BArT Awarded State STEM Equipment and Professional Development Grant

07:43AM / Monday, November 17, 2025Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School (BArT) is the recipient of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's Massachusetts Life Science Center's (MLSC) STEM Equipment and Professional Development Grant Program.

$60,515 has been awarded to BArT to expand life sciences education and enhance STEM career pathways for students. Plans underway include augmenting the AP science course offerings, upgrading lab equipment, and providing enhanced professional development for the science team.

"The life sciences are a cornerstone of our economy, and the industry's continued growth depends on cultivating the next generation of talent across every region of the Commonwealth," said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. "These grants strengthen the connection between STEM education and industry needs, ensuring Massachusetts remains a leader in life sciences workforce development for years to come."

The MLSC is awarding more than $3.3 million for 49 projects through the STEM Equipment and Professional Development Grant Program. This funding will serve nearly 56,000 students at 131 schools and provide professional development opportunities for more than 320 teachers. The program prepares students for life sciences careers by enabling schools to purchase lab equipment, materials, supplies, and technology, and provide teachers with professional development opportunities that support the implementation of advanced curricula and standards alignment.

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Adams Police Bringing Dated Policies Up to Standard

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:29PM / Sunday, February 08, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen approved a raft of Police Department policy changes on Wednesday.

Acting Police Chief Timothy Sorrell presented the updates, noting that some hadn't been touched in 20 years. These new policies are in line with the standards of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and changes made by the state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

"What we did is, instead of reinventing the wheel, I think when I first stood me before you, when I came on as the acting chief, we talked about getting policies from other departments, and there was a town in South County who became accredited, and they were more than willing to share with us their accredited policies," he said.

Detective Michael Wandrei, Officer Travis Cunningham and the chief reviewed the policies and brought them to officers with specialized training in those areas.

"We discussed, how does this fit into Adams? And some of it was just changing that town's name to the Adams name," he said. "So we just had to tweak it to what fit Adams is what we ended up doing ... It doesn't make us accredited, but we're a step closer, maybe when we get all these policies in line."

Policies reviewed included use of force; vehicular pursuits; detainee processing; protective custody; police media relations; body-worn cameras; collection and preservation of evidence; and property and evidence control.

More than a few of the updates related to new techniques, equipment and methods that have changed in the 15 or 20 years.

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