To the editor:
I have recently attended two meetings at Mt. Everett Regional High School to learn about their program with Simon’s Rock college which allows students of the high school to attend classes taught by the college’s faculty and allows students to earn college credits at no cost.
This is a program which is so academically and financially rich it is incredible to me that it is taking place in our small rural school, especially considering that we have about 300 students and a graduating class of about 50.
Just when the federal government is excusing college-related debt of up to $20,000 per person, we are offering students the opportunity to take college courses while they are in high school and get college credit towards a future degree. Most importantly, the program starts to involve and incentivize students to pursue a post-high school education while they are in intermediate school, and even earlier.
The educators I spoke with say they often hear from students and parents that their kids just didn’t go to college. This attitude, a belief that advanced academic education wasn’t for them, is being addressed so that all possible participants learn that it may well be something that could, and perhaps should, be considered.
The program is in no way coercive to students and parents, and the high school’s occupational education programs are back after some covid interruptions.
The students I have spoken with over the years all appreciate and are thankful for the ability to personally interact with their teachers and other staff because of the small size of the school. While it is projected that our school populations will drop over the ensuing years, we should remember that in Boston and New York, parents who can afford it often pay tens of thousands of dollars to send their kids to private schools in order to get the personal attention and quality education provided at Mt. Everett.
Congratulations to all the educators who have worked so hard to develop the programs which provide such remarkable educational experiences to our children. My suggestion is that everyone interested in education look at the website of Mt. Everett to see just how innovative and enriching it is for its students.
Stephen Cohen
Egremont
