NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The McCann School Committee met Thursday night in North Adams for what will be the last meeting of the year before students report in a week.
The meeting was also the last for Aaron Dean who will be taking over as superintendent of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.
"He's a remarkable young man who has given his all to this committee, he has the ability to handle many issues at once," said Superintendent James Brosnan. "Thoughtful. Perceptive. That's probably a reason why [he was hired], he was so good here that the selection committee said 'Hey, he's our guy.' ...
"He'll be missed on a personal and professional level. I look forward to working with him as a colleague."
As Dean begins his career as top administrator, Brosnan was praised by the committee for two plus decades of service to the district in his recent evaluation.
Dean, who led the project, was first to chime in. "Our continued performance in SkillsUSA and MCAS has made us a prominent program wherever we go throughout the country," he said, in support of Brosnan. "We've also been steady all along in enrollment, which is a hard thing to do in today's competitive environment."
Former principal and current Chairman Gary Rivers noted Brosnan's trust in his staff. "He gives his administrative team a lot of latitude," he said. "Having worked with Jim for 25 years. I can honestly say it's been a pleasure."
The survey evaluated all aspects of the job. Not only academic and leadership performance but financial issues and the ability to engage the community through parent interaction.
Dean finished the report by noting "Exemplary was a nearly unanimous rating."
Principal Justin Kratz began his report by giving an update on the Standards Based Grading (SBG) system that will be instituted as a pilot program for the 2020 incoming class.
"We've been preparing over the course of the summer, I've been meeting with a teacher's group, preparing materials in support for our teachers when they come in next week," Kratz said. "We have a good chunk of our professional development time on those days devoted toward transitioning our freshmen curriculum maps to freshmen SBG maps."
SBG is viewed as a more comprehensive assessment of a student's mastery of a particular subject and breaks down subject matter into smaller "learning targets." Where a student would receive a one line grade (A,B,C,etc.) in the past, they would now be judged using a 1-4 scale on several different goals within the semester.
Kratz reached out to the admissions office at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for help communicating to parents that "This is nothing scary." He noted that the college will be sending representatives to Freshman Parent night next spring to help explain the change in philosophy.
Final enrollment numbers were not available but Kratz said, "We're optimistic it's going to be a healthy number again this year."
There will soon be three new machines at McCann thanks in part to the Governor's Skills Capital Grant. McCann received $150,000 this year from the program Gov. Charlie Baker initiated in 2015. The program is aimed at providing the most up-to-date training equipment to give students an advantage when entering the workforce.
"We want to be up to manufacturing industry standards, especially here in Berkshire County," said Kratz. "It's pretty amazing to see a fifteen or sixteen year old kid running a $100,000 piece of equipment that is the same thing they are using in the real world."
The new machines are a Waterjet Machining Center, CNC (Computer Numeric Control) Plasma Cutting Machine, and CNC Vertical Band Saw. All but the plasma cutter were awarded to the low bidder as Brosnan felt the low bid did not meet the specs the school needed.
When it was noted that there was still some construction going on around the 57-year-old school, Brosnan was quick to say, "We will have everything put back together and shined up" for when the students come back.
McCann starts the 2019-20 school year next week with teachers reporting Monday and students on Thursday.
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Colegrove Park Recognized as Top 10 School Statewide in Attendance
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Superintendent Barbara Malkas, left, Colegrove Principal Amy Meehan, Mayor Jennifer Macksey and Dean of Students Jonathan Slocum pose with the Celtics basketball award on Friday.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Boston Celtics gave gold to Colegrove Park Elementary School on Friday for scoring in the top 10 schools for attendance statewide. The school saw its chronic absenteeism numbers drop by 11 percent last year.
Tim Connor, assistant director for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's west and central district, arrived with a gold basketball signed by the champion team to reward the students for their achievement.
"An award like this doesn't come easy. It takes a lot of work from all of you, the students, the parents, and especially Ms. Meehan and her wonderful staff, so a big round of applause," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey, after leading the assembly in the gym to chants of "Colegrove rocks!" "I am so proud of this school and the community that all of you have built. So everyone should be really excited about today, and this is an excellent way to start your school."
Superintendent Barbara Malkas asked last year's fifth-graders at Colegrove to join her at the front of the gym for a special applause.
"When we track attendance of all the students in the whole district, these students have the highest attendance rate, the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the entire district," Malkas said. "While all Colegrove students have been recognized as attendance all-stars, these students led the way in being attendance all-stars, so let's give them one more round of applause."
Colegrove switched this year to house Grades 3 to 6, so some of the younger students who helped earn the award are now at Brayton Elementary. However, all three elementary schools open last year saw improvement in attendance.
Schools statewide have been working to reduce chronic absenteeism — the percentage of students missing 10 percent of the school year, or 18 days — which peaked during the pandemic.
Last week, the nonprofit held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a 900-square-foot wooden structure with a full foundation and a composting toilet. The excavation process began this week, and completion is expected in 2026.
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The Boston Celtics gave gold to Colegrove Park Elementary School on Friday for scoring in the top 10 schools for attendance statewide. The school saw its chronic absenteeism numbers drop by 11 percent last year. click for more