Letter: Open Letter to Flag Petitioner

To the Editor:

I read with great interest the article by Mr. Dravis in Monday's iBerkshires. I understood you to say that you had "posted a comment on the thread inviting opponents to reach out personally to [you]." As I suspect you know, I frequently post on the thread to which I think you are referring, but did not see your invitation. Had I seen it, I would have responded immediately. Alas! I still cannot find it, but, admittedly, I am an idiot with all things social media.

I would be delighted to have a conversation with you and your friends. We can do it in person, my preference, or on Facebook. My beloved grandchildren — all seven — tell me that Facebook is "old people talking to old people," so FB might not be the best place to share ideas. If you know of a better venue, I am happy to accommodate — assuming I can quickly learn to navigate it.

When we chat, I will ask about the history of your petition. Was this part of a civics project? Who researched the points made in the petition? Who actually drafted the article? Did a group or an adult critique what was written? Did you have to it approved by anyone in the administration? And, as minors, what was the process used to get you on the warrant?

I cannot praise you enough for trying to make a positive difference in our very-challenging town politics. If you have carefully read most of my posts, on several occasions I have recommended student involvement in town affairs. I have spent nearly all of my professional life — teacher at MGRHS when dinosaurs roamed the hills and as a Student Rights Advocate for the Commonwealth — trying to empower young people. I treasure their often clear analysis of problems and their sometimes uncanny wisdom to solve difficult problems. But sometimes they need a critic to make them be their best. And an adult — sometimes best a grouchy one — can be, believe it or not, helpful.

Donna Wied
Williamstown, Mass.

Williams Grads Reminded of Community that Got Them to Graduation

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Sunday, June 02, 2024

The graduates heard from two speakers — Phi Betta Kappa speaker Milo Chang and class speaker Jahnavi Nayar Kirtane. The keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was unable to attend and recorded his speech for playback. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College said goodbye Sunday to its graduating seniors.

 

And a representative of the class of 2024 took the time to say goodbye to everyone in the community who made students' journey possible.

 

Milo Chang, the Phi Beta Kappa speaker for the class and one of two students to speak at Sunday's 235th commencement exercises, explained that the term "Williams community" applies to more than those who get to list the school on their resumes.

 

"It includes everyone who has shaped our experiences here, from loved ones back home to the dedicated staff members who make campus their second home," Chang told his classmates. "During our time at Williams, we've seen this community step up in remarkable ways to support us."

 

Chang talked about the faculty and staff who gave their time to operate the COVID-19 testing centers and who greeted students before they could take their first classroom tests in the fall of 2020, and the dining services personnel who kept the students fed and somehow understood their orders through the masks everyone was wearing when this class arrived on campus.

 

And he shared a personal story that brought the message home.

 

"We often underestimate the power of community until we experience a taste of its absence," Chang said. "I remember staying on campus after our first Thanksgiving at Williams, after most students went home to finish the semester remotely. I remember the long hours sitting in empty common rooms. I remember the days you could walk through campus without seeing another student.