We've finally emerged from winter - even though that last early April snowstorm made Penny pretty happy (see her pictured with her snow buddy, Olaf!) With the landscape becoming increasingly stronger shades of green, flowers blooming, and the temperatures hitting almost 90, these are signs that the school year is both in high gear and winding down.

Testing is happening (MCAS, APs, and finals - oh my!). We are abuzz with field trips. Spring sports are headed into tournament play. Both teachers and students are reflecting on the growth they have experienced over school year.

We are proud of the members of our senior class who continue to receive acceptances from colleges and make decisions based on other opportunities they are considering. 6th graders across the districts have experienced a newfound sense of independence as as result of trips to Nature's Classroom and move closer to being with us in middle school.

All of these things, and more, are reminders that there is nothing constant but change.

Speaking of change and things to come, my hope is that the ongoing sustainability study led by BERK12, will arrive as some realizations that may be difficult, exciting, or unexpected - but, in the end, allow our school districts to better serve our students. As we see each individual community

engaging during this Annual Town Meeting season, that is a great reminder that we are in this together.

As always, I encourage you to be involved, ask questions, support our students and staff, and keep doing all you do to make Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts GREAT places to learn and grow.

With the local Annual Town Meeting season underway, please know that a number of materials have been made available intended to help residents understand the numbers in the proposed budget. School committee representatives will also be on hand to share news from the school districts at the annual town meetings.

On the districts website, through the Business Services pages (https://www.mtrsd.org/Business-Services), please find the following materials:

- the source spreadsheets for Hawlemont Regional School District and Mohawk Trail Regional School District

- the slide decks from the February public hearings on the proposed budgets: HRSD and MTRSD

- one page summaries for each town

Also being presented again this year is the MTRSD Regional Agreement Amendment, the details of which may be reviewed here.

Town Meeting dates for 2024 are posted as:

• Ashfield: Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10am (voted in favor of the school budget)

• Buckland: Saturday, May 4, 2024, 10am (voted in favor of the school budget)

• Plainfield: May 4, 2024, 1pm (moved articles to a special town meeting)

• Shelburne: May 7, 2024, 6:30pm (voted in favor of the school budget)

• Heath: Saturday, May 11, 2024, 9am (voted in favor of the school budget)

• Hawley: Monday, May 13, 2024, 7pm (voted in favor of both district school budgets)

• Charlemont: Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 6pm

• Colrain: Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 7pm

Published articles in the Greenfield Recorder following up on the annual town meetings include:

• May 14, 2024: Hawley Residents Vote Down Resolution on State Flag, Seal for Second Year

• May 14, 2024: Heath Voters Ok 1.6M Town Budget, School Spending

• May 8, 2024: Streetlight Proposal Gets Unanimous Approval in Shelburne

• May 5, 2024: "We are Among the Leaders": Ashfield Town Meeting Voters Pass Bevy of Clean Energy Proposals

• May 5, 2024: Buckland Backs Short-Term Rental Bylaw

The MTRSD and HRSD School Committees are in need of dedicated community members to serve! The vacancies are:

Charlemont, 1 open seat for each committee

Heath, 1 open for the MTRSD committee

Visit the school committee webpages for more information about the work:

https://www.mtrsd.org/School-Committees

The district is again offering a five-day-a-week summer program for summer 2024, hosted at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary. This program is open to all students currently enrolled in the Mohawk Trail Regional School District in grades K-6. Activities include tutoring coupled with recreational activities including crafts, water play, sports, etc.

The program will run from Monday, July 8th to Friday, August 2nd. Hours are 8 am to 4:30 pm, and there is a half day option. Students will be offered free lunch and breakfast daily at BSE.

If your child qualifies for tutoring, the tutoring portion is free for all invited students. The full day program costs $200 per week, per child. There will be a reduced rate for families that qualify for free and reduced lunch. PLEASE NOTE: A $100 deposit per student is required to reserve space in the full day program. Fees must be paid in full by June 1st.

Payments may be made via Unipay, (https://unipaygold.unibank.com/default.aspx) by searching "Mohawk Trail RSD" and then click on Mohawk Trail Summer Programs, or checks can be made payable to MTRSD - please write "Mohawk Trail Summer Program" in the memo field.

