LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — This month, fourth-graders in Lanesborough and Williamstown have traded in Four Square for Punnett squares.
Genetics is just one of the lessons being taught by the nationally-recognized science program BioEyes, which returned this winter to Williamstown Elementary School and made its first stop at Lanesborough Elementary.
The program, developed at the University of Pennsylvania, came to North Berkshire in 2010 through the efforts of Williams College neuroscience professor Martha Marvin.
She was back in the elementary school classrooms this week, helping her Williams students who taught the program to 9- and 10-year-olds, who studied the development of zebrafish, learning, among other things, how genetic variation produces some fish who — counter to their name — do not develop stripes.
"It's an opportunity for them to work with the scientific method, which I'm teaching them," Lanesborough fourth-grade teacher Sean MacDonald said. "It's a chance to develop the skills of being skeptical, questioning and logical and having the tools to find good, logical answers."
MacDonald also was excited to have his children given exposure to Marvin and her students from the college.
"It provides the kids with a short-term but meaningful relationship," he said.
BioEyes lasts one week and takes advantage of the college's Winter Study period to bring Marvin's students into the community.
At Lanesborough, one Williams student has been making daily trips throughout the month for a variety of classroom experiences. But transportation is an issue. The elementary school in Williamstown is a block from the campus; the daily trips to Lanesborough have involved coordination with the BRTA bus schedule.
Lanesborough is working with the college to see what kinds of carpools or van rides might be established to make the 16-mile trip more routine.
Marvin has taken the BioEyes program to Brayton and Greylock elementary schools in North Adams in the past. This was the first year she has been able to bring it to Lanesborough.
According to the program's website, BioEyes has reached more than 80,000 schoolchildren around the world. Given prolific reproductive capacity and short development span of a zebrafish, the weeklong program allows kids to see all stages of development; high-powered microscopes provided by Williams allow them to observe the fish in the embryonic and larval stages.
They take notes, make pictures of what they see under the glass and get a taste of sophisticated topics like alleles, dominant vs. recessive traits and genotypes.
MacDonald said BioEyes is a true interdisciplinary experience, expanding the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) idea to the newer acronym STEAM, which adds the liberal arts to the mix
"Science, math, reading and writing are all interconnected," he said. "Kids love science. They love the hands-on part, the fun part of science. But there's a whole other part that needs to be explored. And that's the part that's even more exciting because that's where you think about your results and make discoveries."
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Lanesborough to Negotiate New HCA With Only Dispensary
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. Due to evolving state regulations, the town must settle on a new or amended host community agreement with its only dispensary.
On Monday, Feb. 24, the Select Board voted to allow Town Administrator Gina Dario to work with counsel towards a resolution. Dario felt that both parties were willing to come up with a practical solution.
Liberty Market, located on North Main Street, has requested a new host community agreement or host community agreement waiver in lieu thereof. The town was sent a notice of non-compliance from the Cannabis Control Commission in January.
"The discussion for the Select Board is whether or not to proceed with either a redrafting of the current host community agreement or a re-negotiation of a new host community agreement that uses a more prescriptive template that is being provided by The Cannabis Control Commission," Dario explained.
A couple of years ago, the Canabis Control Commission (CCC) approved changes to the state's adult and medical use regulations including policies that implement the agency's oversight of host community agreements, new equity requirements, and suitability reform.
"The Cannabis Control Commission is taking the position that changes to the cannabis laws which went into effect in November of 2022 are retroactive and affect pre-existing agreements, such as the one that the town has with Liberty Market," Attorney Nicole Costanzo said.
"Of course, there are some novel legal issues presented as to whether or not the legislative changes do retroactively affect pre-existing host community agreements. It's my understanding that the town does want to work with Liberty Market nevertheless and try and get them a "compliant" agreement for purposes of the Cannabis Control Commission issuing them a license renewal to move forward."
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Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Devyn Fillio Sunday won the boys and girls individual high school bowling State Championships at Spare Time.
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