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Members of the Building Subcommittee said it was difficult to break down individual repairs because the whole school needs work.

Mt. Greylock High School's Certification Threatened

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional High School's certification is in jeopardy until school officialshave a plan B for if they are unable to build a new school.

In November, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges sent a letter to Principal Tim Payne threatening to decertify the school if they do not have a plan to bring the building up to building codes. The school has been at the warning level for six years.

The Building Subcommittee recently submitted a statement of interest to the state School Building Authority to build a new school. While the subcommittee waits for an answer, they are under the gun to submit a backup plan to NEASC by March.

Particularly, NEASC wants to know what the school intends to do to install a fire suppression system, bring the school into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, upgrade the science labs and heating systems and eliminate moisture that is causing mold in the north end among other things.

The Board of Selectmen in Lanesborough also requested a capital plan for the next decade and the subcommittee will satisfy that request at the same time.

The subcommittee will start by contacting Dore and Whittier, who did a feasibility study in 2006 that included cost estimates for the various issues, for information. The group will then have updated costs and building codes as the basis for the plan.

However, it all may be useless if the MSBA accepts the school into the program.

On Thursday, some subcommittee members said the request is difficult because tackling the issues one at a time will not be cost effective and one repair will lead to another. For example, if the school upgrades the science labs, it will need to re-do the ventilation systems at the same time.

Further, the work could trigger the ADA compliance rules that would force them to adhere to the act immediately. With recent emergency repairs to the boilers and locker room, the school has rebuilt about 15 percent of the school. Renovation work more than 30 percent triggers ADA compliance.

While that backup plan is being constructed, school officials are still working for a new building too. The subcommittee is thinking of ways to reach out to the voters in both Lanesborough and Williamstown, who will ultimately pay for the construction, and show the condition of the school. That includes a public tour to show the worst conditions, videos to play on public access, a new website and power point presentations.

The school is also finishing negotiations with the MSBA over reimbursements from the boiler and locker room project. Recently the MSBA denied reimbursement for about $123,000 worth of change orders. Officials have been bargaining that down and have picked up about $55,000 of that total. Most recently there is about $68,000 that will not be reimbursed. The reimbursement is 54 percent, meaning 46 percent of the $68,000 is unexpectedly falling on the school's shoulders.
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Mount Greylock Hosts Argentinian Students for Exchange Program

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional High School is currently hosting 36 students from La Cumbre, Argentina, for a two-week cultural exchange program.
 
The program, organized by Mount Greylock Spanish Department, involves a variety of cultural and social events for the visiting students.
 
"It is incredibly impactful on their academic experience," said Shannon Vigeant, Spanish teacher and Spanish Club adviser. "This allows them to experience the world in different ways, to connect to the language in a different way, and bring life to learning."
 
Vigeant organized the program with her colleagues Joe Johnson and Amy Kirby, also Spanish teachers at the school. She said it took some time to coordinate the exchange, which saw 25 Mount Greylock students visit La Cumbre last year.
 
"This is something we wanted to do for a long time, but we had a hard time getting it off the ground," Vigeant said. "We were just getting everyone on board and then COVID hit. It took about a year and a half, two years."
 
The Argentinian students, who arrived April 11, are improving their English language skills and immersing themselves in American culture. Simultaneously, Mount Greylock students are enhancing their Spanish language abilities and broadening their global perspectives.
 
"We're making friends from other countries, so I think that's a great experience," said Mount Greylock student Rafa Mellow-Bartels. "So to meet people from such a different part of the world from a different culture is interesting. We can learn about them, and now we get to show them what we do."
 
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