Letter: Rockwell Paintings Hold Special Meaning for Local Scouts

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To the Editor:

As a lifelong Berkshire County resident and a multi-year Boy Scout leader, I am appalled by the Berkshire Museum's plans to auction off the best of their art collection, including two original Rockwells, gifted by the artist himself.

Scouts were a favorite subject of Rockwell's, and for decades he contributed to the annual Boy Scout calendar. He used local scout models as subjects, including my own niece. This topic hits home for me on many levels.

Over the years, I went on many all age Scout Fun museum day trips. This was an obvious destination for Scouts, and because of it's multi faceted programming and exhibits, they were able to fulfill the requirements of different types of badges. Natural history related things of particular note were the mummy, Native American artifacts, rocks, aquarium, snakes, birds, etc. How wonderful that in the exact same museum they also had access to world class fine art which helped them earn their art appreciation badges.


To local underserved Scouts who do not have the means to visit some of Berkshire County's other renowned art museums, our unique multi-disciplinary institution right here in Pittsfield has been a "one stop shop" museum experience. For many, this was not simply an introduction to the museum world — if not for these field trips to the Berkshire Museum, they wouldn't have had exposure to any museum, of any sort.

Since then, I've had the privilege of watching multiple Scouts who I worked with as children grow into teenagers and now adults. They told me years later how profoundly affected they were by these childhood experiences, in ways they never realized at the time. The museum gave both fond memories and sometimes inspired future collegiate studies. I've seen technological advances changing both their learning and social experiences. Our youth is literally bombarded with computers, screens, and electronics of every sort. While this is ultimately beneficial to education, I fear that in the process of updating, something may be lost. Along with high-tech gadgets, children also need to see actual tangible artifacts. Seeing Rockwell originals made an impression on Scouts that isn't the same as seeing them on TV or on a computer screen, which they can do anytime.

Rockwell believed that the richest subjects were the common people. Rockwell donated his paintings so that the general public could view them, including his beloved Scouts.
 

Donna Broga Carnevale
Becket, Mass.

Silver Beaver Award winner, Western Mass. Council BSA Whitney M. Young Jr. National Service Award winner


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Central Berkshire School Officials OK $35M Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a $35 million budget for fiscal 2025 during its meeting on Thursday.
 
Much of the proposed spending plan is similar to what was predicted in the initial and tentative budget presentations, however, the district did work with the Finance subcommittee to further offset the assessments to the towns, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said. 
 
"What you're going see in this budget is a lower average assessment to the towns than what you saw in the other in the tentative budget that was approved," she said. 
 
The fiscal 2025 budget is $35,428,892, a 5.56 percent or $1,867,649, over this year's $33,561,243.
 
"This is using our operating funds, revolving revenue or grant revenue. So what made up the budget for the tentative budget is pretty much the same," Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino said.
 
"We're just moving around funds … so, we're using more of the FY25 rural aid funds instead of operating funds next year."
 
Increases the district has in the FY25 operating budget are from active employee health insurance, retiree health insurance, special education out-of-district tuition, temporary bond principal and interest payment, pupil transportation, Berkshire County Retirement contributions, and the federal payroll tax. 
 
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