Mount Greylock RHS Williamstown, Mass. Tuesday, Nov. 25 ...

Siphoning love, hatred, passion, energy

Clark lab projectadvances; ties withMGRHS uncertain

Town officials have given key approvals for a ClarkArt Institute-backed construction of a conservationlaboratory and new campus on Phelps Knoll abuttingMount Greylock RHS. But the project is stalled, atleast temporarily, while the Clark seeks a source ofwater for the new building, MGRHS officials say.

The high school draws water from two wells un-derneath parking areas. The Sweetwood and SweetBrook complexes also have their own wells. But testborings on Phelps Knoll have not yet produced a suit-able water source, the officials add.

Also pending, they say, are discussions with theClark about the nature of proposed links between theschool and new facility which might to lead to newlearning or exhibition opportunities for students.

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003Mount Greylock RHS Williamstown, Mass.

Colin Gold, left, and Amanda Bell, in the Mount Greylock/Shakespeare & Co.production of, Twelfth Night. Review, more photos, Page 7.

Submitted photo

By Carl KublerMount Greylock Regional High

School faces a $1 million budget short-fall next year, including an anticipated$240,000 increase in health-insurancepremiums for teachers and staff, a meet-ing of the Greylock Assistance Project(GAP) has been told by Supt. MarkPiechota.

School faces $1M deficit, Partners toldPiechota has issued a plea to parents

and the community to attend a GreylockPartners meeting on Monday, Dec. 1, at7 p.m. at the school library to discussthe situation, and has even told theschool-committee he understands hisjob may have to be combined with theprincipal position.

Meanwhile, Robert Petricca, school

board chairman, attended Saturday’sfirst community potluck dinner at theschool -- with about about 70 people --and thanked parents for increasing in-volvement in the school’s light. “I don’tknow at this point if we’re going to needa [Proposition 2-1/2] override -- it looksthat way,” said Petricca. He said theschool will start advertising for a new

principal soon to replace the retiringRussell Norton, even though the boardmay well decide to combine the posi-tion with superintendent. “We have tohave the option [of hiring],” he said.

On Nov. 17, more than 40 parents andfriends of the regional public highschool in the Mount Greylock school

See, $1M DEFICIT? , Page 3

JaveJive coffeehousegoes live on Dec. 5

Debut of new‘hangout’ forregion’s teens

By the Echo StaffMGRHS students will have a new entertainment

option starting Friday evening, Dec. 5 -- JavaJive.That's the name a steering committee of 12 teen-

agers have given to a coffee house which will debutthat evening at the First Congregational Church inWilliamstown. And organizers say they may seek alocation in Lanesborough as well if JavaJive is a hit.

“Williamstown really doesn't have aplace for teen-agers to hang out at night.That's one of the primary reasons for thecoffeehouse. In addition, it gives talentedkids a performance venue, and some busi-ness experience.”

On sale starting at 7:30 p.m. will be coffee, tea,cocoa, cider, snacks, and desserts. On stage will beyoung people and friends, playing music, reading po-ems or writing, or performing in an "open-mike" for-mat. Proceeds will benefit the Greylock AssistanceProject ("GAP") Fund, or other programs targeted bythe student managers.

The coffeehouse will run monthly, and there willbe a cover charge at the door of between $1 and $3.

"Williamstown really doesn't have a place for teen-agers to hang out at night," Burns says. "That's one ofthe primary reasons for the coffeehouse. In addition,it gives talented kids a performance venue, and somebusiness experience."

She recalls that she attended a folk coffee house asa 13-year old. "It changed my life," she says. "I sawolder kids playing guitar and singing and I wanted todo the same thing, and I did!"

The steering committee of teen-agers will run thecoffeehouse with support from adults. The studentswill make decisions about what food and beveragesto serve, how to organize the entertainment, and howto promote the coffeehouse. They'll also pitch in withfood, decorations, cleanup and tech support. The adultswill help with transportation and other logistics tomake it happen.

To sign up to perform, contact Mollie Berman [email protected]. To volun-teer, contact Burns at 458-0925.