See the example of the theater-based summer enrichment below. To enroll your student, use this LINK to access the form.

Step Up Day for all 6th grade students from the districts' towns plus Rowe Elementary, will happen on June 3 at MTRS to meet teachers and experience a morning on site at the middle school. This is a symbolic transition from elementary to middle school. We are excited for district 6th grade students to join MTRS students in our building!

On Friday, April 12 buses left MTRS carrying 6th graders from across the districts to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Not only is this trip related to current curriculum, it is another opportunity for 6th grade students from across the districts to interact before coming up to the middle school in the fall.

By the way, the 6th grade Ice Cream Social at MTRS was a sweet success. Thanks to everyone who attended to hear more about what to expect as their student moves into 7th grade at the Mohawk Trail Regional middle school. The bowls of ice cream were huge and toppings were plentiful. (Yum!) Thanks to the 7th grade team for scooping and then providing a full overview to 6th graders and their family members in the packed library. Thanks, also, to the parent ambassadors who made themselves available to attendees.

As a caregiver of a 6th grade student, if you have questions, don't hesitate to contact middle school guidance counselor Taffy Ruggeri at truggeri@mtrsd.org.

MTRS middle school teacher Brennan Tierney has been awarded recognition by the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies (MCSS) with the Richard Aieta Award for Promising New Teacher. Amid an extremely strong field of candidates, the MCSS reviewer cited that the letter and supporting materials submitted on Mr. Tierney’s behalf describe a truly remarkable educator.

Mr. Tierney teaches eighth grade social studies and his work is described by his colleagues as “creative, innovative, and engaging.” Colleague Catherine Glennon, high school social studies teacher, shared that Tierney jumped in with both feet at MTRS, and especially the civics work which is a central theme at Mohawk Trail Regional, especially in 8th and 10th grades. She continued, “Brennan is an enthusiastic and thoughtful collaborator and is helping us build a solid program of civic education between our middle and high school.” Not only is he offering students historical background needed to meet guidelines and prepare for the new social studies MCAS, he is also creating opportunities for in depth exploration with civics projects and experiential learning related to current civics-based issues.

Mr. Tierney’s colleagues recognize that, especially as a first-year teacher, he’s performing at a very high level of competence, going above and beyond, and relates to his students on a human level in a way that genuinely reinforces the community identity MTRS is trying to build in MTRS students. Mohawk Trail Regional School pillars are: I am part of this community. I am accountable for my actions. I can contribute in a positive way.

Mr. Tierney has planned field trips; held panel discussions, mock trials and public hearings; and devised numerous other creative and engaging activities for his students. As an example, Tierney scheduled a panel of local town government representatives, also attended by MA State Representative Natalie Blais, for students to engage with over zines (homemade publications devoted to specific subject matter) they created ahead of time on topics important to them. Students prepared intelligent and thoughtful questions prefaced with information about themselves and their topics of interest such as climate change and housing issues. They held articulate conversations with the speakers and learned a great deal about local government, their communities, and their project topics. More recently, Tierney organized a field trip for 8th grade students to attend Franklin County Law Day at the Franklin County Justice Center on May 1. Students toured the courtrooms and offices throughout the building and asked questions of William Mazanec, first justice for the Greenfield District Court (and Mohawk Trail Regional graduate). Students identified connections between their learnings in Civics class and the keynote address from John Bonifaz, a constitutional law scholar, and his daughter, Marisol Bonifaz, a high school student activist. They spoke about the current state of voter suppression, the importance of participating in democracy, and ways students can be more involved. Jordyn, an eighth grader at Mohawk Trail Regional School, said she “learned a lot about the justice system,” along with democracy and the court system, at the event.

Another colleague, Andrew Moffett, MTRS Learning Specialist, observes, “When not in the classroom, Brennan is often seen playing basketball with students, engaging them in conversation and demonstrating his presence as an ally. He is a fair and transparent educator. He clearly communicates classroom content, how students are being assessed and finds alternative ways for students to demonstrate their content knowledge. He is a valued team member in the 8th grade and my students are lucky to have him as their teacher.” Reporting on what 8th grade students have to say, Moffett shares, “They find him to be understanding and use humor in his teaching to help get his content across. One student reported that ‘he makes schoolwork fun.’ Another reported that ‘he always has a positive energy.’ One went even as far as to say he is the ‘G.O.A.T.’”

