BArT Names New Principal

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ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School has selected Sean Keogh as the school's new principal.

The Principal Search Committee, which included members of BArT's faculty and staff, parents and Board of Trustees, conducted a comprehensive search that spanned four months and drew applicants from around the country.

Keogh arrived at BArT in 2009 as an English Language Arts teacher. Since then, he has had increasing responsibility as an instructional coach and mentor to colleagues. He was an early manager of the school's relationship with the Harvard University Data Wise Program and has worked with colleagues at BART to develop best practices in the use of student and school assessment data.

Keogh received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland at College Park and his master's degree from the University of Montana.

"Fundamental to our search for a new principal was identifying a small collection of required qualities in that individual," said Dr. Jay White, BArT's executive director.



From conversations with faculty, staff, families and students, White said, what emerged was that the principal must "be a skilled and experienced teacher, embrace the principle of whole-child education, have facility with data-informed decision-making, and understand how to strengthen the BART community for the enrichment of our students' education."

According to White, Keogh emerged strongly from the search process and embodies just what the school sought: "a remarkable master teacher who is dedicated to our students and who can adroitly administer and help lead BArT to even greater heights."

Keogh will step into the position of principal on July 1. Until that time, he will work closely with outgoing Principal April West, who is departing BArT to pursue her interest in curricular and instructional design.

BART is a nationally recognized, award-winning, tuition-free, public middle and high school focused on preparing students for college. In 2015, US News & World Report ranked BART the 7th best high school in Massachusetts. To date, 100% of BART’s graduates have passed a college course and have been accepted into college prior to graduation. BART does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

 


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Adams Community Bank Holds Annual Meeting, Announce Growth

ADAMS, Mass. — The annual meeting of the Community Bancorp of the Berkshires, MHC, the parent company of Adams Community Bank, was held on April 10, 2024, at Charles H. McCann Technical School in North Adams.
 
The meeting included reviewing the 2023 financial statements for the Bank, electing directors and corporators, and highlighting upcoming executive personnel changes.
 
"In 2023, the Bank experienced another year of growth in assets, loans, and deposits, noting the Pittsfield branch reached $26 million in customer deposits from its opening in December of 2022," President and CEO of Adams Community Bank Charles O'Brien said. "Those deposits were loaned out locally during 2023 and helped drive our #1 ranking in both mortgage and commercial real estate lending, according to Banker and Tradesman."
 
At year-end 2023, total assets were $995 million, and O'Brien noted the Bank crossed the $1 billion threshold during the first quarter of 2024.
 
Board chair Jeffrey Grandchamp noted with O'Brien's upcoming retirement, this will be the final annual meeting of the CEO's tenure since he joined the Bank in 1997. He thanked him for his 27 years of dedication to the Bank. He acknowledged the evolution of the Bank as it became the premier community bank in the Berkshires, noting that branches grew from 3 to 10, that employees grew from 40 to 135, and that assets grew from $127 million to $1 billion. 
 
An executive search is underway for O'Brien's replacement.
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