Miss Hall's School Teacher Honored

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Miss Hall's School announces that Christopher Himes, the school's director of engineering and technology innovation/STEAM coordinator has been recognized as an honorable mention recipient of the 2017 NCWIT Educator Award for Aspirations in Computing.

Presented by the National Center for Women & Information Technology, the Educator Award is conferred upon educators who have demonstrated a commitment to encouraging young women's aspirations in computing. The NCWIT, located at the University of Colorado Boulder, seeks to increase the meaningful participation of women in the influential field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development.

In presenting the award, the organization noted: "Young women represent a promising source of technical talent, yet are woefully underrepresented in computing. Great teachers are one of the most important factors in inspiring young women to engage with technology in meaningful ways and pursue technical careers. We thank you for all you have done to make computing a reality and we look forward to seeing your students among our award applicants and recipients for years to come."

Himes joined MHS in July and oversees the school's new Department of Engineering and Technology Innovation, and he directs the MHS STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiative. Both programs are based in the Grace Murray Hopper Innovation Lab in Linn Hall, the school's new interdisciplinary academic building.

"Dr. Himes has been a wonderful addition to the MHS faculty, and we are thrilled to see him recognized," said Head of School Julia Heaton. "He is an engaging and innovative teacher who is deeply committed to girls' leadership and inspiring young women to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, and engineering. Even students who are not taking classes with Dr. Himes have found their way to the Hopper Lab, inspired by his passion and enthusiasm for teaching STEAM. This recognition is well-deserved."


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Dalton Green Committee Recommends Consultant for Action Plan

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee overwhelmingly recommended having Blue Strike Environmental as the town's consultant for its Climate Action Plan during its meeting on Monday. 
 
The town issued a request for proposals on March 27 and received two responses: one from Blue Strike Environmental, a Monterey, Calif., company, and the other from Capsus, an international firm based in Mexico. 
 
The committee wants to develop a climate action plan to achieve net zero by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease the town's dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 
 
The plan should be detailed enough, so the town knows what it needs to do and the timing to complete each subproject on time, the request for proposals said. 
 
During the meeting, committee members numerically rated the consulting firms based on the following categories: relevant experience, staffing plan and methodology, ability to complete projects on time, and proposed plan evaluation. Bluestrike's rating was four times higher across all criteria. 
 
Now that the committee has rated the second part of the bidding process, the bidders will submit the estimated cost of the project. 
 
The contract will be awarded to the firm offering the most "advantageous proposal" that takes into consideration all evaluation criteria and price. 
 
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