Brayton Elementary and Berkshire Museum Bring Mobile Museum Units to Second Grade

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Public Schools, in partnership with Berkshire Museum, announced a residency project beginning December 2024. 
 
This initiative will engage second-grade students at Brayton Elementary School with seven Mobile Museum Units (MoMUs), incorporating museum objects focused on science and social studies into their visual arts curriculum.
 
"We are delighted that our second-grade students will have deep engagement with the new MoMU exhibits each month," said Danielle Bowe, visual art teacher at Brayton Elementary School. "It is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Berkshire Museum to enrich our art curriculum with meaningful projects that relate to the exhibits."
 
The MoMU residency will provide second-grade students at Brayton with learning experiences that blend art, science, and social studies over a sustained seven-month engagement period. From December to June, a rotation of seven different MoMUs—small traveling exhibits that bring museum objects out into the community—will be installed in the school lobby monthly. Topics include geology, plants, Berkshire history, math found in nature, and more. Through interactive lessons with museum educators, students will explore the museum objects in each MoMU and create artwork inspired by the exhibits during their regular art classes.
 
"Mobile Museum Units are a critical element of the museum's educational philosophy, especially as we temporarily close for renovations," said Joe Mastronardi, curriculum developer at Berkshire Museum and lead museum educator for the partnership with North Adams Public Schools. "This is our way of staying connected to our county-wide community and emphasizing our profound commitment to everyone. Our MoMU lessons are engaging, object-based STEAM programming for any age; it's always so much fun to teach them."
 
To support this work, Berkshire Museum has been awarded a $5,000 Creative Projects for Schools grant from Mass Cultural Council, the state's arts agency. Creative Projects for Schools grants support "creative learning experiences in the arts, sciences, and humanities where K-12 students can uncover hidden talents, discover and express their own ideas, build confidence, explore the natural world, and connect to their history and community."
 
This residency at Brayton builds upon the district's previous partnership with Berkshire Museum—also supported by Mass Cultural Council—to bring art lessons connected to MoMUs to the former Greylock Elementary School during the 2023-2024 school year for students in second and fifth grades.

Tags: Berkshire Museum,   NAPS,   

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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.

Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.

We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.

In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.

Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear. 

The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.

"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."

Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.

In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.

The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.

"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.

They are hoping their display carries on the tradition of the Arnold Family Christmas Lights Display that retired in 2022.

The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.

In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.

"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said. 

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