Letter: Jane Patton for Williamstown Select Board

To the Editor:

We are writing in support of Jane Patton for re-election to the Select Board.

Jane led the board through a tumultuous time in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd (in Minneapolis in 2020) and the revelations of misconduct in the Williamstown Police Department. Under Jane's leadership, the Select Board created the DIRE committee and she served as a member in its inaugural year. Over the past two years, Jane has shown up every day, listened empathically and worked diligently to build back the trust that was lost with many in the community. She asked the difficult questions, held people accountable and made the tough decisions.

Jane and her colleagues on the Select Board have improved accountability and transparency in town. We have a new town manager and we will soon have a new police chief. The town's HR policies have been revised and are available to the public and we will soon have a position to implement those policies and assist with important diversity work. The Police Department is seeking accreditation and they are working more closely with citizens in town to better understand how policing impacts everyone in our community. While the town is in a better place, there's more work to do and the town will be well served with Jane continuing that work.

In addition to her tireless leadership during these difficult times, Jane continues to be an advocate for much needed recreational opportunities for all members of our community, believes we need to create more diverse housing options in town and supports the environmental initiatives of the COOL Committee

Andi Bryant, Karl Mullen, Merritt Colaizzi, Elaine Neely, Liz Costley, Fred Puddester, Tom Costley, Susan Puddester, Brian Drake,  Reena Sharma, Karen Falk, Sanjay Sharmads, Joe Finnegan, Bob Stegeman, Tom Green, Carol Stegeman, Kristen Johanson and Charles Swabey.
Williamstown, Mass.

Mount Greylock Students in Argentina For Cultural Exchange Program

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:07AM / Wednesday, April 22, 2026

This is the second trip for Mount Greylock students to La Cumbre. The school has a relationship with St. Paul's School there and hosted 36 Argentine students last year. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Fourteen Mount Greylock seniors boarded a flight for Argentina this past Friday, to immerse themselves in a transformative experience.

 

"So many kids who have taken this trip come back and they're transformed," said Spanish teacher Joe Johnson. "... I guess, the spoiler is, that what these students learn is that they are the same … even though they may be from opposite poles, literally, of the Earth, and grew up speaking different languages … So that's what we're really hoping for. Let's get them to just fall in love with each other, and learn about the world and the culture through those friendships."

 

Students took off on Friday, April 17. They will spend nine days in La Cumbre, a community the school has built a relationship with over the years.

 

Mount Greylock hosted 36 students from St. Paul's School in La Cumbre last year, and the exchange program has become a cornerstone of Mount Greylock's Spanish curriculum. Johnson said the AP Spanish course has become hyper-focused on Argentina in preparation for the trip.

 

"It is all about what can you understand? What can you communicate? And we cover a lot of daily life things as the years go by. What do you need to be able to say? or what do you need to be able to understand?" he said. "We have geared the AP curriculum to where it's very Argentina centered… so we'll just focus on that, and that way, they get used to the accents, they know what kinds of food to expect, what kind of social interactions to expect."

 

Students have been building these relationships throughout the year. Johnson noted that each Mount Greylock student is connected with a St. Paul's student, and they regularly exchange messages in both English and Spanish.

 

As for the town itself, Johnson said it is the perfect community for a cultural exchange and reminds him of Williamstown.