Great Barrington — Berkshire Hills Regional School District’s Monument Mountain Regional High School received $200,000 in a continuation grant from the Barr Foundation to support the school’s ongoing redesign of its approach to learning and teaching.
The grant supports:
- Shifts to proficiency-based learning;
- Increased access, rigor and deeper learning opportunities for more students;
- Increased and improved abilities of students to recognize, name and regulate their emotions; and
- A wider range of youth voices in governance and policy decisions.
The work continues efforts to support equity, access, and rigor for all students. Principal Kristi Farina shared, “We’ve made tremendous progress over the past year in completing our content area proficiency statements, examining our instructional practices around how we provide students feedback, and most significantly in the deepening of our work on the Student Adult Advisory Board. We’re excited about the next steps this year in engaging teacher teams in examining student work to build shared understanding of what meeting proficiency looks like, in finalizing the Berkshire Hills Portrait of a Graduate, and in expanding youth voice in all aspects of our programming and governance.”
Superintendent Peter Dillon shared, “Two years into leveling up our approach to ninth- and 10th-grade learning and teaching, we’re seeing promising results. More students are demonstrating a growth mindset. At the same time, shifts in how we teach biology have led to the highest percentage of students in the county exceeding and meeting expectations.”
Tessa Baldwin, an 11th-grade student, shared, “The Barr Grant has made significant contributions to my high school career. I have been a member of SAAB (student adult advisory board) for all of high school, and funding from the Barr grant has since made it possible for us to go on retreats yearly and, in the case of me and three other students, to go on a research trip to a high school in California. These immersive opportunities were interesting and have impacted my high school experience by making it possible to notably improve the student experience at Monument Mountain.”
The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts. Based in Boston, Barr focuses regionally, and selectively engages nationally, working in partnership with nonprofits, foundations, the public sector, and civic and business leaders to elevate the arts, advance solutions for climate change, and connect all students to success in high school and beyond. Founded in 1997, Barr now has assets in excess of $3 billion, and has contributed more than $1 billion to charitable causes. For more information about the Barr Foundation, visit its website.
