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MCLA Host Special Olympics Basketball Clinic

By Jeffrey PuleriMCLA Sports Info
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Thirty-four student-athletes and members of the student-athlete advisory committee from MCLA offered a basketball clinic on Sunday, Jan. 26, to the Berkshire County Special Olympics team.

The students were offered skill work, fun, competitive games and a five-on-five full court basketball game at the James T. Amsler Campus Center on campus.

Assistant Athletic Director Dot Houston and NCAA intern Kaylyn Smith coordinated the effort along with Special Olympic coach and local teacher Drew Krens. Assistant coach Art Mongeau and mentor Jeff Metzer supported their students from the sidelines.

The MCLA Athletic Department will also be sponsoring a Special Olympic TRAIN (Testing Recreational Activities and Improving Nutrition) program again this year on Sunday, April 6, also in the Campus Center building.

The TRAIN program will be offered to children (starting at age 8 years) and adults of all ages who currently participate in Special Olympics or are thinking of participating in Special Olympics in the future. Wheelchairbound participants are also encouraged to attend. Activities will be modified to fit their needs. All participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Specific information will be available on the MCLA athletic website on Feb. 15. Contact Dot Houston at 413-662-5437 for additional information on TRAIN.


Tags: MCLA sports,   Special Olympics,   

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Simon's Rock Awarded Freedom to Read Grant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Bard College at Simon's Rock was awarded a Freedom to Read Grant by the Newburger Schwartz Family Foundation. 
 
The grant was awarded to support the Alumni Library and Bard Queer Leadership Project in building a more robust collection of queer scholarship, starting a Queer Book Club, and hosting Drag Story Time events in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires.
 
According to a press release:
 
In response to current educational threats with book bans affecting schools and libraries across the country and further proposed legislation against LGBTQ+ people's access to basic rights and education, Simon's Rock is actively seeking to create inclusive and equitable spaces for queer individuals. 
 
The Bard Queer Leadership Project and Alumni Library will utilize the grant funding to expand the library's current collection of queer books in order to fully enable the longevity of the Queer Book Club and the Bard Queer Leadership Project. The Queer Book Club will be an intergenerational space, open to local middle school students through rainbow seniors and will partner with local community organizations, to discuss queer books and learn about LGBTQ+ issues and experiences. Bard Queer Leadership Project students will eventually help lead this initiative as part of their leadership project training. 
 
The Queer Book Club will host their first meeting on April 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Alumni Library, with following meetings on April 27 and May 11. This semester, the selected books are "Obie is Man Enough" and "He/She/They," both by Schuyler Bailar, inspirational speaker and first openly transgender NCAA Division swimmer, who was a guest speaker in the inaugural Queer Leaders Vision Forum in fall 2023 at Simon's Rock. Schuyler Bailar will return to campus for a book signing and pool party at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center on April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Participants in the Queer Book Club will receive a free copy of either book of their choice. 
 
The first Drag Story Time will be on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Simon's Rock Alumni Library and is open to all LGBTQ+ affirming individuals. The event is in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires with local drag queens JV and Poppy DaBubbly. The second Drag Story Time will be Saturday, April 27 with drag queen Poppy DaBubbly and drag king Sativo Green.
 
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