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Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Oct. 25-31

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Trick-or-Trivia at The Colonial is a fun evening for all ages! Festivities begin with a performance by Miss Berkshire 2019 Jai Mason Miranda Moirai. Then, grab your team and put on your thinking caps to play trivia for cash prizes, free classes at IS183, free VIP Tickets to the Only In My Dreams Events 2020 dance party at the Colonial, and more! Close the evening by participating in the costume contest for a chance to win even more goodies! 6 p.m. Youth under age 13 are free; those ages 13-20 are $10, and adults ages 21+ are $25.
 
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
The Best and the Wurst is your chance to sample some of the best regional beers and hard ciders while you enjoy live music, at Hancock Shaker Village. Additional food - old-world and Shaker-style sausage made with regionally sourced meats - and drinks will be available for purchase. Tickets include admission to the Village, so come early and enjoy the buildings and grounds. 4-7 p.m.
Plus... 
FRI Beautiful Danger at The A | FRI Don Sawyer at Proprietor's Lodge | FRI Nicole Irene Artist's Reception at Framework | FRI Blue Light Trio at Rainbow | FRI Mr. Doubtfire at Mission | FRI Tom Savoy at Hotel on North | SAT Halloween Bowling Bash at Ken's Bowl | SAT F-Bomb Halloween Bash at The A | SAT Rumours Halloween Bash at Parkside | SAT Dan Gingras at Proprietor's Lodge | SAT Matt Cusson at Mr. Finn's Cabaret | SAT Livio Gravini at Proprietor's Lodge | SAT One For One Duo at PortSmitt's | MON WordXWord: Othered in America at Berkshire Museum | MON Trivia Night to Benefit Roots Rising at Hotel on North | MON Trivia Night at Methuselah | MON Jazz Night at Mission | WED Berkshire Realtors Charity Chili Cook-off at Country Club of Pittsfield | WED Gruppo Mondo at Rainbow THU Haunted Hancock at Hancock Shaker Village | THU 5-Course Wine Tasting Dinner at Trattoria Rustica | THU Throwback Thursday at Uncorked | THU The Picky B's at Mission
 
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Charlie Bucket experiences delicious adventures after winning a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka's mysterious and fantastic chocolate factory. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka KIDS is a scrum-didily-umptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth.
Plus...
FRI WeeMuse Adventures at Berkshire Museum FRI-THU Parenting Classes & Play Groups at 18 Degrees | SAT Pumpkin Carving Spooktacular at Berkshire Athenaeum SAT Kitchen Ka-Boom! at Berkshire Museum SAT We Shape History at Berkshire Museum SAT Chow Time at Berkshire Museum | SAT Halloween at Hancock at Hancock Shaker Village | SAT Flashlight Scavenger Hunt at Berkshire Museum | SUN Discovery Tank Program at Berkshire Museum | MON Tiny Tots Story Time at Berkshire Athenaeum | MON Dungeons & Dragons at Berkshire Athenaeum TUE WeeMuse Littlest Learners at Berkshire Museum WED Frankentoy Lab at Berkshire Athenaeum WED Halloween Bash at Boys & Girls Club THU Preschool Play & Learn at Berkshire AthenaeumTHU Children's Costume Parade at Berkshire Athenaeum THU Lego Club at Berkshire Athenaeum 
 
WELLNESS
 
Join Aimee for an evening of meditation, intention setting, and ritual at Radiance Yoga. Enjoy feelings of peace, deep relaxation, rejuvenation, and an acceleration of your own inward journey. Instruments, like crystal singing bowls, are played to help you enter a space of vibration and sensation. 6-7:30 p.m.
Plus...
FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Running Center | FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Family YMCA | FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness FRI-THU Various Classes at Radiance Yoga | FRI-THU Various Classes at Berkshire Salsa FRI-THU Various Classes at Pilates Fit | MON Journey to Health Workshop Series at Zion Lutheran Church | MON Common Yoga at Zion Lutheran Church
  COMMUNITY
Berkshire Family & Individual Resources (BFAIR) will celebrate its 25th anniversary at a Masquerade Gala at The Proprietor's Lodge. Enjoy food, drinks, music, a live auction, and raffles! The theme is black and silver, and masks are optional. Bring your own or purchase one at the event made by the individuals in the BFAIR Day Habilitation Program. 5:30-9 p.m.
Plus...
ONGOING Pittsfield Photo Challenge | FRI Nicole Irene Artist's Reception at Framework | SAT Volunteer Day at Canoe Meadows | SAT Harvest Craft Fair at South Congregational Church | SUN Brunch w/Mike Grover at Dottie's | SUN Jazz Brunch at Hotel on North | MON Trivia Night to Benefit Roots Rising at Hotel on North | WED Berkshire Realtors Charity Chili Cook-off at Country Club of Pittsfield THU Haunted Hancock at Hancock Shaker Village
  LEARNING
OLLI presents author Elaine Sciolino at Berkshire Museum. In her new book, The Seine, she tells the story of that river through its history and characters - a bargewoman, a riverbank bookseller, a houseboat dweller, a famous cameraman. She patrols with river police, rows with a restorer of antique boats, discovers a champagne vineyard, and even dares to swim in it. Sciolino is a writer and former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times. p.m.
Plus...
FRI Paint "Silo Barn" on Slate/Canvas at Berkshire Paint & Sip SAT Paint "Autumn Maple Tree" at Berkshire Paint & Sip SAT Tours at Arrowhead SAT Terrarium Class at Township Four SAT Beginner's Tarot at New Moon Gifts | SUN History of the Baseball Bat at The Lichtenstein | SUN Shaker Foodways Workshop: Pumpkins & Squash at Hancock Shaker Village | MON West African & Caribbean Drumming Classes at The Lichtenstein TUE Crystal Class at New Moon Gifts WED Succulent Gourd Class at Township Four THU Current Affairs at Knesset Israel 
 
FILM
FRI-MON Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me at The Little Cinema
Plagued by medical issues and memory lapses, Broadway icon Elaine Stritch contemplates retirement and mortality as she approaches her 87th birthday and rehearses for a new show. The uncompromising Tony and Emmy Award-winner is showcased both on and off stage via rare archival footage and intimate cinema vérité.
Plus...
ONGOING See What's New at The Beacon

 

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Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
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