astley was a gracious presence with us in the early preparations and relationships in the spring and summer before we all got here. She connected with many members of her class and was beloved and befriended by many of you.

Unfortunately, she never made it to Elon. She was murdered by her former boyfriend, two months after she ended the relationship. And while we were and are shocked by this terrible crime, it happens to 3 or 4 young women every day in this country, 8000 of them since Lauren’s death in July 2011.

Lauren was beautiful, popular, and smart. She made friends easily, as many of you can attest. She loved to sing and to shop, and to talk half the night. She was beautiful, had a sweet and bright spirit, made friends easily, and loved her many friends who loved her back as intensely. She sparkled. We will always remember her with warm affection and gratitude at Elon.

We are grateful that Lauren’s parents are here today to help us tenderly remember Lauren, to celebrate your success, and to urge us to act and move, vote and speak to change every part of our culture that encourages or makes violence against girls and women normal or acceptable. The absence of her loving spirit with us now reminds us that there is work to do to change our cultures and world, to teach healthy grieving, safe break ups, and to create a society that engenders the full meaning of liberty and justice for all.

Lauren would want us to celebrate the beauty of your lives, and the hope you represent for this world we share. Let us together make a difference in Lauren’s honor! She would say to us now, Keep on Sparkling!”

3/1/15 – The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the recipients of its second annual mini-grant program to fund dynamic projects promoting the three arenas of its mission: Effective Teen Relationships & Violence Prevention, the Arts, and Community Service.

In Lauren’s spirit and memory, small grants have recently been awarded to individuals and groups with dynamic project ideas in the above areas. 

A total of 15 project proposals were awarded mini-grants:

• Creation of a webinar on resources for augmenting high school curricula in relationship awareness, communication, being an active bystander and standing with your friend
• Promoting awareness in and education of young males on how to Stand Up against dating and break-up violence
• Girls’ LEAP Summer Mentor Program in Dorchester focused on leadership training and effective relationships
• Funding for a new production by Wayland High School Theatre Ensembles’ graduating seniors, as well as enhancing the Spring musical
• The purchase of tools for a new medium – 3D printing pens for Wayland High School art classes’ creation of 3D sculptures
• Campaign and art contest on healthy relationships for Middle School and High School students on Cape Cod
• The Golden Tones’ Chorus musical outreach program to homeless shelters
• Mentors in Violence Prevention Training for staff and administrators at Wayland High School
• The Courage to Care Healthy Relationship Summit for High Schools – at Lincoln-Sudbury High School taking place on March 13
• Sponsorship of a Wayland teacher’s Boston Marathon run benefitting Embrace a Family in Natick
• Think Peace Benefit Concert in Memory of Andrew Tavares – violence prevention performance in Dorchester includes music, dance and the launching of an original violence prevention comic book
• A college student’s thesis project – working on a farm and the creation of a documentary film on sustainable agriculture and impactful daily actions
• Documentation of the resources and assets now in place in the Wayland Public Schools that support emerging areas of focus from the Wayland School Committee Summit Health and Wellness Group — including self-regulation, stress management, resilience, moral development and character, and other areas of the Health and Wellness Curriculum.
• Support for REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, a non-profit organization providing safety and support to survivors of abuse while engaging communities to promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence.

Wayland Town Crier 11/29/14: Wayland School Committee member honored. Wayland School Committee member Malcolm Astley was recently honored by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

Dr. Astley was named an “All-State School Committee Member” in recognition of his strong commitment to the education and welfare of children and for his clear understanding of his role as a school committee member.

The award was presented at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.

The All-State School Committee was established to recognize significant achievement on the part of local school committee members annually. This recognition is intended to honor school committee members who, during the previous year, have made a significant contribution to their community or their school committee through specific action or as an inspiration and role model for their peers and constituents.

“Malcolm Astley was thrust into the public spotlight as the result of tragedy that struck his family. In the face of sorrow of losing his daughter, he channeled his energies into something positive, becoming one of the state’s most respected spokespersons for victims of violence and abuse,” according to the statement accompanying the award presentation. “He has spoken powerfully to a nationwide audience about respect and forgiveness and justice in the face of loss.”

Astley was a principal before retiring and joining the Wayland School Committee, and is a developmental psychologist by training.

CBS Boston 9/27/14: Performance Raises Awareness Of Teen Dating Violence To Honor Wayland Victim. A performance to draw attention to teen dating violence was presented in Lexington Saturday in honor of Lauren Astley, the Wayland teen who was killed in 2011 by her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita. Lauren’s father, Dr. Malcolm Astley, took part in the performance of “Break the Silence” at Jonas Clarke Middle School in Lexington.

Boston Globe 9/21/14: Lexington event hopes to stop the silence on dating violence. According to the American Psychological Association, about 1 in 3 teens and young adults reports being the victim of dating violence through physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse. One of the faces of this disturbing statistic belongs to 18-year-old Lauren Astley, who was killed July 3, 2011, by her ex-boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita, just weeks after their graduation from Wayland High School. Time has not eased for Malcolm Astley the loss of his only child, yet the Wayland resident remains committed to sparing others his anguish. “Lauren’s loss has its horror and pain,” Astley said, “but it’s the three to four women killed each day in this country [due to dating violence] that she stands for.”

Through support from the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, a free program will further that mission. “Break the Silence: An Evening of Drama, Poetry, Dance, and Music” will be held on Saturday, September 27, at 7:30pm at Jonas Clarke Middle School, 17 Stedman Road, in Lexington.