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A number of teachers complained about conditions in Hoosac Valley Elementary School.

Adams-Cheshire Hiring Facilitator for Regional Agreement Review

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee will hire a representative to facilitate the school district agreement amendment process.
 
Although the committee did not have a quorum Monday night, Superintendent Robert Putnam told the members present that the district will hire Stephen Hemman, assistant director of Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools.
 
"He said he would be very much interested in working with the district and the two towns," Putnam said. "He will help us bring the agreement up to date."
 
The School Committee will form a  10-member committee with members from the district and both towns to make changes to the district agreement.
 
The amendment process was sparked earlier this year when the committee voted to close Cheshire Elementary School over that town's objections. Cheshire, the smaller of the two towns in the regional school district, feels it has little control because of its size and representation on the School Committee. The agreement also has not been reviewed or updated in years. 
 
Putnam said Hemman will go through each line of the agreement with the committee and update what needs to be updated while implementing what changes the committee would like to see.
 
He added that whenever a proposed change is made it will be sent off to the state Department of Education.
 
"Everything will be submitted to the Department of Education so by the time we get to the end of the process we know what they are going to accept what the committee has arrived at," Putnam said. "There is a lot to be done because the last time it was looked at I think was 1992."
 
Putnam said he hopes that the committee will have amendments ready for the towns to vote in at their town meetings.
 
The School Committee also heard from Hoosac Valley Elementary School teachers who aired their concerns about the building.
 
Among their grievances was a dilapidated chimney that they believed could fall through the physical Education office ceiling.
 
"I have been touch with the Adams building inspector and masons and I am getting different stories," Putnam said. "So I went to an engineer."   
 
He said the engineer had few concerns about the safety of the chimney but the town building inspector did, so currently the chimney is going through a more thorough survey.
 
"We are going to see what the report says and when we get the report we will deal with the report," acting Chairman Stephen Vigna said.  
 
Putnam said, either way, the office will be relocated.
 
Teachers also said they were upset they could not hang student artwork on the walls of their classrooms unless they were laminated.
 
Putnam said there is little the district can do about this because the Adams fire chief sets these rules.
 
"The fire chiefs are the ones who set our rules ... and they have been very consistent over the years," Putnam said. "All of the issues they bring up can be cited in state fire regulations."  
 
Putnam said he has seen the regulations in other schools and flammable objects cannot be hung from the ceiling, in the hallway or within 5 feet of an egress. Many schools have glass wall cabinets within which to hang paper materials.
 
Before closing, the teachers also shared their displeasure of the high temperatures on the upper levels of the building.
 
School Committee member Darlene Rodowicz said she thought the town of Adams was going to fix this issue. 
 
"We knew this was an issue and the town of Adams said they could address it and they could fund it," she said. "The town administrator felt there were options."

Tags: ACRSD,   HVES,   regional agreement,   regionalization,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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