Change is good
North Adams, MA - The Northern Berkshire Family Net program of Child Care of the Berkshires, Inc is having Touch-A-Truck, a free, fun event for families with young children on Wednesday, April 23 from 10:00 - 12:00 PM in the parking lot next to Noel Field on State Street in North Adams. For more information call 413-664-4821.
North Adams, MA - The UNITY teen writing workshop meets on Thursday afternoons, 3:30-5:00 PM at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, 6th floor at 85 Main Street. This free group is open to youth ages 14-19 that live or go to school in northern Berkshire County and is facilitated by a professional writer. The group provides a safe and supportive atmosphere for young people to practice and share creative writing; no prior writing experience is necessary. Snacks, writing materials, and transportation are all provided at no cost. Contact Kate at 413-663-7588, kmerrigan@nbccoalition.org or drop in on a session. Group does not meet during school vacations.
North Adams, MA - The UNITY Teen Writing Workshop, a free mixed-genre writing series, begins its 9th year on November 1st. Short story writer and high school English teacher, Robin Lehleitner, who has led UNITY writing workshops since 2000, will facilitate the sessions.
This popular writing program has successfully brought teen writers together in a safe environment to create and share their writing under the guidance of a professional writer since 1999. Students with all levels of creative writing experience are welcome. In addition to participating in weekly after-school writing sessions, students have the opportunity to be published in UNITY's annual publication, "Somewhere Between: A Journal of Teenage Writing," and perform their work at a public reading at the end of the school year.
Funded by the YouthReach initiative of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Teen Writing Workshop is a program of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (nbCC). Sessions, which take place at the nbCC at 85 Main Street in North Adams, are from 3:30-5:00 on Thursdays through May 29th. This program is open to Northern Berkshire youth, ages 14-19. Space in the workshops is limited and commitment to participate in all program sessions encouraged. Interested students can register by contacting Kate Merrigan at 413-663-7588 or kmerrigan@nbccoalition.org
North Adams, MA - The UNITY program of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition is looking for teenagers interested in learning leadership skills and making a difference in the community. Participants will be part of a diverse team of 20 students selected from area high schools. Applications are due September 25th and are available at NBCC, 85 Main Street, suite 624, and on-line. For more information please contact Kate Merrigan, Program Coordinator at 413-663-7588 or kmerrigan@nbccoalition.org
North Adams, MA - Children can get up close and personal with some of their favorite big vehicles on Wednesday, April 18! Touch-a-Truck takes place from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the parking lot next to the Haskins Center on State Street. Children can come and touch diggers, plows, emergency vehicles and others. This is a free event sponsored by the Family Net program of Child Care of the Berkshires, Inc. For more information call 413-664-4821.
LENOX, Mass. -- Up to 120 teen-agers will gather for the day on Wed., April 11 at Shakespeare & Co.'s campus in Lenox to hash over the pros and cons of living in Berkshire County and how problems might be fixed, organizers say. 
"We're creating a totally unique opportunity for students from across the county to come together to share their hopes, frustrations, passions and concerns as teen-agers specifically in Berkshire County," says Kate Merrigan, a co-convener of the "Berkshire Youth Development Conference" -- nicknamed "411 in the 413". A team of four high-school students, joined by adult collaborators, planned the 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. program, which will include an opening keynote talk by freshman state Sen. Ben Downing, D-Pittsfield, followed by three 75-minute workshops on 16 topics selected by student planners.
Funding for the free event is from the state Dept. of Public Health through the Berkshire Youth Development Project. Key collaborating organizations are the Railroad Street Youth Project, in Great Barrington, and the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, in North Adams. Merrigan is NBCC's UNITY program coordinator. UNITY stands for "united neighborhood interdependent trusted youth."
Merrigan, 27, (413-663-7588) grew up in North Adams, was graduated from Marlboro College and worked for Tapestry Health before joining NBCC a couple of years ago. Her own recollections of growing up in the region are contributing to the topics to be discussed. "It's about what is great and what isn't about growing up here, and thinking about changing those things that they want to change," she says of participants.
To select participants, Merrigan, Dahlia Bousaid (413-528-2475) of the Great Barrington project, and other organizers sent letters to high-school superintendents asking them to pick approximately two students from each grade 9-12, including, as the letter suggested, some youth who are not always in leadership roles. The students will get excused absenses from school for the day, and will be treated to continental breakfast and a box lunch while at Shakespeare & Co.'s campus. The event's overall coordinator is Rudi Bach at Railroad Street Youth Project (413-528-2475). Also supporting the event is the Berkshire United Way's Marya LaRoche.
Student coordinators include Jen Kodela of Mount Greylock Regional High School, in Williamstown; Ashleigh Carr of Monument Mountain High School, in Great Barrington; Chris Tassone of Pittsfield High School, and Jeanna Tinne of Charles H. McCann Technical School, in North Adams.
