Members of the Williams College African dance troupe Kusika take a bow after performing at Williamstown Elementary School on Friday.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Pupils at Williamstown Elementary School were reminded Friday that the upcoming long weekend is not all about fun and games.
Principal Joelle Brookner told the third- through sixth-graders attending a Martin Luther King Day Jr. assembly that Monday is a national day of service and encouraged them to follow the national theme that Jan. 20 be "A Day ON, Not a Day Off."
"What can you do to be 'on?' " Brookner challenged the children. "What can you do for others? Some of us are really good at doing humongous things, but it's not only the humongous things that matter.
"On Monday, do something for others."
Then, after pausing a beat, she added with a smile, "That's a little bit of homework. I'm sorry."
The school opened the holiday weekend with reflection and celebration. The children were treated to performances by three Williams College song and dance groups: the a capella group The Accidentals, the African dance troupe Kusika and the step team Sankofa.
Williams College sophomore Mia L. Knowles also read her reflection on the life of Dr. King.
"Today, I cannot say his dream has been realized," she told the children. "What I can tell you is that his dream lives on.
"I have my own dream today. Today, I hope you realize how special you are. My dream is that one day you'll be able to tell people you made Martin Luther King's dream come true."
The assembly was organized by Marcela Villada Peacock, the program coordinator of the Davis Center at Williams, an office that focuses on diversity issues.
As part of the curriculum at WES, fourth- through sixth-graders created original works of their own to talk about King's legacy. The fourth-graders made posters. The fifth-graders wrote poems. And the sixth-graders wrote essays.
The poems were displayed Friday morning in the auditorium for the assembly, and six children read their poems and essays: fifth-graders Charlie McWeeny, Clary McWeeny and Jayden Johnson and sixth-graders Lucy Shepard, Helen Greenfield and Maya Choste.
The poem and essay of Johnson and Choste, respectively, were chosen by Williams students to be read at the college's Martin Luther King Day celebration on Monday.
Peacock told the pupils about how the annual assembly at the school came into being and about how she first was inspired by King as a child growing up in Mexico.
And she, too, issued a rallying call.
"Every year, you should think about some service for the community," Peacock said.
She then had the children read aloud a quote from Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Williamstown Housing Trust Commits $80K to Support Cable Mills Phase 3
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust last week agreed in principle to commit $80,000 more in town funds to support the third phase of the Cable Mills housing development on Water Street.
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
In 2022, the annual town meeting approved a $400,000 outlay of Community Preservation Act funds to support the third and final phase of the Cable Mills development, which started with the restoration and conversion of the former mill building and continued with the construction of condominiums along the Green River.
The town's CPA funds are part of the funding mix because 28 of Phase 3's 54 units (52 percent) will be designated as affordable housing for residents making up to 60 percent of the area median income.
Traggorth said he hopes by this August to have shovels in the ground on Phase 3, which has been delayed due to spiraling construction costs that forced the developer to redo the financial plan for the apartment building.
He showed the trustees a spreadsheet that demonstrated how the overall cost of the project has gone up by about $6 million from the 2022 budget.
"Most of that is driven by construction costs," he said. "Some of it is caused by the increase in interest rates. If it costs us more to borrow, we can't borrow as much."
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
click for more
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
click for more
Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more
The Select Board and Planning Board this week clashed over a proposal that would add to the town charter a mechanism to ensure compliance with the foundation of town government. click for more