Letter: Williamstown Needs to Change to Diversify Housing

To the Editor:

Williamstown cannot hope to become a community of diverse households while allowing only one type of house. Believing that it can relies on the notion that there are lots of folks just like the modal Williamstown household in key ways — affluent in income, two to five people in size, best suited to a three-bedroom house with a garage — yet are somehow, at the same time, in their 20s, and/or Black, interested in cohousing, and/or multigenerational households, physically disabled, and/or not car owners.

To diversify our community, we can hold our breath for several more decades, waiting for society to change, or we can act to change our housing stock today.

Sincerely yours,

Cheryl Shanks
Williamstown, Mass. 

Teacher of the Month: Karen DuCharme

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:28PM / Sunday, April 13, 2025

Karen DuCharme's integrated life skills class is designed to prepare all students for the world post high school.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional School life skills special education teacher Karen DuCharme has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month.

 

The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, will feature distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here. 

 

She has been a teacher for 24 years, starting at Pittsfield High School, and has been at Mount Greylock Regional School for the last 11 years. 

 

"I always say that I didn't really choose special education; special education chose me," she said

 

DuCharme initially wanted to be a physical therapist, but the universe had other plans for her. While attending Pittsfield High School, she did not want to have a study hall, so she opted to take an Introduction to Special Needs class. 

 

From there, she knew that a career as a special education teacher was the right choice for her. 

 

"Even when I was a student, I gravitated towards other students with different needs and tried to help them and wanted to help them," she said.