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Local News

Unusual Amherst Regional graduation ceremony ‘meant something to us’

Posted on Friday, May 29th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette
Date: 5/27/2020
Link: Complete Article

AMHERST — As music played and spectators clapped and used various noisemakers, including their car horns, more than 200 Amherst Regional High School seniors made their way across a makeshift stage set up in front of the school Wednesday. Staying at least six feet apart to maintain proper social distancing during the daylong graduation procession, some… [Read More]

Graduating During the Pandemic

Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Byrne, Poli, Fritz, DeLuca, Marcus, Greenfield Recorder
Date: 5/24/2020
Link: Complete Article

When schools first closed in mid-March, seniors across the county weren’t sure when or if they would be returning to classes to finish up their final semester, making for a unique senior year. “Nothing like this has happened in a long, long time,” said Andrew Logan, 18, a senior at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield, referring to… [Read More]

Graduating junior firefighters recognized by Colrain Firefighters’ Association with signs

Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Mary Byrne, Greenfield Recorder
Date: 5/22/2020
Link: Complete Article

COLRAIN — The Colrain Firefighters’ Association is recognizing four junior firefighters who are graduating from high school this year. Signs were posted on the Fire Station on Monday for KC Mattson of Frontier Regional School; Matt Colby of Franklin County Technical School; Megan Dyer of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School; and Tyler Broughton of… [Read More]

Mohawk Trail Regional School receives $375,000 Mass IDEAS Implementation Grant

Posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Carla Potts, Mohawk Trail Regional School
Date: 5/18/2020
Link: Complete Article

Implementation Grant from Mass IDEAS (Innovating Design in Education for All Students), an initiative of Next Generation Learning Challenges at Tides, with generous funding provided by the Barr and Nellie Mae Education Foundations. Funding from this grant will allow MTRS to continue with plans for an all-school redesign, which began last year with funding via a $150,000… [Read More]

South Hadley community celebrates Class of 2020 with sign for each graduate

Posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Jacquelyn Voghel, Hampshire Daily Gazette
Date: 5/20/2020
Link: Complete Article

SOUTH HADLEY — While South Hadley High School seniors won’t be able to walk across the stage in June to receive their diplomas, school officials are finding creative ways to showcase graduates in the community. Along Newton Street, a new display features signs honoring each of the 140 students in the Class of 2020. Every… [Read More]

Pioneer Valley Excellence In Teaching Awards Presented To 113 Educators

Posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: BusinessWest Staff, BusinessWest Magaine
Date: May 19, 2020
Link: Complete Article

SPRINGFIELD — School districts across the region participated in a rigorous process to select the winners of the 2020 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards. The program, which is in its 18th year, celebrates outstanding educators who make a significant impact on their colleagues and school community. This past winter, the announcements were made in surprise… [Read More]

High School Seniors Are ‘Making Lemonade out of Lemons’ With Graduations Online, at Drive-Ins and on Racetracks

Posted on Friday, May 15th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Katie Reilly, Time
Date: 5/14/2020
Link: Complete Article

Briauna Leonard graduated from high school at home wearing pajamas and sitting at her kitchen table beside her cat, Mr. Pickles, watching the salutatory address that she recorded a week earlier in an almost empty auditorium. “It was a little heartbreaking, honestly, to work your way up for 12 years, and you look forward to… [Read More]

When Your Remote Classroom Is Your Car: How Some Rural Students Without Broadband Are Connecting

Posted on Friday, May 8th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Carrie Jung, WBUR
Date: 5/8/2020
Link: Complete Article

Even though school is closed, on a given day there are about a dozen cars lined up in the parking lot of Sanderson Academy in Ashfield with people using the school’s WiFi. Natalie Szewczyk is one of them. The 18-year-old has turned her Toyota Corolla into a mobile work station. “I stay in my driver’s… [Read More]

Making music: Pioneer students design homemade instruments for music, engineering project

Posted on Thursday, May 7th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Zack DeLuca, Greenfield Recorder
Date: 5/6/2020
Link: Complete Article

Middle school students at the Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield showcased their musical talents and engineering design skills recently during a combined class project through which they built and played musical instruments using materials found at home. The project was coordinated by Engineering Teacher Dr. John Heffernan and Pioneer Music Teacher Maki Matsui. According to Heffernan,… [Read More]

The people’s principal: Jackson Street School leader says goodbye after three decades in district

Posted on Monday, May 4th, 2020 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Greta Jochem, Daily Hampshire Gazette
Date: 5/4/2020
Link: Complete Article

NORTHAMPTON — Gwen Agna initially hesitated when she was offered the role of interim principal at Bridge Street School in 1993. She stayed up all night writing a letter to then-school superintendent Bruce Willard “about all the things I couldn’t do,” she recalled. “I said, ‘I don’t yell at children. I don’t fix boilers,’” thinking that was how she would… [Read More]