BCC Honors Scholar Students to Present Free Public Reading

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three Berkshire Community College (BCC) Honors Scholar Program students who were awarded Melville Fellowships for the spring semester — Rowan Boyer, Mwila Malama and Clarise Seguin — will present a public reading of their works on Wednesday, May 8 at 4:30 pm. 
 
The reading, which is free and open to the public, will be held at BCC in Melville Hall, Room M-212.?Light refreshments will be served. 
 
For those who cannot attend in person, a virtual recording will be accessible on Zoom. To join online, visit
 
The three students were awarded Melville Fellowships by the Berkshire County Historical Society.  They have been busy creating original writings and art while spending time at Herman Melville's Arrowhead, the location where Melville wrote 
Moby Dick, working with Writer-in-Residence Emeritus Jana Laiz. The students are also earning experiential learning honors course credit. 
 
The students' readings represent the progress they have made towards the goals they set in January, as described in their own words. 
 
Rowan Boyer planned to work in creative writing, poetry and visual art. "My initial gut feeling is to write a story about woodland animals set in the land surrounding Arrowhead," Boyer said. "I would also love to experiment with poetry and create illustrations along with my writing." 
 
Mwila Malama planned to research Arrowhead as a non-profit organization, specifically "how it conducts its operations to ensure continuity and relevance
 to the society that it seeks to serve." With a focus on the museum's finances and its impact on the community, Malama will also take part in creative writing, poetry and other activities. 
 
Clarise Seguin planned to write poetry and stories that touch on the life of Herman Melville, as well as writing about the scenery that surrounds the museum, combined with art pieces. "With these goals in mind, I hope to create art and stories that inspire and evoke strong emotions," Seguin said. 

Tags: BCC,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

PHS Community Challenges FY27 Budget Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee received an early look Wednesday at the proposed fiscal year 2027 facility budgets, and the Pittsfield High community argued that $653,000 would be too much of a burden for the school to bear. 

On Wednesday, during a meeting that adjourned past 10 p.m., school officials saw a more detailed overview of the spending proposal for Pittsfield's 14 schools and administration building.  

They accepted the presentation, recognizing that this is just the beginning of the budget process, as the decision on whether to close Morningside Community School still looms. The FY27 budget calendar plans the School Committee's vote in mid-April.

Under this plan, Pittsfield High School, with a proposed FY27 budget of around $8.1 million, would see a reduction of seven teachers (plus one teacher of deportment) and an assistant principal of teaching and learning, and a guidance counselor repurposed across the district.  

The administration said that after "right-sizing" the classrooms, there were initially 14 teacher reductions proposed for PHS. 

"While I truly appreciate the intentionality that has gone into developing the equity-based budget model, I am incredibly concerned that the things that make our PHS community strong are the very things now at risk," PHS teacher Kristen Negrini said. "Because when our school is facing a reduction of $653,000, 16 percent of total reductions, that impact is not just a number on a spreadsheet. It is the experience of our students." 

She said cuts to the high school budget is more than half of the districtwide $1.1 million in proposed instructional cuts. 

Student representative Elizabeth Klepetar said the "Home Under the Dome" is a family and community.  There is reportedly anxiety in the student body about losing their favorite teacher or activities, and Klepetar believes the cuts would be "catastrophic," from what she has seen. 

"Keep us in mind. Use student and faculty voice. Come to PHS and see what our everyday life looks like. If you spend time at PHS, you would see our teamwork and adaptability to our already vulnerable school," she said. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories