Meet Me in Medford | Jessica Parks, School Committee

By 4Squares Residential Group with Judi 411

Some people are born in Medford—or come from families who have been here for generations. Others find their way here and build something meaningful from the ground up.

Jessica Parks is in that second group—and she’s all in.

After growing up in New York and eventually returning to the Boston area, Jessica and her husband settled in Medford in 2011. What started as a practical move quickly became something more: a neighborhood, a community, and eventually, a place where she would step into public service.

With a background in urban planning—and experience working in Cambridge and now managing construction and renovation projects at MIT—Jessica brings a systems-level lens to her thinking about schools, neighborhoods, and how communities grow.

We spent some time with Jessica to talk about how Medford became home, what keeps her rooted here, and how a moment with her son led her to the School Committee.

You discovered Medford and chose to stay. How did Medford become home?

I grew up in New York, but my mom’s family is from here—Dorchester and Sharon—so I spent a lot of time in the Boston area. My grandmother lived in Brookline, and I’d go visit all my great-aunts and uncles in the same building, going floor to floor.

We moved here when my husband got accepted to the North Bennet Street School for preservation carpentry. We rented in Somerville for a bit, had some landlord issues, and decided we were done renting.

When we started looking, Medford just made sense for both of us. My husband wanted more space, and I wanted access to public transit and a more connected, walkable feel.

We found a house near George Street, in the Hillside, and have been there ever since.

What do you love most about your neighborhood?

It’s really the people.

We have a mix of new families, longtime residents, and everything in between. One of my neighbors is 88, lives independently, and still goes out dancing and doing karaoke. She takes the MBTA van to get there.

Everyone looks out for each other. My son has grown up with all of our neighbors as his “aunties and uncles.” He goes to their houses if he needs anything. At one point, he asked me, “Isn’t that just how neighbors are?” And I was like… you’d be surprised.

What led you to run for School Committee?

It started with the budget cuts at the Missituk Elementary School.

I’ve always paid attention to what’s going on in the city, but when the cuts were happening, and we were losing teachers, I got more involved. I started working with other parents, reviewing data, organizing, and helping to coordinate a petition.

It tapped into something I hadn’t done in a long time—community planning, thinking about how systems work and how decisions affect people at the ground level.

Then we went to a School Committee meeting, and my son was with me. He was about eight or nine, and he said he wanted to get up and speak.

I told him no at first. And he said, “Well, why did you bring me?”

He got up anyway and spoke about why his teachers mattered and how the cuts would affect his class. I’ve never been prouder.

At the same time, it made me realize that if I was going to bring him into those spaces, I needed to actually step up myself.

What has that experience been like for you?

A lot of growth.

I’m not someone who’s naturally comfortable talking to people I don’t know or speaking in public. When I first got involved, I said I would do anything except knock on doors.

And then I ended up knocking on doors every weekend.

At the same time, I’ve been able to bring my professional background into the role—thinking about long-term planning, infrastructure, and how to balance what a community wants with what’s actually feasible.

It’s been a lot of learning and very rewarding. Learning how to push through discomfort and still show up is so much easier when I get a firsthand look at the excellent work happening in our schools, like my recent tour of the vocational program, or when reading to elementary students.

Do you have a favorite hidden gem in Medford?

The Mystic River—specifically a quieter stretch behind the homes near West Street.

When my son was born, I spent my maternity leave down there. I’d bring a blanket, my baby, and our dog, and just sit by the river for hours. It was calm and peaceful, and there weren't many people there during the day.

When my son was born I also spent a lot of time with the New Parents group at the Medford Family Network, or with parents I met there, some of who are still my closest friends. We would go to the MFN Family Concert Series at the Condon Shell and watch the performances, and play with the Knucklebones gear. I still remember him sitting with all of his MFN friends, on the giant blue tarp they would put out, surrounded by their toys and books. Then, when my son was a little older, we'd walk along the river and he used to climb up on the stage there and give his own little performances.

Now, in the summer, we kayak on my Mystic, or go to the Farmer's Market, or to the Thursday night concerts at the Shell. The Mystic is still part of our everyday life. We’ll grab ice cream from Colleen’s and sit on the bridge to eat it. It’s always part of what we’re doing.

What would you say to someone thinking about moving to Medford?

Do it.

There’s a lot of diversity here—in the neighborhoods, in the people, in the history. You have people who have been here for generations and people who are just arriving, and everyone adds something different to the city.

There are always going to be differences of opinion, but in your day-to-day life, that’s not what you experience. That’s more of a social media thing.

What you actually experience is community.

And it’s been really exciting to see how Medford has grown. There are more restaurants, more coffee shops, more places to gather. At Mrs. Murphy's we love the live music and I always get the seafood pie; my son gets the kids Mac & Cheese and they add bacon for him! All in all, Medford Square has really come into its own.

Even in small ways, you feel it. The other day, I had a little time before picking up my son, and I was able to stop at Colette and grab a coffee. That’s something that just didn’t exist here not that long ago. Closer to home, I like Tamper, for the yummy scones and coffee, and the playlist. And now, for all the birthdays, I buy a gift certificate to the Moon and Back Bookstore in West Medford; they have a great selection of kids' books, and games and puzzles too - I know bigger kids love to browse and pick out their own stuff.

Photos, clockwise from upper left: A mural on the Missituk playground, the Mystic River beneath the historic pipe bridge, ice cream from Colleen's, the Medford Recreation pool at Tufts Park.

How can people connect with you or get involved?

Reach out.

I’m still working on setting up regular office hours, but I’ve started doing them at the library, and they’ve been great.

People can always email me at jparks@medford.k12.ma.us.

There’s a lot going on right now, especially with the new Medford High School. We’ve narrowed the options down to six, and now we’re really refining them—looking for efficiencies and synergies, and building out options that more fully reflect the feedback we’ve heard so far.

That includes thinking through how the school will support both academic and vocational pathways, along with all of the resources our community has come to rely on like the Medford Rec pool, and Medford Family Network - their funding situation has a changed recently, and they need all the support we can give.

That’s where my background really comes into play—thinking through scope, priorities, and how to shape realistic, viable options that people can react to and engage with.

If you have questions, reach out and ask directly about one of the many things I am thinking about - After School, Special Education, Overcrowding and Middle-School Reconfiguration, Facilities Maintenance and Repair, STEM, or bring something new to me.

And if you want to get involved, there are so many ways to do it. Find something you care about and step in.

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