Simon's Rock Awarded Early College Full School Impact Planning Grant

04:02PM / Monday, April 25, 2022Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. —Simon's Rock announced that the institution was awarded an Early College Full School Impact Planning Grant of $150,000 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"The purpose of this competitive grant is to provide significant planning and resources to support a district and/or high school and college partner in designing and developing an impactful, large scale, or "full school" immersive Early College program model."

The grant will support a three-year pilot program for Simon's Rock to partner with Southern Berkshire Regional School District (SBRSD) to develop a shared immersive whole-school model Early College program beginning in fall 2022 (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

The whole-school model partnership was specifically created for Mount Everett Regional High School (MERHS) and draws upon elements from Simon's Rock and Bard Early Colleges. Simon's Rock has partnered with SBRSD since the fall of 2019 in providing students at MERHS with the opportunity to take Early College courses and earn credits towards their associate degrees while still enrolled in public education. In the whole-school model, which is the first whole school partnership in Massachusetts in a rural district, students at MERHS will have increased educational opportunities in a school district with only one comprehensive high school option. The Simon's Rock and MERHS whole-school partnership is an innovative approach for rural students, who have been underserved by Early Colleges, and can be a model for small comprehensive districts, particularly rural ones.

The curriculum in the Simon's Rock and MERHS whole-school model draws from Simon's Rock courses such as "Mathematics and its Applications" and "Philosophical Problems," as well as the Pathways to the American College Experience (PACE) program, College Experiential Learning & Research Workshops from Bard High School Early Colleges in Newark and Cleveland, and the Civic Engagement Capstone from Bard Early College Hudson.

The whole-school model will blend Early College with career pathways and includes 3 plus credit levels for 5 different pathway options with only 35-50 students per grade. Teacher training will also be provided through the Early College Research Institute to further expand Early College access.

The Bard College network has 8 high schools that utilize the Early College model in urban areas including New York City, Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington D.C, New Orleans, and the Hudson Valley. As the founding site of Early College, Simon's Rock is leading the future in building rural Early College access.

Tags: bard college,

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Lt. Governor Driscoll Visits Great Barrington Businesses

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Housing Secretary Ed Augustus and state Rep. Leigh Davis are ready to chop wood out back of Pleasant and Main.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll did some holiday shopping on Main Street last week after announcing millions of federal Community Development Block Grant funds.

She was glad to see an array of small-business owners thriving, and the eclectic items that Great Barrington has to offer.

"We know that the vibrancy of communities can often be defined by what's happening on Main Street," she said.

"It's great to be here in Great Barrington and see so many independent entrepreneurs who are running really, not only fun, but businesses that are doing well, and we want to try and find ways to uplift and support that work moving forward."

State Rep. Leigh Davis coordinated a business tour with Pleasant and Main Cafe and General Store, Robbie's Community Market, and Butternut Ski Mountain. While downtown, Driscoll also stopped at Robin's Candy and Rob's Records and Audio.

Earlier that day, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $33.5 million in federal CDBG funds at the Housatonic Community Center. Great Barrington, in conjunction with Egremont and Stockbridge, has been allocated $ 1.25 million to rehabilitate approximately 14 housing units. A new Rural and Small Town Housing Choice Community designation for its Housing Choice Initiative was also launched.

Davis emphasized the significance of the state announcing these dollars in the small village of Housatonic.

Craig Bero, founder of Pleasant and Main, prepared desserts and hors d'oeuvres for the group at his cozy cafe across the street from the Housatonic Community Center. Bero opened more than a decade ago after migrating from New York City, and Pleasant and Main offers sustainable, organic meals for an affordable price while enjoying the museum of antiques that is the restaurant.

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