The Williamstown Youth Center has hired a history teacher from Friends Seminary in New York City as its new director.
Jonathan Igoe of Brooklyn, N.Y., a 1997 graduate of Yale University, was chosen by the youth center board at its meeting Monday from among 50 applicants. Igoe, who has a background in business as well as education, plus coaching experience, will assume the directorship at the end of June, when the school year ends. His salary will be $40,000.
At Friends Seminary, Igoe teaches seventh grade social studies — civics and African American history — and 11th and 12th grade economics. He also is a seventh grade advisor and has coached boys junior varsity soccer and girls track.
The center’s 15-member board approved Igoe’s appointment Monday night.
Youth Center Board President Keith Finan said “Jonathan impressed the search committee as bright, personable and wonderful with children. We believe he will be a tremendous addition to the youth center and to the community. We look forward to the energy and vitality he will bring to the operation.â€
Before going to teach at Friends Seminary in September, 2001, Igoe was manager of sales administration at Holtzbrinck Publishers in New York. Previously, from Sept. 1997 to June, 2000, he taught history in the middle school at Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore, Md., where he also coached soccer and softball.
He spent from January to June, 1995 as a Visions in Action volunteer in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was a basic literacy volunteer teacher.
During his college years, he was also a literacy volunteer and a juvenile probation volunteer. He received his B.A. in history from Yale in 1997. He graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1992.
His hobbies include sailing, snowboarding, running, swimming, biking, hiking, piano and travel.
The youth center has been run by its associate directors for two years, since the previous director Michael Canales left to run the Lenox Youth Center. Canales is now the administrative assistant for the town of Clarksburg.
The center, founded in 1927, was started by several youth groups coordinated by Williams College students. It currently serves 500 families, offering after school and vacation athletic, art and other activities.
Finan confirmed that the organization, whose operating budget is $230,000, still hopes to renovate or replace its aging facility.
“That’s one of the challenges on Jonathan’s plate for the future,†said Finan.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
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.
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