Mr. Tierney is inspiring his students to believe they can contribute to their communities by giving them background to consider, assigning civic action projects, and exposing them to people who can help them affect change. His work aims to create better citizens and advocates in our

young people.

Mr. Tierney, who lives in Northampton, initially became familiar with Mohawk Trail Regional as a master’s degree candidate in the University of Massachusetts’s 180 Day teacher residency program in their College of Education. Following that experience, Mr. Tierney opted for employment at MTRS and has proven his mettle each day this year. Thank you, Mr. Tierney!

Leanne Blaszak, 7th grade English Language Arts teacher, offered students in her extension classes the opportunity to become published authors. But there was a catch. Each story could only be 100 words long.

Taking part in the Young Writers competition, Mohawk Trail Regional middle schoolers were given the assignment to write “speculative fiction,” stories that take place in our world, but feature magical, supernatural, futuristic or other twists. The exercise - and competition - is designed to allow students to write about what inspires them while focusing on the action and carefully considering their word choice. Seventh grade is a great time to build these skills with the hope of encouraging more confident writers. The organization provided materials to aid educators in leading their students through the process of starting with an idea to submitting a finished piece of writing.

The theme was “The Glitch” in which students had to imagine a story that included a change that has world-altering consequences. Writers used a graphic organizer to help map out their ideas and elements to their story. First steps included considering prompts, defining their character(s), and choosing the setting. Next came the creation of the big details of the beginning, middle and end. Fleshing it out and refining were the final steps.

Students worked for two Extension classes on developing their stories. Ms. Blaszak notes this about her students, “Encouraging young people to experiment with language in creative and challenging ways empowers them to trust their ideas, their skills, and their ability to tackle something new.”

Submitted in late February, these were some of titles of completed 100-word works: The Last One To See Color, The Forgetting, What We Thought Was The End, The Dark Box, The Subliminal Space, The Multi-Pocket Parallel Catastrophe, and Portraits. As a result of these and many more compelling mini sagas, 48 Mohawk Trail Regional 7th grade students can now claim the title of “published author.”

Every writer received a bookmark commemorating the experience. Those chosen for publication also received a certificate of merit. The Glitch - Stories Of Imagination is scheduled for publication on July 31, 2024. As a participating school, Mohawk Trail Regional will receive a complimentary copy of the book allowing all featured students the chance to see their work in print. Parental permission is needed for stories to be published - if your student is one of the authors and you haven’t yet signed off on publishing, please do in the next couple of weeks.

We are proud of the many MTRS 7th grade students whose English language arts skills, coupled with guidance from Ms. Blaszak and the materials from Young Writers, offered a sense of accomplishment and perhaps, permission to dream a little bigger about what the future holds.

The Peacemaker Awards, sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Franklin County and the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, recognizes youth in Franklin County who take part in projects that make positive contributions toward justice, peace, and equity within their communities and the world.

We are proud to share that the following MTRS students had been nominated and chosen to receive the 2024 Peacemaker Award:

Members of the Key Club Mohamed Abdelgawad, Shelby Collier, Madeline Cosentino, Grace Davenport, Riley Giard, Sophia Goodnow, Palmer King, Jackson Lilienthal, Chayim Mojallali, Gage Patenaude, Sebastian Seward, Emily Sisum, Kaylin Sumner, Phineas Tuttman, and Will Van Vleet, for their participation and hard work as members, and for spearheading and establishing the Sharing & Caring Closet, a free clothing closet available to residents in district communities; and MTRS Junior Kristen Sevyoin, for her outstanding service and her quiet leadership. Last spring, with two group members, Kristen took on a Civic Action Project that grew increasingly ambitious as the work went on. They conducted a furniture drive to furnish apartments for newly arrived refugees, participated in welcome events, and raised money to fulfill Amazon wishlists for other supplies. Additionally, she stood out from the crowd by volunteering to participate with other groups in their projects, spending a day working on a local farm, and also knitting Welcome Blankets for new immigrants.

