Letter: Support Next Generation With New Greylock School

To the Editor:

The most recent U.S. Census data on record indicates that North Adams experienced a population decline of 26 people from 2019 to 2022, averaging a difference less than 7 people per year. However, one major point the new Greylock opponents argue is that the school population will be cut in half, with several hundred fewer students over the next decade.

They claim that only one elementary school will be needed, negating the necessity of investing in a second school. Despite where they get their numbers, their projected enrollment figures do not align with the Census data showing a minute population decline the past few years.

The city's population appears to be stabilizing after the loss of Sprague in the 1980s. The trend of steep population drops has passed, and the city is now gaining nearly as many residents as it is losing each year. Given these small net changes, new developments, and attracting prospective residents, the city may see slight increases in the future, including an influx of children who will need schooling.

Maintaining two fully functional elementary schools in the coming decades is necessary. Rejecting the opportunity to build a new school at the same or lower cost than renovating the aging facility, with the state covering 80 percent of the expenses, would be shortsighted and fail to provide long-term cost savings.

Although my own children no longer attend the local schools, I recognize that when they did, the entire community — including residents without school-age kids — contributed to maintaining quality education by paying taxes. Strong teachers and curriculum are vital, but cultivating an environment that motivates and engages students is just as crucial.

Now it's my turn to pay it forward and support the next generation, which is why I am voting yes for the new Greylock School.

Keith Bona
North Adams, Mass. 

North Adams, Pittsfield Mark King Day With Calls for Activism

By Tammy Daniels & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Monday, January 19, 2026

Alÿcia Bacon, community engagement officer for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, speaks at the MLK service held Price Memorial AME Church in Pittsfield. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wendy Penner can be found pretty much everywhere: leading local initiatives to address climate change and sustainability, championing public health approaches for substance abuse, and motivating citizens to defend their rights and the rights of others. 

 

That's all when she's not working her day job in public health, or being co-president of Congregation Beth Israel, or chairing the Williamstown COOL Committee, or volunteering on a local board. 

 

"Wendy is deeply committed to the Northern Berkshire community and to the idea of think globally, act locally," said Gabrielle Glasier, master of ceremonies for Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's annual Day of Service. 

 

Her community recognized her efforts with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations who have substantially contributed to the Northern Berkshires. The award has been presented by the MLK Committee for 30 years, several times a year at first and at the MLK Day of Service over the past 20 years. 

 

"This event is at heart a celebration of our national and local striving to live up to the ideals of Dr. King and his committed work for racial equality, economic justice, nonviolence and anti-militarism," said Penner. "There is so much I want to say about this community that I love, about how we show up for each other, how we demonstrate community care for those who are struggling, how we support and and celebrate the natural environment that we love and how we understand how important it is that every community member feels deserves to feel valued, seen and uplifted."

 

King's legacy is in peril "as I never could have imagined," she said, noting the accumulation of vast wealth at the top while the bottom 50 percent share only 2.5 percent the country's assets. Even in "safe" Massachusetts, there are people struggling with food and housing, others afraid to leave their homes. 

 

In response, the community has risen to organize and make themselves visible and vocal through groups such as Greylock Together, supporting mutual aid networks, calling representatives, writing cards and letters, and using their privilege to protect vulnerable community members.