Literacy Network of South Berkshire's Promotes Director of Tutoring

Print Story | Email Story
LEE, Mass. — The Literacy Network of South Berkshire (LitNet) announced the promotion of Miguel Silva to Director of Tutoring. 
 
Silva, who joined LitNet in 2021, formerly served as LitNet's Learner Liaison. In his new role, under the direction of Executive Director Leigh Doherty, Silva will oversee the enrollment of all new tutors and will serve as support for LitNet's existing 140+ volunteer tutors. He will retain his responsibilities as also being the point of contact for LitNet's 160+/- active learners, the majority of whom are immigrants seeking English language instruction.
 
Most recently, Silva taught Spanish at Berkshire Country Day School before joining LitNet. He is certified in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Silva, who is a native of Colombia, moved to the Berkshires at age 10. 
 
"As an immigrant, and as someone who is fluent in English and Spanish and conversant in Portuguese, Miguel has allowed LitNet to forge a stronger bond with the immigrant community here in the Berkshires. He is well versed in the needs and ambitions of our learners, and his new role as Director of Tutoring is well-suited," said Executive Director Leigh Doherty.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Boston Red Sox's Wally Visits Morris Elementary School

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
LENOX, Mass. — Students at Morris Elementary School, sporting red, navy and green, along with plenty of baseball memorabilia, welcomed Big League Brian Dwyer and his iconic buddy, Boston Red Sox Wally the Green Monster, as he shared his love of reading with the community's future leaders.
 
"Reading opens up so many doors in so many different situations and areas in life. We have so many Boston Red Sox fans, and then bringing Wally here just reinforces the love that Wally has for reading," Principal Holly Soules said. "Kids want to be like Wally, so it's really fun to see the connection between the kids.
 
Wally's visits to the western part of the state are "rare," making his appearance at Morris Elementary especially timely following the school's recent library revamp, which prominently features one of the school's mantras: "Readers are leaders."
 
The event gave students a unique opportunity to interact with a character they may have only seen from afar at Fenway Park or on television.
 
"It was my favorite assembly of all time because I got to do stuff with Wally," fourth grader Tanner Wood said. "I like seeing him because I've never gotten that close to seeing Wally, and I got to like high five him and stuff." 
 
For the last decade, Big League Brian and Wally have encouraged students to read more while showing them ways to make reading fun and engaging through the "Wally's Making Books Come Alive" program. Schools can book a visit with Wally here. 
 
Using special bookmarks and a few silly antics from the goofy monster, Wally teaches students different strategies to make reading easier and more enjoyable for young learners, including reading aloud, acting out scenes, visualizing the story and using their imaginations to become more engaged readers.
 
View Full Story

More Lenox Stories