The Peacemaker Award Recognition Ceremony took place on May 8, 2024, at the Greenfield Public Library from 6-7:30 and included guest speaker Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian.

Mohawk Trail Regional is proud to offer Advanced Placement classes. It’s one more way that students are blazing their trails at MTRS.

AP Classes Offered and Teaching Staff at MTRS

In the 2024-2025 school year, Mohawk Trail Regional will list 13 AP courses in its curriculum guide. However, due to our size and the availability of teaching staff, six AP courses are likely to run in any given year, pushing the balance of the courses to run every other year. Students work with their guidance counselor when choosing courses to understand whether opting for an AP course in their junior (or even sophomore) year may be a good strategy. In the 2023-2024 year, 5 AP courses ran: Chemistry (full year, 5 students); Computer Science (semester 1, 6 students); English Literature And Composition (semester 1, 14 students); English Language and Composition (semester 2, 17 students); and US History (semester 2, 12 students).

Mohawk Trail Regional’s list of certified teachers and the AP courses they are prepared to teach include:

Stacie Beck: AP Biology

Eric Colbeck: AP Computer Science Principles; AP Computer Science A

Bill Drake: AP English Literature and Composition

Judy Licht: AP Chemistry; AP Environmental Science

Bob Mastorakis: AP Calculus AB; AP Calculus BC

Erik Sussbauer: English Literature And Composition; AP English Language and Composition

Julia White: AP US History 1; AP US History 2

Inside the AP Classroom

The 40 students who are enrolled in AP courses this year are taking 54 exams this month, with the hope of earning credit for their future. But before they sit for the tests this month, they have put in a considerable amount of preparation. Seeing the students in action, there is natural curiosity and drive to do well. What they have in common is that they are there to work hard, collaborate, seek out answers, understand and excel.

In Mr. Sussbauer’s AP English Language and Composition class, the focus is on the synthesis of ideas and argumentation. Students engaged in a first-time format of conducting research in groups on topics of consumerism, capitalism and philanthropy. This year’s format adds the life skill of public speaking to the mix. When the three groups presented their findings, these were some of the topics shared:

• Capitalism is a key driver in climate change. Capitalism keeps us from being sustainable.

• We value consuming. The US creates 30% of the world’s waste.

• 59% of Americans think money can buy happiness.

• Wealth can be less about what you have but the experiences you collect.

• Carbon safe practices are expensive. Companies are prioritizing profits over the environment. Renewable energies are expensive in the short term but cheaper in the long term.

The students shared data points, trends, deductions, and realities for their audience to consider. At that point in the semester, the 12 students were preparing to take an online practice test in which they were expected to write 3 essays and complete a section of multiple choice. Practice tests help students understand what to expect before a final score is determined, possibly affecting the validity of earned college credit.

As a feature of this year’s AP English classes, students engaged with Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet. Her book A Children’s Bible is read in junior year with Mr. Sussbauer. This in-school field trip gave students access to the author to hear about what inspires her and her methods. She also shared insights into her position with Center for Biological Diversity where she writes and edits communications materials as they relate to the organization’s work in conservation.

In Ms. Licht’s tightly knit AP Chemistry class of 5 students, they worked in groups on an experiment about electrochemistry. They used a watt meter to measure which elements were the better conductors of electrical current to form a battery. Laboratory experiments and content acquisition allows AP Chemistry students to learn through rigorous inquiry. There was humor and a bit of competition in doing the experiment and in the discussion that followed.

Data from the 2022-2023 school year reports:

• 68% of 11-12th graders completed advanced coursework (which includes AP and honors courses)

• 67% of students earned scores of 3 or better (college credit threshold)

• Tests were given in 7 different AP courses

• 30 students took 53 exams (some students took 2 or more exams)

This year, 10 more students are taking AP courses than last year, with two fewer offerings.

The integrity of the AP classes trusts that the teacher and students will rise to a quality of work that merits college credit. This is done at Mohawk Trail Regional by assessing the students’ ability through past work and perceived readiness, incorporating hands-on elements that demonstrate principles, and allowing students to come to conclusions and collaborate with fellow classmates. The relationship between MTRS teachers and their students, and that between students, are important to create a learning environment that fosters the learning necessary to succeed.

