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Smile Programs Visits North Adams Public Schools

Ryder Rowett gets X-rays of his teeth done. The Smile Programs also offers cleanings and some restorative care like fillings. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A mobile dental program visited North Adams Public Schools last week to ensure that students had healthy smiles. 

Founded by two moms who were also dentists, the Smile Programs has been offering dental checkups at schools more more than 20 years. 

"Bringing the care to the patient's hard for families to find care providers that provide care for MassHealth and so we're kind of just bringing the care to the patients," said Dr. Dana Burkett.

Smile Programs is in 17 states and says it has have helped more than 450,000 children.

The program does a complete dental exam, cleanings, X-rays, and other preventative care. And it offers some restorative care like fillings.

School nurse leader Natalie Emery was working with the schools to help find someone who could talk with the kids about dental hygiene and found the Smile Programs. 

"In this particular area we don't have a lot of providers that accept MassHealth. Many families have to travel far, which is a barrier to receiving care, as well as kids not understanding how important it is to brush your teeth," she said.

"In the nurse's office, we see a lot of kids with poor dental care and it causes pain, it causes missed days from school and just creates further problems. So, it's a great opportunity to have them come to the school and try to prevent some of that further tooth decay and trouble down the road."

The Michigan-based program estimates more than 51 million school hours are lost a year and that 1 in 7 children are suffering from tooth pain. 

The Smile program emphasizes that by coming to the schools, children will miss less school time and parents will not have to worry about transportation or having to take time off work.

Emery says about 90 students in the district have signed up for the program and about 15 to 20 kids are seen when the mobile dentist is there. The mobile dentist went to all three schools: Drury High, Colegrove Elementary, and Brayton Elementary.

The dentists see about 20 students each time they are there and explains to them how important dental hygiene is and leaves them with a free toothbrush to go back to class and continue their day.

Emery said the schools hope to be able to bring back the Smile Programs for students.

MCLA Selects Pennsylvania Educator as 13th President

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:47PM / Thursday, April 23, 2026

 Diana Rogers-Adkinson

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The board of trustees on Thursday voted 8-2 to offer the 13th presidency of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to a Pennsylvania higher education executive.

Diana L. Rogers-Adkinson is senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs and chief academic officer for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, providing system-level leadership for 10 universities serving approximately 80,000 students.

 

"I thought she was really able to articulate the value of a liberal arts education and our mission to both society and, you know, to our students in their lives," said Trustees Buffy Lord before presenting the motion to offer her the post. "I think that she'll be a fantastic advocate for MCLA within Berkshire County, but also in Boston. You know, my sense is that she's going to be able to fight for us if it needs to happen."

 

Rogers-Adkinson accepted the post by phone immediately after the vote, pending negotiations and approval by the Board of Higher Education. 

 

She was one of four finalists for the post out of 102 completed applications. All four spent time on campus over the past month, speaking with students, faculty, trustees and community members. 

 

Trustees expounded on her experience, leadership and communication style. She was also one of two candidates, with preferred by the faculty, the college's unions and Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega.

 

The second candidate preferred, Michael J. Middleton, provost and vice president at Ramapo College of New Jersey, withdrew after consultation wiht his family, according to Lord.