McCann 'Swarm'-ing With Enthusiasm
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — School officials are pleased with the engagement they're seeing from the student population.
"I been talking to some other principals, and it's encouraging," Principal Justin Kratz told the School Committee on Thursday. "A lot of the other principals in Berkshire County and other parts of the state are all kind of saying the samet thing — the energy in the schools is coming back. That's encouraging and we're seeing it here too ... So COVID was tough but we're clawing our way out."
Kratz offered examples such as recent Swarm Club activities and the turnout and performances for the fall sports teams.
"All of our fall sports wrapped up ... It was a successful season, in my opinion, across the board," he said, pointing to the girls soccer team and the golf team winning championships and the phenomenal attendance at the McCann-Drury football game, won of the two last games of the season that the Hornets won.
"This place is absolutely moth that night it was so we let students in free that night. I think we sold over 500 tickets," he said, estimating some 800 people were there, including lining the hill above the field. There were students from Hoosac Valley (cheering McCann) and Mount Greylock (cheering Drury). "I'm glad we won, but it would have been a fun night either way, just to have all these teenagers from all four schools down here having fun."
Some of the students were urged on by the Swarm Club, which hosted a pizza tailgate party that drew about 75 parents, students and staff before the game and then sited themselves on the field where "Swarm" was stenciled on the ground.
Christopher Carr, adviser to the Swarm Club, talked about some of the other activities at the school designed to engage students, including starting off the freshmen with a breakfast and pub trivia to introduce them to the school. Kratz said it was a "huge shift" in how to start the school year.
The history teacher said the club's goals were to create three flagship events, each corresponding to the sports season, such as the tailgate party; build involvement that represents all students; and provide students opportunity to engage in their community in their own way.
Some of that has been through a "hat day" fundraiser that collected more than $250 for PopCares and involving students in the homecoming pep rally, along with the tailgate party and incoming breakfast pilot.
Carr asked the committee members to think back to their own educational experiences and the emotional connections they produced.
"The goal of Swarm is to promote opportunities, to create more of those positive experiences for our students. for those experiences," he said, adding that the mission statement he developed with Kratz was that "we want to focus on bringing students, faculty, staff and administration together to create positive, memorable and inclusive experiences within the McCann community."
Some of that could be through role modeling, with staff and McCann alum sharing their own educational experiences and where that took them. Also to showcase the school's programs and successes and invite students and families to Swarm events to they can experience the positive school culture firsthand.
"I think the future of Swarm is they can take ownership of their experience at McCann but they can also take owner ship of their experiences as a resident of the county or, honestly, whatever community they may find themselves living in the future," he said.
Kratz told the committee that Carr was very popular with the students. "He's got a real knack and a real talent for school culture-centered activities," the principal said.
"I have never seen anything like this ... this whole concept that creates ownership," said Chair Gary Rivers, former school principla. "They buy into it, it makes their school more than a school."
Kratz also reported the freshmen will be entering their second-tier exploratory rotation and that program placement will occur over the break. Local eighth-graders are also beginning their tours with Gabriel Abbott hosted last week and Clarksburg, St. Stanislaus School and Stamford, Vt., scheduled.
Superintendent James Brosnan told the committee that the school was accepted at the end of October into feasibility study for the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The committee had authorized funding for the study last month.
Brosnan said the administration is working on the 32 items for compliance requested by the MSBA and cautioned that any project was still some time out, estimating work on the roof and windows might not start until 2027.
"It's going to take some time," he said. "The good news is we're in the mix but the mix takes some time."
The committee also voted to officially close the surgical technology program as of June 30, 2025. There have been three graduates from the program in the last three years and Berkshire Community College has listed the course as inactive.
"Just bittersweet for me, being a graduate of it," said committee member Bruce Shepley, a registered nurse. "It was an exceptional program, opened up many doors for me and a very successful career."
Tags: McCann, student support,
