MCLA to Host Networking Session for Regional K-12 Educational Leaders

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Division of Graduate & Continuing Education will host a networking and mentoring session for new K-12 leaders on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 4-6 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield. 
 
The event comes at a time of significant leadership transitions across local school districts and is designed to strengthen regional educational partnerships while providing support for newly appointed administrators. 
 
"With significant leadership transitions occurring across local school districts, this gathering provides an opportunity to build relationships, offer support, and strengthen the professional network that connects MCLA with educational leaders throughout the Berkshires and beyond," said Marianne Young, Director of MCLA's Leadership Academy. "These partnerships play a vital role in supporting current and future educators as they pursue advanced degrees and leadership development opportunities." 
 
The session will include appetizers and beverages as participants come together to celebrate educational leadership in the community. The event reflects MCLA's broader commitment to supporting the regional educational ecosystem beyond its own boundaries. 
 
Educational leaders interested in attending can contact dgce@mcla.edu for more details. 

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North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 
 
She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 
 
"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."
 
Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 
 
The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."
 
Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."
 
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