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Brayton and Greylock Elementary School Partnership

Academic Year 2022-2023

Nearly halfway through the 2022-2023 academic year.  Programs at Greylock and Brayton Elementary Schools are underway and going well. 

The partnership continues to uniquely evolve and strengthen between the college students, the elementary students, the teachers, and the administrators in the North Adams Elementary Outreach Community. 

Highlights of Fall 2022:

  • Science Fellows teaching young students science and the love for learning.
  • Classroom Support/Helpers – Pilot program with college students assisting in teaching small groups in ELA and Math in the youngest grades and the oldest elementary grades.
  • Approximately 100 books, based on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum created by Williams College Students for Elementary Schools, donated to North Adams Curriculum Center to be used across the district
  • Fun Fridays at Brayton – Pilot of different activities/clinics that college students will run at Brayton Elementary for the 5th/6th grades.  Volunteer program working with athletic teams, dance organizations, and different student groups!
  • Mentorship to 5th/6th grades – Pilot volunteer mentor program during lunch and recess established by the softball team
  • Brayton Briefs – After school program on Wednesdays for 6th graders to work on journaling skills with college students and Mrs. Ropelewski
  • Decorating the classrooms with Lehman Community Council – great collaboration with Lehman to support decorating classrooms in Greylock and Brayton Elementary Schools

Moving forward…

We are ALWAYS looking for students:

  • Provide individual mentorship to students (weekly for about an hour)
  • ANY ideas that you may have for FUN FRIDAYS (we’d love to expand this program into Greylock Elementary School as well) – this is a one time (obviously, you can come more!) activity where a team, group, organization provides an active clinic (physical activity is good, but we would be open to ANY unique, fun ideas) for 40 minutes or so to older elementary students.  I will meet with you to discuss your teams’/groups’ ideas and plan as well as help out with any transportation needs.  Please email me if you are interested!  [email protected]
  • We are MORE THAN HAPPY to help any student or group of students plan/implement fun activities or events with elementary students in the North Adams Schools
  • Even if you are interested in participating in one event, we’ve learned and recognize that these one time events are extremely meaningful and impactful to elementary school students!  Please let us know!
    • Maybe you can talk to students about sportsmanship? Teamwork? Healthy living? Safe social media and internet practices?

As of now, we have currently filled all of our positions for paid programs: Science Fellows, Classroom Helpers (in 1st and 5th/6th grades) as well as for Brayton Briefs.  We will change the site if this status does change and we are always interested in hearing from you if you are interested in applying for these positions next academic year.

The common application for NAPS positions remains closed for winter and spring semesters.  Again, if you are interested in any of the volunteer opportunities or in initiating your own volunteer program, please contact Amy Sosne.

Please click on the “collaborations” link below to learn more about these programs.

History of the North Adams (Brayton and Greylock Elementary Schools)/Williams College Partnership

In partnership with the North Adams Public Schools (NAPS), Williams Elementary Outreach supports collaborations between Williams College students, staff, faculty and NAPS students and teachers that enrich the lives and learning of all who participate.

Williams students engage in a diverse range of programs at Brayton and Greylock Schools (K-6) through paid positions, volunteer opportunities, and projects related to academic coursework.  Many students have  participated through the years in Williams run Center for Learning in Action (CLiA) programs in the North Adams School District such as the Science Fellows program (probably our most robust and longest-standing program) and other programs that have piloted or evolved depending on the needs and interests of the schools and college students.

Four Student Leaders work with Williams students across NAPS programs as well as in collaboration with other district programs in the region in order to build community and deepen their learning together through trainings, special projects, and intentional reflection.  In the Spring 2021, the NAPS student leaders were awarded the TIDE grant by Williams College in order to build on their previous work on developing awareness in the Williams Community and surrounding school districts on unconscious bias, diversity, equity, and inclusion.  These students built a TIDE grant website that provides multiple resources related to these issues and topics for students of all ages as well as teachers and families.

The student leaders together with high school students from Mount Greylock Regional High School developed a sustainable joint book club between the college and the high school with the goal of reading, discussing, and bringing awareness to issues about diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The goal of this book club was to create a foundational manual for how to develop high school book clubs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion across multiple school districts including North Adams and across multiple grade levels, including upper elementary grades.  Through all of our programs, the NAPS leaders, fellows, volunteers, and advisors are dedicated to promoting awareness and discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We at CLiA welcome your involvement in our NAPS partnership and look forward to hearing from you and collaborating with you this year!

Amy Sosne, North Adams coordinator for Williams Elementary Outreach