Additional Information

The College Board

The College Board is the governing body that sets the rigor, curriculum, materials, support and tests for every school offering AP courses. Additionally, all teachers who are AP instructors must access College Board-sponsored online workshops and/or attend a week-long summer institute to become officially certified to teach an AP level course. This means, the AP courses offered at Mohawk Trail Regional are of the same content and caliber of any other school.

AP Testing, Costs and College Credit

Though students and families have many reasons for including an AP class on their schedule, to earn both high school and college credit is the most popular. Each AP course is modeled after an introductory college course. At Mohawk Trail Regional, each student who takes the course is required to take the related AP exam. Auditing the course without taking the related exam is not an option. Scoring is on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being “No recommendation,” 3 being “Qualified,” and 5 being “Extremely well qualified.” Students who score a 3 or higher on the 5 point scale may receive credit at the college level, if their chosen institution of higher learning accepts AP credits. There are costs associated with taking the test, but Mohawk Trail subsidizes the fees so that they are not a barrier to students wishing to take an AP class.

The highly anticipated production of Disney’s Frozen Kids performed by BSE 4th, 5th and 6th graders was an amazing display of talent. A full house each night, attendees were transported to Arendell by an array of characters, props, and costumes. BSE Music Teacher Shelley Roberts put her heart and soul into making this production a reality. She shares, “Your children are wonderful and creative people.”

Caregivers, families and friends turned out for the Student Art Show and Family Reading Night. Volunteers read favorite children’s book to a gatherings of Colrain families. The event took place right after our Student Art Show (5:00-6:00), from 6:00-7:30 (reading sessions were about 15 minutes each).

Gently used books were donated and families went home with them for their home libraries. Thanks to all who attended, read aloud, and donated books!

Our district elementary schools hosted solar eclipse viewing opportunities on Monday, April 8th on that perfect viewing day. The previous Friday, third grade students at Hawlemont were treated to a special guest visit. Western Mass News Meteorologist Liam Murphy spent time with the students discussing how he predicts the weather and answered many questions about the solar eclipse, among others. This visit coupled with the solar eclipse event helped students to understand the link between what they are learning and what’s happening in the world.

On Saturday, April 27th, community members came together for a work bee to dig, plant, tidy and fix things around the Hawlemont grounds. Thanks to all who came out to beautify and make safe the spaces in which our students learn and play.

On Saturday, May 11, the HAY (Hawlemont, Agriculture and You) program will hosted a mini-workshop covering an introduction to bee-keeping with Howling Tree Hill Homestead and master beekeeper Art Canterbury who is a fourth generation beekeeper. During this workshop participants learned a wide range of beekeeping knowledge from the history of beekeeping, basic biology and life cycles of the hive to the equipment needed to start a first colony of honeybees. Participants observed a hive this time of year with a full colony to demonstrate the different cast of bees from the queen, workers and drones.

These efforts are tied in with being part of the pollinator corridor along the Deerfield River and Connecticut River Valleys.

Third graders at Sanderson were treated to a special visit from James Bruchac, a world-famous Native American storyteller and animal tracker, as they hosted peers from Colrain and Charlemont schools to enjoy an hour in the presence of this knowledgeable, insightful gentleman.

He focused his time on telling stories rooted in native tradition from the local region that hold life lessons. One such story was about Gluskonba - a character who was like a native superhero - who looked and acted like a human but had the power to change himself and things around him. Many stories have animals at the center, including creation stories like the one that references Turtle Island.

Students were engaged, sang along, and showed off their own knowledge. Thanks to James for bringing native culture and stories to life with his own enthusiasm, expertise, and personal connection.

Events like these are part of a greater effort to promote understanding of native cultures of the northeast in our schools through the curriculum. Students just visited Hancock Shaker Village with their preschool buddies, enjoyed a presentation from the Ohketeau Cultural Center on May 20, and a visit on May 23 to the Wilder Homestead made possible by local volunteers and grantors like local cultural councils and the Mass Cultural Council.