Since September 21, 111 (and counting) local students who might otherwise have been left alone at home or fit into piecemeal childcare arrangements have been accessing their remote school lessons with adult assistance through CLuB. Read more in the Berkshire Edge article by Sheela Clary.

A CLuB Instructor leads students back from a hike at April Hill in South Egremont.

“I don’t learn stuff — I do stuff.”

That’s how third grader Ivanna Aguilar described her first day at Community Learning in the Berkshires, a new program in South County that seeks to take remote learning to “the outdoor classroom.”

Fearing a pandemic-impacted school year could disadvantage families without stable internet access, or without a caregiver who can stay home to supervise remote learning, local nonprofits partnered with two local school districts in an effort to fill those gaps.

Community Learning in the Berkshires, or CLuB, operates two sites where children participate in their school’s remote learning program under the supervision of trained educators and child care providers. Organizers say CLuB allows working families to remain in the workforce while providing school-aged children with social and emotional learning experiences that can be tough to get at home. Read more of Danny Jin’s article in the Berkshire Eagle.

Executive Director Maria Rundle

This is our seventh year of honoring 25 outstanding individuals—the human core of our beloved Berkshires—and it is one to be remembered. This year has produced community members who are more dedicated, more creative, and more influential than we have come to expect: Teachers not giving up on our kids. Protectors of our natural environment. Advocates for food and healthcare equity. Young activists with the vision and resolve to effect social change. Artists whose creative expressions feed our soul. Politicians and businessmen and women who have our back. With the help of a panel of advisors, we proudly present this year’s amazing Berkshire 25.

Maria Rundle is executive director of Flying Cloud Institute in Great Barrington, which is dedicated to science and arts education. Described as a strong leader who takes action, Maria finds herself continually adapting so that she can serve as many students as possible. She is where her daughter, not too long ago, had “the best day ever.” Maria is a Richmond native, and was development director at Gould Farm in Monterey for five years, working to raise awareness about mental illness. Says one parent: “Maria works every day to bring exciting and life-changing educational experiences to the Berkshires.” - From Berkshire Magazine

In a letter to the editor, Sheela Clary writes: "In the next few weeks, young children everywhere will be left to fend for themselves for eight to 12 hours per day, three or four or five days per week. Shame on us if we know that’s what’s going to happen and we do nothing about it." Read the letter in the Berkshire Edge.

A group of South County nonprofits is launching 'Community Learning in the Berkshires', a remote learning program to give kids a place to go on days they're not allowed at school.

"We're going to help them the same way a caring parent would, just helping them connect with what the school's already assigning, and making sure they're moving forward on completing their assignments," says Maria Rundle, Executive Director of Flying Cloud Insitute.

There will be two host sites: The Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington and Greenagers' April Hill Conservation Center in South Egremont.

Rundle says each place will serve several groups of socially distanced students. Read more and see the Video from Spectrum News.

Young women present at a workshop at Shakespeare & Co, in collaboration with Flying Cloud and WAM.

Joy Davis, a sixth grader from Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, is a first-year participant in the Flying Cloud Institute's yearlong girls' STEAM Team after-school program.

Joy said she was interested in the program because "I love learning about planets and chemicals."

Asked whether it is important to her to have more women in STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics — fields, she nodded and said, "Yeah, because I want to be a doctor."

The young aspiring doctor was among 17 young women who got together at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre of Shakespeare & Company on Nov. 2 to explore their current interests and potential future roles in science, art and society. Read more of Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle.

STEAM Challenge Night at Hancock Shaker Village

Last Wednesday, Berkshire/Pioneer Valley STEM Pipeline Network and Flying Cloud Institute partnered with multiple area agencies to host a STEAM Challenge Night at Hancock Shaker Village. The free, public event gave families two hours to tinker and play. Some programmed robots while others built color 3D cardboard sculptures. Others tried a stormwater runoff simulator while others cut up plastic milk cartons, wooden dowels and corks to build a working water wheel. There were also observation stations, beckoning guests to look at fall leaves under a microscope and learn about chemical reactions. Read Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle

WAM Theatre cast rehearses program to empower girls

WAM Theatre is branching out beyond the stage this fall to debut two new education and outreach projects -- both designed to empower girls and young women to use their creativity to address and explore social issues that affect them.

The first project is an after-school program partnership between WAM Theatre and Girls Inc. in Pittsfield, through which pre-teen girls will create their own theatrical performance to present in December.

The second project brings theater professionals from WAM Theatre together with students from five Berkshire County partnerships, including: Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School, Flying Cloud Institute; Girls Inc., Multicultural BRIDGE, and Rite of Passage and Empowerment for Girls Program. Read more of Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle