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Maryland Man Hired As Mount Greylock Asst. Principal

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Maryland educator Christopher Barnes was announced Thursday as the new assistant principal of Mount Greylock Regional High School.

Barnes is in his second year as assistant principal at Towson High School outside of Baltimore.

"Chris is living a community similar to ours in that they are affiliated with Towson University," Superintendent of Schools Rose Ellis told the School Committee on Thursday night. "I think his experience spans what we were looking for. He is certainly well-versed in grade levels."

Towson is a larger school with an enrollment of 1,350 in Grades 9-12. Barnes' experience working with Towson University and Johns Hopkins University as well as his knowledge of all levels of education will be an asset to the school district, Ellis said.

"It's a very good match for Mount Greylock. I am delighted that Christopher is going to join us," Ellis said.

Barnes started teaching elementary school in the Baltimore City Public School System teaching Grades 2, 4 and 5. He later became the assistant principal at Waverly Middle School, also in the Baltimore area, before going to Towson High School. He also worked as a curriculum coordinator and instructor at Loyola University for teaching method courses.

School Committee member Abby Reifsnyder said she was impressed with Barnes when she got to meet him while he was recently touring the school. Ellis described Barnes as "enthusiastic" and possessing a lot of "vitality."


The search committee, consisting of teachers, administration, parents and students, held two interviews with the finalist and reviewed a writing sample before coming to a final decision Wednesday.

Barnes will be moving here with four children of his own who are expected to enroll in the district.

The assistant principal fills the dean of students position that was eliminated earlier this year. The job description was rewritten to include a stronger role in education.

The school district also named a new Williamstown Elementary school principal in Joelle Brookner earlier in May.

Barnes was unavailable Friday morning for comment.

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Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
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