Pine Cobble Names Head of School

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Pine Cobble School in Williamstown has appointed Dr. Alana Harte, a longtime educator, head of school as of Jan. 1, 2024, according to a December announcement sent to the school community by its board of trustees.

Dr. Harte joined Pine Cobble in 2020 and served, most recently, as acting head of school, and prior to that, assistant head of school, dean of students, and reading specialist.

She earlier held various positions in other schools, including eleven years as a middle school English teacher, and previously served as an equity consultant and qualitative researcher. She received an EdD in Educational leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University, an MSEd in supervision and administration from Southern University and A&M College, and a BA in English language arts from Hunter College in New York City. 

In the board's announcement, Leticia Haynes, chair of the board of trustees, wrote of Dr. Harte:

"Her instructional expertise will be invaluable as we move Pine Cobble forward with a vision for greater curricular strength and deeper integration of the character pillars with values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She will continue to enhance the school's traditions of engagement with nature, the arts, and sports and community building, while ensuring Pine Cobble provides outstanding academic and character education for all of our children."

"I am honored to have been selected as the next head of school at Pine Cobble School," Harte said. "I am drawn in particular to the school's commitment to strong academics, to community, and to upholding character pillars for its students, as well as its being an equitable and inclusive space. I'm looking forward to us connecting with the greater community meaningfully and frequently."

 


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Williamstown READI Committee Transitions Away From Select Board

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday voted unanimously to transition the town's diversity committee away from the role it has served since its inception in 2020.
 
On a 4-0 vote, the board voted to formally dissolve the body recently renamed the Race, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and allow its members to work directly with the town manager to advance the issues that the former DIRE Committee addressed over the last six years.
 
When the then-Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee was formed in the summer of 2020, it was conceived as an advisory body to the Select Board.
 
Over the years, the relationship between the Select Board and DIRE became strained, to the point where READI Committee members last year were openly discussing whether their group should remain a town committee at all or become a grassroots organization on the model of the town's Carbon Dioxide Lowering (COOL Committee).
 
"I just don't think that previous Select Boards have been the best guides in the process of getting things accomplished in the community," said Shana Dixon, who served on DIRE before her election to the Select Board last May. "Not that this panel, right now, could be better.
 
"What I'm saying is that it has been a hindrance to work under the Select Board."
 
It was not immediately clear whether the next incarnation of the READI Committee would continue to comply with the provisions of the Open Meeting Law.
 
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