Educating Our Eagles 2023 - Issue 17

A LOOK BACK AT 2022-2023
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SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
SBRSD
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What does it mean to be an Eagle?
SBRSD students show their pride
in their school and communities by
putting their best foot forward in all that they
do. Our students’ accomplishments speak for
themselves. This year, our sports teams once again
proved their Eagle sportsmanship on and off
the field, bringing home championship trophies
including the Girls’ Soccer Western Mass title. Our
theatre department successfully produced three
plays, our music department performed in three
parades and nine concerts, 45 of our students
earned early college credit, and the list goes on.
Members of the senior class will be continuing
their education at UMASS Amherst, University
of Hartford, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
Berkshire Community College, Siena College,
(among other college/universities), enlisting in the
Marines, and joining the workforce.
We couldn’t be prouder of our SBRSD Eagles!
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Home
Eagles
of the
“The small supportive community that this school has is something I am grateful for. Th
support I have received has allowed me to flourish in multiple ways. This year, I learned
that everything in life is a competition and you should always be in a winning mindset;
you should always be fighting for self betterment.” - J. Peck
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e
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We are at the
end of another
successful
school year at
SBRSD. Our
students, staff, and community
have all worked really hard to
make the 2022-2023 school year
productive, rewarding, and
memorable.
This, our final issue of Educating
Our Eagles for the year, is a quick
“look back” as we move on to
begin planning SBRSD’s 2023-2024
school year.
Home
Dedi
of the
Middle School/High School
Science teacher, Ms. Brown

cated
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Home
Innovative
of the
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Mount Everett’s partnership with Simon’s Rock as
part of the wall-to-wall Early College program
made its mark on the Class of 2023 and the
school as a whole. Forty six Mt. Everett students were able
to access college credits within the walls of Mount Everett,
a program that will continue to grow and benefit SBRSD.
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EAGLE PRIDE
“One of the most valuable skills I learned this
year was how to properly negotiate in Mr.
Wolgemuth’s class. It’s a skill that is necessary
in the real world that rarely gets taught in high
school.” - Nathaniel V.
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“The most memorable project
from this school year was holding
conversations and acting as the
characters from the autobiographies
that we read in Mr. Wolgemuth’s class.”
- Emily S.
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Home
of
Friendship
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“O
ne thing I appreciate about
SBRSD is the social aspect
of school in general. Friends and
loved ones encourage self growth
much more than any class. It’s a world
unto its own with its own rules and
expectations. It’s an intrinsic piece of
academic architecture and redeems
some of its short comings.”
- Kai H., 9th grade
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Home
of the
Supportiv
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“T
he most valuable skill I have
learned as an intern is to have
patience. I have really appreciated the
opportunity to work with kids with
different needs.” - A.K., 12th grade
e
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STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Our faculty and staff have accomplished a lot this 2022-2023 school
year. Going above and beyond is in their nature. Here is a small
sampling of our faculty and staff's many achievements.
“Wonder is
the beginning
of wisdom.”
— Socrates
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Lindsey Brown was selected to
participate in a 6 month long
Professional Learning Circle geared
towards increasing Social Emotional
Learning in STEM classrooms. In
this program, funded by the US
Dept of Ed, through Mount Holyoke
College called “Teaching for Our
Moment” she met twice a month
with other STEM educators and
explored various aspects of Social
emotional learning with guidance
from SEL experts, facilitator:
Megan Hall and Mentor: Dyane
Smokorowski.
Michelle Raszl was selected to
participate in the 2023 USIP
Peace Teachers Program due to
her demonstrated commitment
to incorporating critical issues of
international conflict and peace and
practical peace-building skills into
the classroom, and her leadership
among her peers and community.
The U.S. Institute of Peace is a
national, non-partisan, independent
institute founded by Congress with
a mission to help prevent, mitigate,
and resolve violent conflicts abroad.
Asha VonRuden is pursuing a
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in
Leadership in Schooling:
STEM Education Program at
UMass Lowell.
Kari Giordano is pursuing an
additional Masters degree in
photography from Falmouth
University in Cornwall, England.
Kevin Wolgemuth has been
accepted into a National
Endowment for the Humanities
summer institute, “The Salem Witch
Trials: Their World & Legacy.”
Sarah Cooke earned a Certificate
of Advanced Graduate Studies
in Educational Leadership from
MCLA.
This spring Liz O’Donnell and
her dog Amber worked with
Canine Link to become a certified
therapy team.
Under the direction of Roberta
Sarnacki, twenty two Mt. Everett
students earned their certification
as First Responders, in accordance
with MA 105 CMR 171.150. This 40
hour course prepared the students to
respond to a variety of emergencies.
Some of the topics covered include:
CPR and AED, patient assessment,
medical emergencies, Respiratory
emergencies, Bleeding / wounds
/ shock, Applying tourniquests,
Drug Overdose / Toxicity,
Thermal Injuries, Head and Trunk
Injuries, Skeletal Injuries, Medical
Terminology, and Report Writing.
Additionally, students took separate
courses in Naloxone Administration
and “Stop the Bleed” and became
certified in both of these as well.
Sofia Hughes is taking 3 graduate
level courses through SNHU and
Advancement Courses. Courses
include Supporting Students with
Disruptive Behavior Disorders,
Differentiating Instruction and
Teaching Early Learners through
Math and Literacy PBL. Twenty two
Mt. Everett 40 hour course prepared the
students to r
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STUDENT QUOTES

