DATE CHANGE

A Season in Hell - An Immersive Theater Production
by Benjamin Michalak,  April 1, 5-9:30 PM at The Academy

The Academy at Charlemont presents A SEASON IN HELL, created & directed by Benjamin Michalak ('17) as his Senior Independent Project, and based on a poem by Arthur Rimbaud. The performances are free, but participation is available on a first come, first serve basis. Sign up for April 1 HERE.

Former Academy teacher and dean Stephanie Purington returned to help us observe Purington PI Day on Wednesday, March 29, which is also Founders Day.  She brought four of her famous cookie dough pies, which were by far the most requested slices among many other options - apple, cherry, blueberry and chocolate pudding. Her daughter Elizabeth '14 shared in the serving.

Academy athletes held sports practices this week, braving the early spring damp chill. Kayaking begins next week. Spirits were high and Aardvark Ultimate and lacrosse teams look forward to a great season. 

We are looking for two Academy students and families to host two 10th graders from Erding, Germany during the fall of 2017. Erding students visit us every year as part of the longstanding Erding-Charlemont Exchange. The American host students then have a chance – if interested – to go to Germany the following summer. The host families on both sides of the Atlantic are expected to provide room and board and are expected to show the student around the region. There is a $500 family stipend available to help defray related expenses. The Erding students will be here next fall from approximately October 22 to December 22.

This year we have three applicants from Germany, two of whom we will invite to join us. Please take a look at the three brief bios of Hannah, Veronika and Julian, and discuss this wonderful opportunity with your family. FYI: Academy hosts do not have to be rising 10th graders. 

To learn more about the Erding-Charlemont Exchange in general, please click here. Contact Sabine Mauri if interested. 

We will be welcoming a new sophomore boy from France in the coming year: Julen, 15.  He is excited to follow in the footsteps of his brother Jon who spent last year at The Academy and loved it!  Julen is interested in living with an Academy family. He loves fencing, swimming and playing the guitar. He has heard a lot of great things from his brother about The Academy and can’t wait to practice soccer, basketball and Utimate. If you would like to learn more about Julen, please read his engaging brief bio.  

Julen will arrive in our area in mid-August and be with us until mid-June. There will be a monthly family stipend to help defray costs for room and board.

Please indicate your interest by contacting Sabine Mauri.

The Blood Drive will be held on Friday, April 21, from 1:00 to 6:00 PM. Students will be bringing home donor forms today, with the goal of every student finding at least one person to donate blood. Appointments can be made by filling out the donor form, or by calling the Main Office during regular business hours, or by visiting the Red Cross Blood Drive appointment page and entering our zip code. Baked goods for donors are also a high priority, so there are ways for everyone to lend a hand. We appreciate in advance your support of this important service event!  Not only does collecting blood save lives, but with enough donations, also provides college scholarships for our seniors.

Please contact Nora Bates Zale with any questions.

Time to purchase a yearbook ad for your graduating senior - or your business!

It's that time - ad sales for our yearbook, The Grove, are underway. All students have been assigned an ad to sell.The sale of an ad generates a free yearbook for the selling student; students who do not sell an ad will be charged for the cost of their yearbook (approximately $15). Selling an ad, however helps to build community relationships with local businesses as well as to cover printing costs - students' participation in this goes beyond the benefit of a free yearbook. 

Parents of the graduating class often purchase ad space to congratulate their seniors -- these ads count towards the free yearbook for the corresponding student. Parents who are business owners are also welcome to work with their student to purchase an ad. If you are interested in creating an ad for your senior or business, please review this link for details on sizes and specs, complete this ad contract and send it along with the ad to grove@charlemont.org, or send in a hard copy. Hard copies of ads or ad contracts, questions, and concerns can be directed to Nora Bates Zale.

The deadline for ad sales is April 28.  

CLASSROOM CLOSE-UPS

STUDIO BLOCK CLOSE-UPS

Cliffside Design, taught by Noah Grunberg, students work out their designs in three dimensions

In printmaking, taught by Francesca Passiglia, students carve rubber stamps

Liberation Library is a Chicago-based organization that distributes books to incarcerated youth. Through reading and relationships, the organization aims to “empower young people to change the criminal justice system.” Click here for their story. 

Incarcerated youth at four detention centers have requested a variety of books that both reflect their own experiences and offer glimpses into the world beyond. You can find their Amazon wish list linked here. 

The Social Justice Council’s goal is to purchase and donate 25 books from this list to the Liberation Library. Those interested in supporting this endeavor should make checks payable to The Academy at Charlemont with “Liberation Library” in the memo line. If you are interested in directing your contribution toward a specific book, please enclose a note with the title with your check .

Like the Liberation Library, the Social Justice Council believes that access to books and information is a right, not a privilege, and we thank you for your continued support for this and future efforts.

Academy Math and Science teacher Will Miller says "I've long had a love of tabletop board games, and was intrigued from a young age by the artful games that my dad produced as a cottage industry. One of them, Celtic Realm, was a particular favorite. In 2016 I decided to resurrect the game, as it was out of print. A year later, Celtic Realm's Second Edition is ready for market". To learn more, click here. 

Academy students and staff can purchase Celtic Realm at a 25% discount for a limited time. Click here to inquire about discount purchasing, and thank you for supporting local, independent game development.

Mr. Miller will also be running an Academy summer program in June called GameMakers where participants will have the opportunity to play Celtic Realm as well as create their own games. 

“An Artistic Discovery” is the annual nationwide Congressional High School Art Competition, sponsored by the Congressional Arts Caucus and coordinated by Members of the United States House of Representatives in their districts.  The winning entry from each participating district will be exhibited for a year in a remarkable display in a hallway of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC.   You can view winning art from previous years here.  “An Artistic Discovery” provides Members of Congress and the public the opportunity to encourage and recognize the rich artistic talents of young Americans at a time when local cultural organizations and arts-in-education programs are being curtailed.  

Registration forms will be available soon, for entries no larger than 26” x 26”. Artwork must be ready for pickup by Monday, April 10, 2017. Please contact Andrae Green for more information or if you are interested in submitting an entry.  As The Academy is in Congressman Neal’s district, all students may submit.

Thanks to the efforts of our Social Justice Council with support from additional faculty members as well as Academy trustees, we will be hosting a conference encouraging awareness and action on the topic of racial justice. The conference, entitled 'Walking the Talk for Racial Justice: A Youth Conference for Western MA' aims to further educate are middle and high schoolers (and their associated adults) on a variety of contemporary topics impacting racial inequality. The full day event will be held in the Dining Commons at GCC on their main campus. Any community members interesting in supporting this effort - including ideas for speakers and workshop leaders, contributions, etc. - should contact Nora Bates Zale.

The last APC meeting of the year will be Saturday, May 27, 2017 in the morning. After the meeting, please plan to participate in our annual Spring Work Bee.  This is always a great day, complete with coffee, treats and companionship while we paint, saw, weed and clean!  Stay tuned for more details.