MMRHS Teacher to Present Talk on the Enduring Value of Humanities Education

01:30PM / Thursday, August 20, 2026Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Michael Rosenthal invites community members to consider the role of the humanities during a public presentation on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 3:00 p.m. at the Stockbridge Library.

Moral Technology and Cultural Memory: Humanities Education as the Framework for a Democratic Society explores how literature, storytelling, and reflective inquiry cultivate the critical thinking, moral imagination, and civic responsibility essential to a healthy democracy.

"I am on a mission to revitalize the humanities in a culture of ever-shrinking attention spans and instantly generated AI," said Rosenthal.

Drawing on the work of philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum and other scholars, Rosenthal will explore how the humanities help young people develop the critical thinking, moral imagination, and civic awareness essential to a democratic society. The presentation, grounded in his experience as a public high school educator, will be followed by a community discussion.

Rosenthal has taught English at Monument Mountain Regional High School since 2009. A playwright and former theater professor, he is also the author of The Eclectic Estate, a Substack publication exploring literature, culture, and education.

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Healey Talks Healthcare, Housing, ICE at South County Farm

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
11:14AM / Thursday, August 20, 2026

Farmer Elizabeth Keen gives Maura Healey a ground cherry to try.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Maura Healey visited Main Street and then Indian Line Farm during campaign stops in South County on Tuesday.

The current governor is running for re-election with no Democratic challengers. On the Republican primary ballot, Michael Minogue of Hamilton and Brian Shortsleeve of Barnstable are vying for the gubernatorial nomination in the primary Election on Sept. 1.

"Some people, I may not be everything they want. OK, I'm never going to be everything that everybody wants, but it's like, for God's sakes, people have got to know, you're either going to get this, or you're going to get a rubber stamp for Trump-Vance. Period," Healey said.

"… I'm proud of Massachusetts. We've got our challenges, but we're number one in education and healthcare. We've got the safest drinking water in the country. We've got clean air. We've got great recreation. We've got a lot. We protect people's rights and freedoms, not for nothing. These are really good things."

During a meet and greet at Indian Line Farm, she spoke to a couple dozen supporters about issues impacting them: healthcare, affordability, quality education, and civil protections around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She began the day with stops at local businesses on Main Street.

The farm's owners, Elizabeth Keen and Al Thorp, had an array of farm-fresh offerings for Healey, and she even tried a ground cherry. The farm is in its 29th season, and its Community Supported Agriculture group has 285 members.

"As a farmer in Massachusetts, I continuously tell people who come to visit, and when I give farm tours: Massachusetts is such an amazing state to be a farmer because there are so many resources," Keen said.

"There have been many, many projects that we have received technical assistance from the Commonwealth, and in addition to grant funds. I wouldn't say we wouldn't be where we were without it, but we would be a very different farm without it."