Bard College at Simon's Rock sophomores Moamer Alsaidi and Ankur Chakrabarti Roybarman at a March for Our Lives event in Pittsfield in March. Simon's Rock students will participate in a National School Walkout event Friday, April 20, at the Mason Library in Great Barrington. Photo courtesy Bard College at Simon's Rock

Bits & Bytes: Simon’s Rock students join walkout; Shakespeare’s birthday celebration; ‘The City Dark’ at Bushnell-Sage Library; GBHS annual meeting; Greenagers scholarship

Greenagers will offer a $2,000 scholarship to a graduating senior or young person under the age of 25 pursuing secondary education or work experience in the sustainable agriculture field.

Simon’s Rock students to join National School Walkout

Great Barrington — On Friday, April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, students across the country will take part in the National School Walkout by walking out of classes in protest of gun violence in their communities. Bard College at Simon’s Rock students invite area students and adults to join them in a local march from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mason Library and proceed to Town Hall, 334 Main St.

“We are encouraged by the platform youth have created and we aim to broaden this movement, acknowledge our privileges, and give greater voice to people who are being forgotten,” said sophomore student organizer Ankur Chakrabarti Roybarman. “Fundamentally and systemically, the United States continues to marginalize and discriminate against people based on race, nationality, class, mental health, the label of criminality, gender, and sexual minority status, and any combination of these and other stigmatized characteristics.”

Simon’s Rock students want to expand the national discourse around gun violence, which they feel too often overlooks many who are disproportionately impacted. “We cannot forget people who are at risk of suicide, people of color shot by police and by civilians, people of color in other countries being killed by U.S. armed forces. We cannot forget that people who have mental health issues, people who are racialized as criminals, trans people, and others who deviate from the so-called “norm” are actually victims rather than perpetrators of historical and ongoing violence,” Roybarman continued. “So, on the anniversary of Columbine High School, Simon’s Rock students will walk and speak to elevate the stories of those trodden under nation. Join us, walk with us, speak with us, and be heard.”

There will be speeches at the start and end of the event. For more information or to sign up to speak, see the Berkshire Edge calendar.

–E.E.

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From left to right: Gregory Boover, Caitlan Kraft, Kai Tshikosi, Andrew Barrett, Kristen Peacock, Alison Howard and David Bertoldi in Shakespeare & Company’s Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare production of William Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Photo: Carolyn Brown

Shakespeare & Company to celebrate anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare

Lenox — Shakespeare & Company will celebrate the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare Saturday, April 21, at 7 p.m. with the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare’s 90-minute performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” followed by a reception with the artists and birthday cake.

The family-friendly production emphasizes Shakespeare’s language, dramatic action, and the vital relationship between actors and audience. The play features a seven-member cast of Andrew Barrett, David Bertoldi, Gregory Boover, Alison Howard, Caitlin Kraft, Kirsten Peacock and Kai Tshikosi who take on multiple roles. The production is directed by Douglas Seldin with costumes by Elizabeth Magas and production design by James W. Bilnoski.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Shakespeare & Company box office at (413) 637-3353.

–E.E.

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Bushnell-Sage Library to screen ‘The City Dark’

Image courtesy imdb.com

Sheffield — In the spirit of International Dark Sky Week and Earth Day, the Bushnell-Sage Library will screen “The City Dark: A Search for Night on a Planet that Never Sleeps” Friday, April 20, at 7 p.m.

“The City Dark” discusses the dangers of light pollution beyond the inability to see the stars and presents scientific research on the effects of light pollution on the health of many different organisms on Earth, including humans. The showing will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Bard College at Simon’s Rock astronomy professor Harold Hastings as well as International Dark Sky Association, Massachusetts chapter member and Edge columnist Judy Isacoff.

The screening is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Bushnell-Sage Library at (413) 229-7004.

–E.E.

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Great Barrington Historical Society to hold annual meeting

Image courtesy Great Barrington Historical Society

Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Historical Society will hold its annual meeting Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at the Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 S. Main St. After a “State of the Society” report and a short business meeting, author A. David Rutstein Rutstein will take the audience on a look back at the history of Searles High School via his recently published book “A History of Searles High School: 1898-1967, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.”

Rutstein is a graduate of the University of Vermont and holds a master’s degree in American history from the State University of New York at Albany. He was a teacher of high school world and American history in New York and in the Berkshires. He also has taught a course on Berkshire county history in Berkshire Community College‘s extension program. He is a past president of GBHS and is a member of the Great Barrington Historical Commission. For six summers, he has hosted walking tours of historic downtown Great Barrington as a guide and raconteur.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact GBHS at (413) 591-8702 or info@gbhistory.org.

–E.E.

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Greenagers establishes sustainable agriculture scholarship

Great Barrington — Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, Greenagers will offer a $2,000 scholarship to a graduating senior or young person under the age of 25 pursuing secondary education or work experience in the sustainable agriculture field. Special emphasis will be placed on integrated practices and ecological farming.

Applicants must reside in Berkshire County. Applicants must be pursuing full or part time education at a university or an accredited program, or have a multi-year apprenticeship plan with sustainable agriculture as the primary focus. Applicants with a combined interest in small- or medium-scale agriculture as well as integrated culinary and agricultural pursuits are encouraged to apply.

The scholarship will be awarded on or before Friday, May 18. Applications that meet the deadlines and requirements will be considered for the 2018 scholarship. Greenagers hopes to offer this scholarship annually to new and repeat applicants. The application deadline is Saturday, April 28. For more information or to receive an application, contact Greenagers at (413) 644-9090 or office@greenagers.org.

–E.E.