Letter: Williamstown Elementary School Committee & Side-by-Side Program

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To the Editor:

An Open Letter to the Williamstown Elementary School Committee:

In the School Committee meeting of June 8, 2016, I, speaking as a member of the public, said that town meeting had voted by about 75 percent urging the School Committee to continue full-day Side by Side, and that in the spirit of discussion to which we were referring in the meeting at the time, people in this town were waiting for an answer to the following question: Why is the answer of this committee "No, we won't do that?"

Your only answer was to tell me that you disagreed with the premise of my statement. The facts, however, are clear; there is no room for disagreement. I would ask you please watch Sam Crane's motion in town meeting on Willinet. It runs from time 27:21 to 31:47. He speaks clearly and plainly. There was no real room for confusion or misunderstanding on what the motion was meant to convey to the School Committee.

In June 8's meeting, I never received an answer to the fundamental question I asked above, which is essentially why the committee won't restore full-day Side by Side. I have attended many of your meetings, and I have paid close attention to what has been said. I have spoken with many people in the community on this issue. I have never heard an explanation of why full-day Side by Side has been cut that has not later been retracted by either the superintendent or the school committee.

I have not spoken with anyone who understands what the answer is, either. Many months into this process, we as a community still do not know why you as a committee are doing this. Town meeting has spoken. The facts in the video are clear. The town deserves an explanation as to why you will not restore full-day Side by Side; again on June 8, the committee spoke around the question for about an hour, but never actually provided an explanation.
We as a community need an answer.

Sincerely,

Erryn Leinbaugh
Williamstown, Mass.

 

 


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WCMA: 'Cracking the Code on Numerology'

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) opens a new exhibition, "Cracking the Cosmic Code: Numerology in Medieval Art."
 
The exhibit opened on March 22.
 
According to a press release: 
 
The idea that numbers emanate sacred significance, and connect the past with the future, is prehistoric and global. Rooted in the Babylonian science of astrology, medieval Christian numerology taught that God created a well-ordered universe. Deciphering the universe's numerical patterns would reveal the Creator's grand plan for humanity, including individual fates. 
 
This unquestioned concept deeply pervaded European cultures through centuries. Theologians and lay people alike fervently interpreted the Bible literally and figuratively via number theory, because as King Solomon told God, "Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight" (Wisdom 11:22). 
 
"Cracking the Cosmic Code" explores medieval relationships among numbers, events, and works of art. The medieval and Renaissance art on display in this exhibition from the 5th to 17th centuries—including a 15th-century birth platter by Lippo d'Andrea from Florence; a 14th-century panel fragment with courtly scenes from Palace Curiel de los Ajos, Valladolid, Spain; and a 12th-century wall capital from the Monastery at Moutiers-Saint-Jean—reveal numerical patterns as they relate to architecture, literature, gender, and timekeeping. 
 
"There was no realm of thought that was not influenced by the all-consuming belief that all things were celestially ordered, from human life to stones, herbs, and metals," said WCMA Assistant Curator Elizabeth Sandoval, who curated the exhibition. "As Vincent Foster Hopper expounds, numbers were 'fundamental realities, alive with memories and eloquent with meaning.' These artworks tease out numerical patterns and their multiple possible meanings, in relation to gender, literature, and the celestial sphere. 
 
"The exhibition looks back while moving forward: It relies on the collection's strengths in Western medieval Christianity, but points to the future with goals of acquiring works from the global Middle Ages. It also nods to the history of the gallery as a medieval period room at this pivotal time in WCMA's history before the momentous move to a new building," Sandoval said.
 
Cracking the Cosmic Code runs through Dec. 22.
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