“The most valuable skill I learned is how to sign up for
a credit card and how to take out loans and how to deal
with interest rates.” - A.R.
The most valuable skill I learned this year was in
Advisory when our teacher taught us how to do taxes
and other life skills we will eventually use. The most
memorable lesson from this past school year was when I
made my own logo and other designs in Digital Design
and Marketing.” - C.C.
“The most memorable lesson from this past year was
learning about the 1850’s and the Gold Rush in History
class. I was very interested in the whole lesson. One
thing I appreciate about Mount Everett is how easy it is
to talk and meet with teachers if you need help.” - D.B.
“One of the most valuable skills I learned this year was
how to analyze text from History to English. I’ve been
getting better at critically thinking, analyzing, and
working what I’ve figured out into a conversations.” -
S.D.
“I appreciate the teaching style in English class
which is very similar to my Montessori learning
experience; it was very easy to adapt to it.” - S.F.
“The most memorable lesson from this year was
when we learned about ice harvesting in Mr.
Barrrett’s class. We learned about the dangers and
risks of hypothermia.” - P.E.
“T
he small supportive
community that this
school has is something I
am grateful for. The support
I receive has allowed me to
flourish in multiple ways.”
- Jason P.
“I appreciate all of the options
of classes I can take at Mount
Everett. It allows me to
experiment in things I am
interested in while still being
in high school.” - I.W.
“My most memorable project
was in Ms. B’s Environmental
Science class when I designed
and built a model of a solar
powered hospital room.” -
L.C.
“I appreciate the after school
time Mrs. Siket takes to
help further her students
education. Spending extra
time to get better at a skill.” -
S.L.
“Every aspect of Mt. Everett
is personal. It’s easy to get
singular attention and extra help as well as adjustments
to curriculum or coursework.” - N.T.
“My most memorable lesson was building motorized
rockets in Mr. Naventi’s STEM Education class, and
launching them in the middle of the baseball fields. It
gave us a great sense of accomplishment as we’d worked
on the rockets for many class periods.” - N.V.
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STUDENT QUOTES
“My most memorable lesson was going on a hike and finding some
animal fur on a field trip to the animal sanctuary.” - F.B., grade 3
“Something I remember the most is watching catarpillars turn into
butterflies.” Sierra, grade 3
“One thing I appreciate about school is that we have gym class so
we are not jumping in our chairs all day.” L.D., grade 3
“We learned about our family traditions, where our ancestors came
from and where they lived.” - Oliver T., grade 2
“I appreciate having Miss Jenn as my teacher. When I moved to this
school everyone was nice to me.” - Olivia, grade 2
“Something I will remember is doing Girls’ Science Club. We made
slime and it was fun.” - C.C., grade 3
“I like doing iReady and learning about math facts.” - Landen,
grade 3
“The most valuable skill I learned was my multiplication facts. I
liked participating in the school talent show.” - S, C., grade 3
“I like having a Gaga Ball game that we can play at recess.” -
Hunter, grade 3
Over the course of the spring, the South
Egremont School Pre-K class studied life
cycles and growing things. We learned about
Oviparous animals and looked closely at the
life cycles of beans and sunflowers. We noticed
similarities between the way a baby chick
hatches out of an egg and the way a baby plant
cracks out of its protective seed covering.
We sprouted kidney beans and black beans
and practiced being scientists and artists by
observing closely and documenting what we
saw. We visited April Hill, home of Greenagers,
and looked at chicken eggs with flashlights, fed
some hens and made delicious pancakes with
fresh eggs and Maple Syrup from our school
yard Maple tree! Later, we made another
trip to Little Seed Gardens and met farmers
who showed us the tiny seeds they sow for
groundcover to enrich the soil! and harvested
Little Gem lettuces to take home!
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“I appreciate how
understanding my
teachers are. You can tell
a lot by the way they act
and educate – this school
is full of teachers who love
their job.” — S.D.
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“Overall throughout
my classes I learned
more about myself as a
person; my interests and
work habits.” -S.H.
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“A
t the end of the day, it’s the
teamwork and the connections
I’ve made with my coaches and
friends that inspires me the most.”
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“I
’ve learned to
use the skills I
have and progress to
be the best learner I
can be.”
- L.K., ninth grade
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MOUNT EVERETT 2023 GRADUATION
“We should just remember that we all
came from the same place.
Remember not to leave our stories behind.
We can’t forget all we learned in high school.”
– Kelsey Eichstedt, Valedictorian
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Saturday, June 3, 2023
Tanglewood – Stockbridge, MA
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