Greg and Mary Shine, and their three young children sat in front of a room of school and town officials, teachers, and Williamstown Elementary School youngsters to be thanked for donating the electronic wiring for the new elementary school, which is now under construction.
As bright balloons decorated the Southworth computer lab, Superintendent Rose Ellis said, “This is a celebration, this is a party, and there is a present.â€
“Today we have found wonderful friends in Greg and Mary Shine, of Shine Wire Products Inc. of Adams, [who] have very generously donated all the electronic wiring — data, cable, and fiber optics — for our new school scheduled to open in September, 2002,†said Ellis.
The gift, she said, is valued at $35,000.
The Shine children are Margaret, a third grader; Greg, a first grader, and Maeve, in preschool.
Shine Wire, founded in 1984 by Greg Shine and his father Barney, services the computer, medical, telecommunications, test and instrument industries both domestically and internationally. The company’s quality is registered to ISO 9002; it employs 47.
“This wiring provides the infrastructure for state-of-the-art technology,†Ellis said.
“We are here today not simply to thank Greg and Mary for their magnanimous gift, but for the vision behind the gift.
“This generation and the next generation of children will be able to benefit from worldwide experts at anytime, in any classroom, with every teacher, every day of the school year.
“Most parents want to take care of their own children; these parents are taking care of the children of our entire school community,†said Ellis. “On behalf of all the students and staff at Williamstown Elementary School, we extend our warmest gratitude. Thank you.â€
Mary Kavanaugh, school technology coordinator, called wire “part of the ‘backbone’ or infrastructure of our informational technology system.
“Wire is a somewhat invisible — at least it should be — and a driving force behind what technology allows us to do on an everyday basis: communicate, teach and create.â€
After showing examples of schoolchildren’s computer creations, Kavanaugh said, “We are only beginning to find wonderful ways to marry technology with learning. We have two grants to further our efforts. The MEET (Massachusetts Empowering Educators with Technology) grant, which begins this spring and runs through next year — it will help teachers to further explore ways to use technology in their everyday teaching environment, and the Olmstead grant from Williams College. This grant will allow two teachers and myself who work with students in grades 5 and 6 to create a QuickTime® movie of the new school construction as well as memorializing the old school before it is torn down.
“Technology is ever changing and at a rate so rapid that it can make your head spin. ... It is only through the wonderful efforts of people like Mary and Greg that we can hope to achieve the goal of keeping pace,†she said.
Principal David Rempell addressed the three Shine children, telling them, “Your mom was a great teacher,†at the elementary school.
After meeting their father, and having the children, she, said Rempell, “is now helping make our new school wonderful.
“It’s sort of like a circle, and your parents are helping all the children in Williamstown,†he said.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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