Please note that due to the uncertainty of protocols for the 2021-2022 academic year in the North Adams Public School District, we will not know if our programs can be fully in-person, hybrid, or remote. Because of this, we will not be opening the common application until some time in August, when the school district lays out their protocols. We can guarantee that the Brayton/Greylock Elementary School partnership with Williams College independent of remote or in-person programming will continue to be strong, enriching, and supportive of learning experiences for elementary and college students. As soon as we get more information, we will update the website and program descriptions accordingly. Thanks so much for your interest and understanding. We encourage you to look through the various programs to see where your interests lie and where you may want to be involved. If you have any questions as the fall semester approaches, please contact Amy Sosne, North Adams Program Coordinator.
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. A large group of Williams College 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, First and Second Grade Buddies Program, Sixth Grade Classroom Helpers, and various different pilot programs including the links to libraries and iTeam programs. In addition to these programs run through CLiA, students have developed and led their own volunteer programs with both Greylock Elementary School and Brayton Elementary School. There have been 20+ students in the past in each of these student led programs, the Brayton Afterschool Tutoring Program and the Assist Program. Although many of these programs that required in-person interaction were not able to run during the 2020-2021 pandemic year, students creatively modified programs such as the Science Fellow Program to include live zoom instruction and created other online resource programs such as the Read Aloud Program, the Mindfulness/Movement/Arts Program, and others that were uploaded and available on the Williams College CLiA Elementary Outreach Resource Site. The goal for the academic year, 2021-2022 is to reinstate in-person programs while following the North Adams District protocols, which will be released some time in August. Our goal will be to reinstate in-person programming that is more tailored to the new and unique needs of the North Adams Community (students, faculty, staff, parents, guardians) post-pandemic. Together, in collaboration with the the North Adams administration and teachers, we hope to reinstate, modify, and create programs that best support the schools. If we are unable to move forward with in-person programming, we will continue to grow, support, and develop our online resources as well as our virtual collaboration with both Greylock and Brayton Elementary Schools.
Five 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 are currently in the process of building a website that provides multiple resources related to these issues and topics for students of all ages as well as teachers and families. The students are also in the process of collaborating with students and faculty from Mount Greylock Regional High School to develop a 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 in addition to inviting speakers to visit and provide their expertise. The goal of this book club is also 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.
Although many of our college students were not able to be in direct contact (even via zoom) this year, we know from extensive feedback from both teachers, administrators, and our own fellows that we had a significant impact on many during this uncertain and unprecedented year. It is our hope that our library of online resources will continue to serve the public community and that in 2021-2022 we will resume in-person programming.
We at CLiA welcome your involvement in our NAPS partnership and look forward to hearing from you! We look forward to another creative, productive, and enriching year!
Amy Sosne, North Adams coordinator for Williams Elementary Outreach
Main Social Nav