North Adams Educator Receives Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate Award

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Public Schools art teacher, Kyle Strack, has been awarded the Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate Award for Visual Art from Arts|Learning, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing arts education in Massachusetts.
 
According to a press release, the award honors exceptional arts educators who advocate for the arts and arts education in their school and community. 
 
Strack, now teaching at Drury High School, was selected for his consistent efforts towards increasing access to high-quality visual arts opportunities for students in his previous role as the art teacher at Greylock Elementary School, where he was teaching when his nomination was made.
 
Strack was nominated by Anne-Mary Riello, principal of the former Greylock Elementary School. 
 
"Our A|L Awards Committee agrees with Anne-Mary that you must be an outstanding educator," Arts|Learning Executive Director Nancy Moses wrote in her notification about the award.
 
"We're thrilled to see Kyle's efforts recognized," said District Arts & Communications Coordinator Leslie Appleget. "His work shows the most sustained type of advocacy there can be: dedication to students, creating opportunities for their success, and being present to honor the commitments made to their learning."
 
At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Strack organized a school art show, which featured artwork created by each of the school's K-6 students. This successful event brought out more than 100 families for one of the last events in the building before its closure. Additionally, Strack worked in partnership with Berkshire Museum last school year to integrate three of the Museum's science- and social studies-themed MoMUs (mobile museum units) into his art classes with grades 2 and 5. This arts integration effort brought museum objects into the classroom that students might otherwise not have had access to, and elegantly tied the content with standards-based visual arts learning.
 
Strack will be formally recognized at Arts Learning's 37th Annual Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Worcester Art Museum in Worcester.

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Letter: Save Notch Forest

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor: I'm writing in regards to the Save Notch Forest signs that I have seen.

As a proud Masshole native from North Adams, that has transplanted to Southwest Vermont, I was curious as to what the signs were about.

I am grateful that I checked out the site on the sign to learn of the extensive and heinous logging plans of the Mass Audubon society near the North Adams reservoir.

As someone who travels back down to Mass sometimes daily and ventures to the reservoir 95 percent of that time for just the peace and beauty of being able to just sit there in awe.

Each time I go, I am guaranteed to see the bald eagle that perches on the pine or birch on the eastern end of the reservoir. I've had quite a few joyfully, awesome experiences with watching it. Be when it was just chilling peacefully or swooping at the geese getting them all flustered but I loved hearing it's call after the beautiful Loons floating in the reservoir.

There was this time I could hear it calling and crying, but unable to see it. I then look up to see a hawk gliding back and forth along the reservoir, doing it's best to taunt and harass the Eagle. From the direction of the cries, I figured the bald eagle's nest must be somewhere behind that tree it usually sits on on the water's edge.

I just do not understand how Mass Audubon Society can intentionally destroy the bald eagle's habitat ... let alone the loons ... let alone all of the other heinous logging aspects that come with its proposal near the North Adams water supply. Way up mountainous terrain on already strained roads that are slowly sliding off the mountainside and near public habitation.

There are a million other places on Greylock, North Adams or Massachusetts in general, what about the other side in South Williamstown/New Ashford? More space, more direct, less people, no water supply or endangered species habitat to destroy for the fun of it.

Why does it have to be Greylock and North Adams you experiment with? Why experiment at all?

I'm grateful I stumbled upon the mighty little forest army fighting for what's good and right, let alone common sense. I am also eternally grateful for the abundant awe inspiring magic of Greylock and all she bestows.

Felicia Packard
Bennington, Vt.

 

 

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