May 13-17:   Spirit Week 
                        Monday:         Crazy Patterns Day
                        Tuesday:        School Spirit Day
                        Wednesday:   Class Color Day
                        Thursday:       Look Alike Day 
                        Friday:            Pajama Day
May 15:       Half Day of Classes (see below)
May 17:       Semi-Formal
May 21:       Fling in the Spring
May 27:       Memorial Day
May 31:       Spring Concert and Art Reception

NOTE: A convenient one-page version of the 2019-2020 School Calendar is available HERE.  The  School Calendar, linked above and always available from our homepage, includes this information and more, so please remember to check it frequently for updates.

On Wednesday, May 15th, there will be a half day of classes, ending at 12:15 PM, before students depart for various athletic activities. However, buses will still run from The Academy at 5:15 PM. Kayakers and middle school Ultimate players will be able to ride these buses, but Varsity and JV Ultimate teams will not be back from Greenfield Community College in time for the buses. By the end of the day on Monday, John Schatz will email middle school Ultimate families with more information about their potential game (also at GCC). The RVAL tournament at GCC should wrap-up around 6 PM. Please plan accordingly for this day. Any students not participating in Ultimate or kayaking should plan to be picked up at 12:15 PM on campus.

Our annual spring day of fun takes place on Tuesday, May 21 this year! We will hold studio blocks first thing, to be followed by a carnival put on by the seniors, a Roman Banquet (consumed while reclining in togas, of course) and some Latin theatrics. The day will finish with Team Olympics. 

To make the meal for the Roman Banquet we’ll be taking an approach similar to we do for Polyglot, and we'll be asking families to contribute some of the ingredients.

Please watch for an email early next week detailing the specific requests for each grade.

With three months to go until the end of our fiscal year, we're about halfway to our Annual Fund Goal of $250,000. If you haven't yet made your gift or your pledge, please do so here. Parents, we're inching upwards of  a 46% participation rate, and we're aiming for 100%! Every gift matters, every day. Thank you for your generosity.

On their Class Trip, 6th and 7th graders explored various local sources of energy. 

The 8th graders spent three days contemplating the natural world, the relationship between the individual and the collective, and the role and function of government (among other things!). We spent time at landmarks precious to Henry David Thoreau—including the rare opportunity to spend the night at his birthplace and family home—before heading to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. On Friday, we headed to the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield. Special thanks to Margaret Carroll-Bergman (Ms. Falco’s mom) for facilitating our stay at the Thoreau Birthplace, and for serving as our Thoreau tour guide.

9th grade students had a busy few days visiting Nantucket where they were hosted by the Maria Mitchell Association, a marine biology and astronomy research and education center. Executive Director (and former Academy parent!) Dave Gagnon shared information about the organization's work and island history to give context to their visit. Students visited the Nantucket Whaling Museum, looked at planets and far away star clusters at the MMA observatory, collected crabs, snails, and fish for the MMA's aquarium, toured the Town's Shellfish Hatchery, and did some research on the effects of ocean acidification on shellfish health and habitat.

10th grade students traveled to New York City where a highlight was a guided visit to the United Nations with the support of the Mary Lyon Foundation.  They also enjoyed Times Square and visited Mr. Green's alma mater.

Juniors traveled to Washington DC. Among the highlights was an unexpected visit with Congressman Jim McGovern.

The seniors enjoyed a blissful couple of sunny, breezy days on Martha's Vineyard. They visited the cliffs and lighthouse at Aquinnah, learning about the cultural and geological history of a unique part of the island that is the reservation for the Aquinnah Wampanoag, who have lived on the island for over 10,000 years. A stop at Menemsha Beach for swimming, rock-skipping, buttery lobster rolls and fresh oysters followed. The group capped off the sightseeing with an afternoon in Oak Bluffs, an area of the island that also holds interesting history. Oak Bluffs saw a great deal of activity during the Transatlantic slave trade, and later became both a home for formerly enslaved peoples, as well as the only town on the island to offer accommodations to visitors of color until the 1960s. We ended our day with a group potluck, all gathered on the porch of one of our rooms. 

Sarah, a 15-year-old girl living in Libramont, Belgium is very excited to be joining The Academy community next year as an 11th grader!

To make this work, we first have to find her a host family. Please consider this wonderful opportunity!

Living with a host family will be an amazing experience for Sarah, just as it will be the family. Sarah is a fabulous singer who also likes skiing (she'll love that Berkshire East is so close!). She also likes kickboxing and swimming. Her parents describe her as joyful and a great student. Sarah helps at home by washing dishes, cleaning her room, vacuuming, doing laundry and cooking, so plan on eating a few Belgian dishes with her.

Sarah has wanted to come to the US for a very long time. "I have been dreaming about it since I was a little child. I have always dreamed to attend a real baseball match," she says. More recently, she decided it was time to have this experience after seeing how much her brother loved going to school in New Zealand.

Sarah will be coming to us via the PAX program. Contact local coordinator and Academy parent Jackie Walsh for more information about Sarah and about PAX, at 413-625-9413 or by email.

Saturday,  May 25: APC Meeting  (9-10 AM) and Spring Work Bee (10 AM - 2 PM) - on campus
Friday, May 31:       Spring Concert Reception (watch for details!)
Tuesday,  June 11: Staff Appreciation Luncheon

Senior Calla J's youth activism group, Youth Rise Together, will hold a circus fundraiser to benefit the Pioneer Valley Workers Center on May 18th. There will be two shows, at 1:00 and 4:00 PM. They will take place at 2 North Street in Montague, MA. The Pioneer Valley Workers Center is a Northampton-based organization that protects immigrants and low wage workers. Youth Rise Together put on a similar circus show two years ago to benefit Planned Parenthood and it was a great success. There will be youth circus artists performing acts featuring solo and partner acrobatics, hand balancing, contortion, trapeze, aerial silks and more. If you’re interested in attending the event and supporting the Workers Center, purchase tickets HERE. More information about Youth Rise Together can be found HERE.

All meals served with salad and/or fruit. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will, as always, be available

Monday:         Mac and cheese with or w/o bacon
Tuesday:        Asian chicken over noodle salad
Wednesday:  Triple cheese risotto

Thursday:      Chicken ramen noodle bowl
Friday:           Chocolate chip pancakes and home fries, with or w/o Italian sausage