INSIDE:

Books for GuatemalaMGRHS students are being asked by aWilliamstown teacher to help stock a schoollibrary in Guatemala . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

Council repliesThree members describe how student councilis organized to respond to student intereststhrough subcommittees . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6

Also inside:King speech contest . . . . . . . . . . Page 2BSO coming? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2Norton interview . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 4-5

SPORTS ... Back Page 8

NORTONINTERVIEW

Pages 4-5

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo

The Mount Greylock Echo is the student newspaper ofMount Greylock Regional High School in Williams-town, Mass. It is published once per month during theacademic year. Each issue is developed and edited by ateam of “issue editors” and writers. Any Mount Grey-lock student may join the staff, attend meetings andsubmit articles. A year-to-year governance structure forThe Echo is under development.Issue editors, contributors This month’s issue editor was Carl Kubler. The nextissue will be published Thurs., Dec. 18; story deadline isDec. 11; December editors are Connor Casey and KejiaTang. Staffers or contributors for this issue included:Sam Baldwin, Paul Bergmann, Mollie Berman, NaimaBrown, Charles Cochran, Logan Garrity, Carl Kubler,Heather Murtagh, Jason Silberstein, and Lucy White.Next meeting -- Thurs. Dec. 4The next staff meeting, Thurs., Dec. 4, at 2:30 p.m., inRoom 60 (back of library). All are welcome.

Mount Greylock EchoRoom 60

Mount Greylock Regional High School1781 Cold Spring Road

Williamstown MA 01267(413) 458-9582all submissions:

[email protected]

TEAM ECHO

Page 2

CLUB NEWSShould a teacher fanclub be official? Aninterview with Mr.Dils admirers

EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s a new unofficial clubat Mount Greylock . . . the “Mr. Dils Fan Club.” Itwas initiated by sophomores Kyle Flynn-Kasuba,Colin MacDonald, and Simon Reinhardt, all ofwhom have English teacher Blair Dils in class.Classmate Logan Garrity interviews the founders,who speak with enthusiasm -- and . . . caution . . .candor!

By Logan Garrity

Who is Mr. Dils?Colin: Mr. Dils is a teacher for several honors

and AP English classes. He also coaches soccer …Simon: … a very important part of his life.What do you hope to accomplish with this

organization?Colin: Boost Dils’s self-esteem.Kyle: Have a field trip to his house.Simon: Show appreciation.Colin: Show love.Any difficulties in founding this club?Colin: Mr. Payne has persecuted us by not

allowing the club to be official.Simon: A lot of discrimination is going on here.

We can’t meet in extended, but other clubs can.Colin. We can’t be in the yearbook.Kyle: But we’re working on it.Colin: We have over fifty people signed up. If

made official, the Mr. Dils Fan Club would be thesecond-largest student-run organization in theschool.

Kyle: We need Dils T-shirts…Colin: …already planned.

[Kyle laughs]Simon: Some people don’t want to join – they

must hate Dils.How did the idea for this club originate?Colin: Talking in extended.

Kyle: Marveling at Dils’s beauty.Colin: I thought of it.Simon: We decided to initiate the club…Colin: …as we cheered his soccer team on to a

1-0 victory over the Hoosac Valley Hurricanes.Kyle: Get this down – what started as a joke

grew to have the second-largest following in theschool.

Simon: And to Mrs. Keeley: we’re coming foryour JCL. We’ll be bigger and better!

Colin: Yeah, we’ll kick her @$$.Do you think Mr. Payne has something

against Mr. Dils?Simon: If we started a Mr. Payne fan club, I

doubt we’d encounter such resistance.Do you have any other remarks?Colin: Yeah. We learn from Dils and if we want

to start a fan club, we can. Dils also looks like acute, cuddly koala.

Kyle: Some more ideas: - Mascot: koala - Music: by punk rock band Dils, off album...All: Dils, Dils, DilsSimon: If you haven’t joined yet, listen to this: I

got an A- last quarter, and what did you get? Nowdo you want to join?

What about your leadership abilities?Simon: We are wicked sexy…Colin: …and so is Mr. Dils.

[laughter]Simon: Shut up! Stop making fun of me.Colin: We will be the largest club.Simon: We never pressured anyone into joining.Are there any other supporters of the

organization?Colin: Will Fogel may be a guest speaker.Kyle: We will contact Mrs. Dils to see what she

says about his life at home.What about Dils’s grading policy?Simon: It is unpopular, but Dils does what he can

to make us better English students.Kyle: Not just better students, but better people –

write that down!Colin: No comment.Kyle Jolin says we should hug Dils a lot. Is

this true?Colin: Yes, Dils is a cuddly koala bear. Every

koala needs to be hugged.Editor: Koalas are awesome.

