BCC welcomes sixth graders

PITTSFIELD – In an effort to encourage students to further their education, Reid Middle School sixth graders recently made a trip to Berkshire Community College.

“It’s good for the kids to be able to see what academic life is like,” Reid sixth grade English teacher Matthew “Matt” Sturgis told The Beacon.

As part of the “Berkshire County Goes to College” initiative, put together by the Berkshire Compact for Education and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), sixth graders from throughout the county spent a day at area colleges (Bard College at Simon’s Rock, BCC, MCLA and Williams College) to raise awareness of higher education at an early age.

“By opening up our local college campuses to the area’s sixth-grade students, this annual event keeps Berkshire County youth on track on the path to college,” said Denise Richardello, MCLA vice president of enrollment and external relations. “We hope they will continue to explore their educational options for the future.”

During the visit to BCC, Reid students went in groups to four different academic programs hosted by the college’s faculty, staff and students.

The sixth graders were exposed to a variety of subject areas, from science projects in a presentation titled “Lungs” to learning about fitness from faculty and students in the personal training program to learning about sustainability in the college’s renewable energy lab in the new Hoffman Building.

“It’s good for the kids to be able to see the new buildings [like Hoffman] as well,” Mr. Sturgis said.

Other faculty presentations included a lesson on researching and a tour of the library from BCC librarian Karen Carreras-Hubbard.

For all of the presentations, there was a focus on hands-on learning and making things interactive for the students, from being able to touch pigs’ lungs in a science lab to participating in some rapid-fire “Library Jeopardy.”

Before breaking off into groups, the sixth graders were welcomed by BCC President Ellen Kennedy.

“You know that anything is possible; you can be anything you want to be,” she told the students. “The plan today is to get you curious.”

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on April 11, 2013. Filed under Education News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry