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Catherine Hibbard of Berkshire Humane Society and her shelter dog Justus help lead the Walking School Bus up the hill to Lee Elementary School on Wednesday.
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Lee Elementary teachers Mia Darone and Ashley Hickson with Cooper.
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Kids pet a Berkshire Comfort Dogs poodle.
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The children's pet wall at the school.
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Catherine Hibbard poses with shelter dogs Justus and Sophie.
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Furry Friends Join Lee Elementary School's 'Walking Bus'

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Children pet one of the pups who participated in the walk. Started in 2019, the Walking School Bus invites an organization to walk with it each month. 
LEE, Mass. — Furry friends escorted Lee Elementary pupils to school on Wednesday as part of a monthly event called the Walking School Bus.
 
They began at the town park, walked down Main Street, and then up the hill to Greylock Street led by several canine pals.
 
"It's a big community effort every month," physical education teacher Jennifer Carlino said. "It's great for all-around, for the kids for the community, we love it."
 
Berkshire Humane Society joined the procession with two alumni pups, Justus and Sophie, who found a forever home with Catherine Hibbard, the society's marketing communications manager. Another BHS alum, named Cooper, joined the walk, as he was adopted by Lee Elementary staff member Ashley Hickson.
 
Following the walk, the school's student council took a field trip to the Pittsfield shelter to deliver items and monetary donations the children had collected. 
 
Berkshire Comfort Dogs, which will have donated about 30 poodles to county schools come Sept. 1, also joined the walking bus with pups Ellie, Molly and Maui.
 
Each month, the school picks a theme and invites a group or person to join the kids on a walk. Started in 2019, the Safe Routes to School initiative is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. The following year it received an Exemplary Program Award from the state Department of Transportation. 
 
There are environmental, health, and social benefits to the Walking School Bus. The goal is to engage students in active transportation and community building in an effective and fun way.
 
iBerkshires was given a look at Lee Elementary's "pet walls" in one of its entranceways that displays students' pet friends. Made in preparation for the walk, the school revealed that a Berkshire Humane Society donation was provided for almost every pet display.   
 
The first Walking School Bus occurred in fall 2019 to commemorate National Walk to School day. About 125 students attended along with Lee Police, MassDOT, and School Committee members.
 
Carlino explained that the student council is asked every month if it has a partnership in mind for the monthly event. Students have walked with Lee Bank, the Kiwanis Club, the school community, and Dresser Hull.
 
The Kiwanis Club walk helped the organization stuff its trailer with food for the Lee food pantry and the Dresser Hull walk raised money for the Laliberte Toy Fund.
 
The walks are assisted by the town's first responders, with the Lee Police providing crosswalk assistance and trailing close behind, occasionally speaking to the students from the cruiser radio.
 
It was clear that both children and adults were having a good time.

Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   safe routes to school,   

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Simon's Rock Awarded Freedom to Read Grant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Bard College at Simon's Rock was awarded a Freedom to Read Grant by the Newburger Schwartz Family Foundation. 
 
The grant was awarded to support the Alumni Library and Bard Queer Leadership Project in building a more robust collection of queer scholarship, starting a Queer Book Club, and hosting Drag Story Time events in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires.
 
According to a press release:
 
In response to current educational threats with book bans affecting schools and libraries across the country and further proposed legislation against LGBTQ+ people's access to basic rights and education, Simon's Rock is actively seeking to create inclusive and equitable spaces for queer individuals. 
 
The Bard Queer Leadership Project and Alumni Library will utilize the grant funding to expand the library's current collection of queer books in order to fully enable the longevity of the Queer Book Club and the Bard Queer Leadership Project. The Queer Book Club will be an intergenerational space, open to local middle school students through rainbow seniors and will partner with local community organizations, to discuss queer books and learn about LGBTQ+ issues and experiences. Bard Queer Leadership Project students will eventually help lead this initiative as part of their leadership project training. 
 
The Queer Book Club will host their first meeting on April 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Alumni Library, with following meetings on April 27 and May 11. This semester, the selected books are "Obie is Man Enough" and "He/She/They," both by Schuyler Bailar, inspirational speaker and first openly transgender NCAA Division swimmer, who was a guest speaker in the inaugural Queer Leaders Vision Forum in fall 2023 at Simon's Rock. Schuyler Bailar will return to campus for a book signing and pool party at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center on April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Participants in the Queer Book Club will receive a free copy of either book of their choice. 
 
The first Drag Story Time will be on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Simon's Rock Alumni Library and is open to all LGBTQ+ affirming individuals. The event is in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires with local drag queens JV and Poppy DaBubbly. The second Drag Story Time will be Saturday, April 27 with drag queen Poppy DaBubbly and drag king Sativo Green.
 
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