JCL team wins in two catapultcategories; staffs booth at ̀ Words’

By Mollie BermanThe Mount Greylock Junior Classical League’s

intermediate certamen team placed first in its division andthe advanced team finished second at a recent Classics Daystatewide competition. Club members also ran a booth atthe “Words Are Wonderful” celebration held atWilliamstown Elementary School.

The “Words are Wonderful” booth promoted Latin byoffering numerous exciting activities to the elementaryschool kids. The booth included face-painting, coloring,word-searches, and many other stations. The idea was toencourage younger children to take an early interest in Latinand the classics.

At the catapult contest, points earned from these contestscontribute to Mount Greylock’s score at the StateConvention. A number of students won in the artcompetitions, oral and dramatic interpretation contests, andthe costume contest.

K-Glick energetic, commandingViolinist Lilo Kantorowicz-Glick and pianist James

Goldsworthy gave a concert on Sunday, Nov. 23 at theWilliamstown elementary school benefiting the Mt.Greylock Regional High School arts programs. The

concert opened with an energetic Suite in A Major byAntonio Vivaldi and moved on to pieces such as the haunt-ing Serenade by Anton Arnesky and the folk-like Two Ma-zurkas by Henri Wieniawski.

Kantorowicz-Glick,already in her early 80s, is as ener-getic and commanding as ever. Her bow and fingers mov-ing like any young musician, she brought life to both thefast and playful and the haunting and melancholy.

Kantorowicz-Glick has taught at Bennington College,Mannes College of Music, and Queens College. She hasperformed around the world at such places as Carnegie Halland the Shanghai Conservatory. Goldworthy is a facultymember of the Westminster Choir College of Rider Univer-sity. And has also toured throughout Europe and NorthAmerica as accompanist, soloist, and chamber musician.

Dec. 19 deadline set for MLKspeech entries; prizes are offered

A deadline of Dec. 19 has been set for submissions tothe fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speech contest.Any Mount Greylock RHS student is eligible to enter.Submitting student authors of short speeches on topicsinspired by the civil-rights leader’s legacy will competefor U.S. Savings Bonds and gift certificates.

Speeches, approximately two to three pages in length,need to be submitted to History teacher Tom Ostheimer(Room No. 52) by the Dec. 19 deadline. Authors will delivertheir speeches during a ceremony on Thurs., Jan. 15, at theschool.

King was assassinated in April 1968 outside hisMemphis, Tenn., motel room. The night before, he deliveredhis prophetic speech “I Have Been to the Mountaintop.”He spoke: “I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve gotsome difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with menow. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’tmind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life ...ButI’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’swill. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. AndI’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land.”

Mount Greylock students inspired by King’s wordsshould imagine for their topic that they have, like King,“reached the mountain top and looked over and seen thePromised Land,” said Ostheimer. The speech assignment,according to Ostheimer: “Describes your vision of thisworld.”

BSO, dancer may visit schoolwith Friends of Arts help

Visits by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra,and an Afro-Caribbean dancer are being planned by theMount Greylock Friends of the Arts. And on Wed., Dec. 3,the BSO has paid for two buses to take high-schoolers to anopen rehearsal at Symphony Hall in Boston with WyntonMerselis.

The dancer will visit gym classes and offer dance les-sons for about two weeks. The BSO members are tenta-tively scheduled to conduct master classes for some of theschool’s more accomplished musicians. The Friends are alsoworking with the administration to organize nonacademicenrichment programs in local museums.

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo Page 3

Great fruit Great cause! . . . Order deadline Wed. Dec. 3

It’s the first-every great GAP citrus sale. Order premium seedless navel oranges, sweet red grapefruit or a combination of the two. All profits will go to benefit theater arts at Mount Greylock Regional High School. Order by Dec. 3 for delivery by approx. Dec. 15 direct from Mixon Fruit Farm in Bradenton, Fla.

Yes, sign me up! # of boxes Description Price Per box Ext. Price

Gift box, navel oranges (25 lb.) $19.99

Gift box, sweet red grapefrult $19.99

Gift box, oranges & grapefruit (25 lbs.) $19.99

T ORDER

TOTAL:

Fruit recipient

Street Address

Town

Contact telephone

You must check ONE box: I will pickup my fruit box(es) at MGRHS when notified by phone

Please deliver (all deliveries must be to towns served by MGRHS)

Clip this order, attach you check to “MGRHS Friends of the Arts” , and return by hand or in

person to the MGRHS Superintendent’s Office, or U.S. mail to:

Carol Stein-Payne / 110 Ballou Lane / Williamstown MA 01267-2273 458-8197 (email: [email protected])

Don’t miss out – order today!

library to review the anticipated district budget forthe 2004-2005 school year, the future of the GAP Fund,and the status of activity and athletic participation fees,according to Beth Goodman, one of the GAP organiz-ers. School committee members, administrators, and rep-resentatives of the GAP Fund committee provided infor-mation and answered budget questions.

