Paulette Steeves, PhD (Cree-Metis), joined us today to discuss the meaning of Indigenous Peoples Day and how it developed to reinvent Columbus Day, the diversity of Indigenous peoples of North America, and what we can do to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. She was born in Whitehorse Yukon Territories and grew up in Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada. She is an Indigenous archaeologist with a focus on the Pleistocene history of the Western Hemisphere. Dr. Steeves received her BA in Anthropology, Honors Cum Laude from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and her MA and PhD from SUNY Binghamton. Her dissertation, Decolonizing Indigenous Histories: Pleistocene Archaeology Sites of the Western Hemisphere, is the first dissertation framed in Indigenous Method and Theory in Anthropology within the United States. Dr. Steeves is the Interim Director of the Certificate Program in Native American Indian studies at UMass Amherst, and also a lecturer in Indigenous Archaeology.  

Academy Parents Council
Family Hike - October 15, 10 AM

Let’s get together and take a hike! We will meet at the Savoy Mountain State Forest headquarters at 10 AM. Please bring $8 to park ($10 if you are not a Massachusetts resident). We’ll hike as a group to the top of Spruce Hill and enjoy the view. Please be sure to dress for the weather and bring water and a snack to enjoy at the top. It’s a great view and foliage should be at peak. Join us, and please consider bringing prospective families along.

The trail itself is 2.6 miles round trip with a vertical rise of 680 feet, a moderate hike. It should take us around 2 – 2.5 hours of hiking time, plus however long we want to hang out on top and enjoy the view. I would plan on around four hours from the time we start our hike to the time we return. For more information on the trail we will be hiking can be found HERE.

DETAILS:
Date:  Saturday, October 15th
Meeting Time:  10 AM
Meeting Location:  Savoy Mountain State Forest 
260 Central Shaft Road
Florida, MA 01247
Hike:  Busby Trail to Spruce Hill – Savoy Mountain State Forest

For further information about the hike, email parent organizer Paul Catanzaro or call him at 413-206-0303 (home) or 413-695-3737 (cell). RSVPs would be helpful, but not necessary.

The Girls Varsity Soccer team played back-to-back games this week. The girls lost a tough battle to Four Rivers on Tuesday, 4-2. Ella Deters and Celeste DiLeo scored, with assists by Izzy Brenizer and Ruby Chase. On Wednesday, the girls tied BART 2-2. The team fought hard throughout the game and came back to even the score late in the game. Izzy and Ella scored, with assists by Ella and Corinne Laird. On defense, Emily Comeaux, Linnea Zimmer, Lila Goleman, and Sunta Corciulo all made great contributions. Goalie Lilah Feitner had a strong week, especially in the BART game where she had 18 saves.

The Boys Varsity Soccer squad defeated White Oak 9-2 on Wednesday. Tucker Boyd (2 goals), Nat Boyd-Owens (1 goal, 2 assists) , and Aiden Brenizer (1 goal, 1 assist) led the offense for Charlemont. Solly Chase, Henry Walker-West, Jaromil Topolski, Liam Fisher, and Ben Schocket-Greene also scored for the Ardvaarks.

On Wednesday, the Boys JV Soccer team lost to PVCICS's JV team (9-1), which was comprised of several older high school players. The boys put up a good fight and were helped by a few members of the Varsity team during the second half, when the game was a bit more even.

The Cross-Country team hosted their annual home meet on Wednesday. The Academy's boys and girls runners made significant improvements in their 5K times as some jumped several spots higher in their placements compared to the previous race.