MCLA Hosts Youth Summer Camps, Sports Clinics

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts wil hold a variety of youth camps and sports clinics on the MCLA campus. These programs include a creative writing camp, a science and robotics camp, an advanced robotics camp, volleyball and basketball sports clinics, and the “Young Hacks Academy,” a blend of computer programming problem solving and teamwork.

Two Young Hack Academy sessions will be offered. Level 1 is for elementary school youth ages 9 to 12, who are in grades four through seven. Level 2 is for students ages 12 to 14, in grades seven through nine, or for those who have graduated from the Level 1 program.

Offered Monday through Friday, July 11-15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Young Hacks Academy Level 1 is a tech leadership camp that focuses on how young people might use technology to solve today’s greatest local and global problems. Agents (campers) learn to build video games in the Scratch computer programming language. They will explore real-world issues like climate change, homelessness and endangered wildlife. In addition, campers will head outside for “unplugged” games like treasure hunts, riddle relays and chain tag. No programming experience is required.

Young Hacks Academy Level 2 will be offered Monday through Friday, July 18-22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Level 2 participants will take their computational learning to the next level as they code in Java programming language, and develop advanced game design with PlayCanvas. Proficiency in programming is a plus, but not required.

The fee for Young Hacks Academy Level 1 or Level 2 is $395, which includes badges, T-shirts, journals and thumb drives. For more information about the Young Hacks Academy, go to www.younghacks.com.

MCLA’s Creative Writing Camp also will take place Monday through Friday, July 18-22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Designed for aspiring young writers, in this camp participants will study and write poetry, stories and plays. Throughout the week, they will visit various locales to inspire creative thoughts. The week will culminate with a creative writing slam that family members are invited to attend. The fee for the creative writing camp is $175.

The MCLA Science and Robotics Camp – held Monday through Friday, July 18-22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – is for girls and boys who have an interest in science and robotics. Campers will participate in a variety of hands-on science activities and experiments, and use Lego Mindstorm RCX and NXTs to create robots. This camp will culminate in a Robot Demolition Derby, which families are invited to attend. The fee for this camp is $350.



An Advanced Robotics Camp for youth ages 12 through 15, in grades seven through 10, will take place Monday through Friday, July 25-29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This camp applies campers’ creativity to the field of robotics to help them learn about robot engineering, simple machines, torque, power and problem solving. Using Tetrix Prime R/C Starter Kits, students will work in pairs to create robots that draw, dance, herd golf balls, and more. The fee for this camp is $350.

Two multi-day sports clinics will be offered – in volleyball and basketball.

The volleyball clinic, to be held Tuesday through Friday, July 5-8, is for rising seventh through 12th graders. Held in MCLA’s Amsler Campus Center Gym, this multi-day clinic will offer skills development for individual and team play. Participants will learn from award-winning Head Volleyball Coach Amanda Beckwith, who was named the New England regional coach of the year for 2015. They also will learn from the MCLA volleyball team, the season champions of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). The fee for this clinic is $150.

Intended for rising third through ninth grade students, MCLA’s multi-day Co-Ed Basketball Clinic will take place Monday through Thursday, June 27-30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be led by MCLA’s Women’s Basketball Coach Holly McGovern, the coach who has won the most games in MCLA history. The clinic, which will take place in the MCLA Amsler Campus Center Gym, will provide drills and team-building activities as participants learn about team concepts and strategy. The fee for the basketball clinic is $110.

The drop-off time for the creative writing, science and robotics, and advanced robotics camps, as well as the Young Hacks Academy, is 8:30 a.m. Pick-up for these programs is at 4:30 p.m., except for Friday, when the day ends at 2 p.m.

Summer camp and clinic participants should bring their own lunch, snacks, and drinks. For more information and to register, call 413-662-5575 or go online.

 


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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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