In spite of a 2/3 across the board cut in funding forathletics and activities, the GAP Fund has enabled all fallclubs, teams, and arts programs to go forward. Fundingcontinues for winter and spring activities and athletics, witha strong likelihood that nothing will have to be cut, GAPorganizer Lisa Hiley said before the meeting.

“But the budget outlook for the 2004-05 school yearlooks even grimmer than before,” said Hiley, urging stu-dents to get involved in finding ways to close the fundinggap.

Here is an account of the Nov. 17 meeting, as writtenby organizers, including Gary and Denise Spencer:

Volunteer organizers reported Nov. 17 that the GAPFund has so far raised just over $166,000 ($26,000 forteachers, the rest for athletics and activities or A/A). Mostteams and clubs are fully funded, with money carrying for-ward to next year. A few very large gifts made up the bulkof the fundraising.

At the Nov. 17 meeting, according to those present, sev-eral parents said the school committee should restore fund-ing to sports and activities and should at least put the fullcost of funding those items back into the budget so thatcuts reflect the true loss of opportunities. It was suggestedthat the school commit to funding at least 50 percent of theactivities to relieve the fundraising burden. School com-mittee members present responded, it was reported, that ina choice between laying off teachers and curtailing aca-demic programs, extracurricular activities have to take sec-ond priority.

"The need for ongoing fundraising was acknowledged,with the GAP committee being quite clear about needing alot more help to make this work again," GAP meeting or-ganizers Denise and Gary Spencer wrote in an email ac-count of the Nov. 17 meeting. They added: "There wassome discussion of political solutions, the possibility ofpassing another override, and the need to keep pressure onour legislators, as well as the idea for a consortium ofschools across the county to address these issues."

The Spencers reported that much of the discussion cen-tered on participation fees, which they said are beingcharged by 7 of the 11 high schools in Berkshire Cunty(most at $100). While a couple of people felt that the cur-rent fee of $30 should be maintained, most were heard bythe Spencers to feel that a fee of $50 or even $100 was notunreasonable, as long as ways were found to provide fundsfor those in need and to alleviate the costs for familieswith several children participating in several activities each.

"The agreement for the need for fees was unanimous,with a number of people saying that we could not continueto rely on some parents to make large donations while oth-ers paid nothing," the Spencers wrote in their account.

The Spencers said the following suggestions for revis-ing a fair fee schedule were proposed:

a) having an initial charge for the first sport/activity;less for the second; even less for the third; and more thanthree is free

b) having a family maximum or maximum per individualstudent

c) charging reduced fees for middle school studentsd) encouraging kids to try new activities by having a

reduced fee for first timers or having a trial period beforecollecting money

e) set up a matching fund from the GAP for kids whowant to work to pay their fees and helping organize oppor-tunities to earn money (babysitting, yard work, etc.).

A Williamstown-based group of adults and studentsis circulating collection envelopes at Mount GreylockRegional High School to help buy Spanish-languagechildren's books for Central American libraries.

The envelopes were being circulated Thursday,Friday and Monday, Nov. 20, 21 and 24, according to

organizer Sue O'Riley, who is herself a teacher at theWilliamstown Elementary School.

The bookdrive for this winter's trip is sponsored bythe Mt. Greylock Spanish Club and the LanguageDepartment.

The Rural Literacy Project has developed two smalllibraries, the first in Honduras and the most recent inGuatemala, O'Riley says. Both libraries are in verypoor areas. Prior to these libraries children lived with-out access to the world of books. Books purchasedwith funds from the MGRHS drive will be taken toGuatemala over the holidays by O'Riley, two collegestudents, and by Zoe Remillard, a MGRHS studentwho is also O'Riley's daughter.

"A library was established this summer with mate-rials from money raised at Williamstown ElementarySchool, the Beach Party Dance at the First Congrega-

tional Church, and other local fundraising events," saidO'Riley. "We plan on expanding this small library withthe purchase of environmental books and readers forolder children."