Workshop topics planned include these titles: Life after high school, diversity: moving beyond tolerance, art as a tool for empowerment/social change, healthy relationships, what to expect in college relationships, nutrition with a twist, coping with depression, how media exploit youth, media violence, youth involvement with the United Nations, stress management/alternative medicine/yoga, dealing with divorce, environmental issues/activism, how to create change in your community and discussion of hot political topics.
(Photos above, right, Jen Kodela taken by Gina Ianitelli, left, Kate Merrigan, supplied)
LINK: Greylock Echo story about Kodela's involvement -- (PDF)
Hundreds of people streamed to the Williamstown [Mass.] Elementary School on Sunday for the annual pancake breakfast which raises money for the traditional spring sixth-grade trip to Cape Cod. For the first time, a holiday craft fair was also staged in the gym at the school. View Angie England's photos of both by clicking on the link below.
WILLIAMSTOWN -- Parents of sixth-grade students at the Williamstown Elementary School have gotten on the energy-conservation bandwagon. They are selling lightbulbs which use a fraction of the electricity of old-fashioned incandesent bulbs with proceeds supporting the traditional spring trip by sixth graders to Cape Cod. Volunteer Wendy Penner explains in this Sunday, Dec. 10 audio post (click on the arrow in the bar below to launch. (ERRATA: The audio report mentions Dec. 12; it was actually recorded Dec. 10)
Williamstown, Mass. - The Williams College Museum of Art announces a new story time in the galleries for preschoolers with guardians Fridays from 10:00-10:45 am September 15 through December 8, 2006. No reservations required.
Each story time will features readings from contemporary and classic children's books selected especially to connect to artwork on view. Adults and children can look at artwork, enjoy readings, and learn about stories and art together.
The Williams College Museum of Art is located on Main Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am-5 pm and Sunday from 1-5 pm. The museum is wheelchair accessible and open to the public. Admission is free. For more information, contact the museum at 413-597-2429.
Williamstown, Mass. - For their 31st season production Starlight Stage Youth Theatre presents Cyrus Wood’s hilarious farce “Good Night Ladies” July 26-29 at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Williamstown.
“Good Night Ladies” is about Professor “Spider” Matthews (Chris Donovan of North Adams, MA), an Arachnologist who is perfectly at home with his eight-legged specimens but deathly afraid of the human female! One of his students, Dodie Tarleton (Lauren Christiansen of Williamstown, MA) has a crush on the professor, and has discovered that he is an old friend of her brother-in-law, Mike Bonner (Evan Schuekler of Stamford, VT), and intends to stay with him while attending a conference in New York City. Mike and Dodie’s sister Kittie Bonner (Alexandra Allen of New Ashford, MA) invite Spider, Dodie, and Mike’s business associate Fred Blake (Andrew Allen-Nash of New Ashford, MA) and his wife Alicia (Hannah Paul) out to dinner. Unfortunately, the party is crashed by the arrival of Dodie and Kittie’s mother, Mrs. Tarleton (Thalia Rossier of Williamstown, MA). The women get angry with the men and decide to go on to a night club without them. The men decide to attend the “Pagan Revels” to help Spider get over his fear of women. The Revels are raided by the police and the men escape into a ladies’ health club, where they have to disguise themselves as women to prevent being discovered by the police or the club’s clientele. While incognito at the club they meet up with a stripper (Grace Singelton of Williamstown, MA) and – surprise! – their wives, students, mother-in-law, etc. show up and chaos ensues.
Other cast members include: Aaron Burns, Brandon Burns, Maggie Crane, Jamie Meehan, Rebekeh Packer, Charlotte Sachs, Damien Sharp, Isabel Stomberg, Carly Vallone, and Julia Vallone, all from Williamstown, MA; Emma Gregory and Brianna Richardson from Clarksburg, MA; and Catherine Middleton of North Petersburg, NY.
Founded in 1976, Starlight offers a hands-on theatre experience for young people ages 8-18. Starlight has been directed by Robert Y. Burns and the Burns family of Williamstown since its inception. Starlight is the third oldest continuously operating summer theatre in Berkshire County, after the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Over the past 30 years hundreds of local youngsters have received their introduction to theatre with Starlight. Some have gone on to careers in the performing arts and the technical aspects of theatre and film, but all, whatever path they have chosen in life, have come away with a deep love and respect for the theatre, and happy memories of their Starlight experience.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children, available at the door. All performances take place in the handicap accessible Fellowship Hall of the First Congregational Church-UCC of Williamstown, located at 906 Main Street (Rt. 2). Parking is available in the church lot off of Chapin Hall Drive. For further information contact Starlight Stage Youth Theatre, 57 Linden Street, Williamstown, MA 01267, call 413-458-4246, or e-mail ssyt@adelphia.net.
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