Former Mt. Greylock students Sarah Heslip, MollieRemillard, Emily Mastellone-Synder, Erica O'Neill,as well as band members Nate Fowle, Keegan Shell-ing and Brian Thompson from "Subject To Change"and Ben Jaffe, Chris Parkinson, Nick Jandl from "TheVillians" all worked to make the summer trip possible,O'Riley said.

Donations can be made directly to the Rural Lit-eracy Project and sent to O'Riley, 46 Maple St.,Williamstown MA 01267. O'Riley is also seeking vol-unteers to assist. Contact her via email [email protected].

Students asked to donate for Central American childrens’ books

$1M deficit?Continued from Page 1

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo

EDITOR’S NOTE – On Nov. 6, theprincipal of Mount Greylock RegionalHigh School for the last five years, Rus-sell Norton, announced he will retire onAug. 31, 2004. Two weeks ago, he agreedto be interviewed by Carl Kubler, thismonth’s Echo “issue editor” . The fol-lowing is a condensed transcript of theinterview. In this interview, Norton talksabout his love of math, Alaska, the emo-tional suffering of layoffs, the impor-tance of teaching career skills, the drain-ing task of justifying education spend-ing, making goals, putting off dreams,50 years going to school, the comara-derie of cooking and “leaving the dish-es done” for his successor.

KUBLER: So, to start off, what madeyou opt for the position of principal atMt. Greylock when you came here fiveyears ago?

NORTON: I was assistant principal atanother school. It had grown from basi-cally 500 kids in the high school to wellover a thousand, and it was going to con-tinue to grow. I found myself doing moremanaging of the building than workingwith students and doing the things that Ilike. [I] looked around for smallerschools, and this one met my qualifica-tions as a smaller school, but it was alsoin an area that I love and that my wife isfrom, so we decided to come out here.

KUBLER: ...We’ve all heard aboutyour interest in mathematics and howyou used to be a math teacher. So, couldyou please elaborate on your education-al background and teaching experi-ence?

NORTON: Oh, sure. Came out of highschool, went to the University of Michi-gan for two years as an engineer. Dis-liked engineering, and then decided tocome home, and went to Westfield StateCollege...I had always had good relation-ships with children. I’d been able to workwith them and motivate them to dothings. And I took that into account andI love math...and I decided to major inmathematics and education. I looked atall of my math teachers...but I didn’t re-ally have a good math teacher, and I de-cided to be a math teacher in oppositionto all the bad math teachers that I hadhad over the years...So I went throughthe rest of college in Westfield and I hadthe joy also at Westfield to play varsitysoccer...And then I got my first job.

The more I taught math, the more funit became. For me, the great thing to fig-ure out was how to get students to un-derstand math, because it doesn’t hap-pen naturally...I found out that the learn-ing of math really has to come from play-ing with math, and when I say playing,it isn’t playing with numbers, it’s play-ing with blocks of wood, or it’s playingcribbage, it’s playing a game, even Strat-ego. What I started to see was everythinghad math in it. And if you figured itout...you really understood the numbersand the theories with the numbers. Youstarted to understand geometry. And myteaching style would emphasize a lot ofthat. I’ve always enjoyed teaching high-powered mathematics to strugglingstudents...I still enjoy helping a student

Page 4

or tutoring somebody...Last year I did acouple of Mr. Belouin’s classes. I just en-joy it...

KUBLER: On a slightly different note,could you possibly explain why you’re re-tiring at this particular time?

NORTON: Well, it has a lot to do withmy age, my number of years in education,and they happen to work out perfectly tomaximize my retirement. And part of thereason that it works out is I started teach-ing right out of college. This is my thirty-fourth year in education. And I’m still

young, so I looked at it...and I have a ga-zillion hobbies! And a lot of it I’ve alwaysput on the back burner when I’ve been aprincipal...I garden, I woodwork, I build,I read, I travel. I like to problem-solve…Ialso work at the farm, at the family farm,you know, I tap trees, I’ve grown corn,I’ve done just about anything you like todo. And you reach a time in your life whenyou look around and you say, “OK, I’vedone what I wanted to do, pretty much,but I have a lot of personal goals left.”

I know that to reach those personalgoals, one of them being able to go to Alas-ka for a long time, I now need to retire.You can’t go to Alaska for three monthsand return to do this job. I want to buildanother house. I built one house all bymyself, I want to build another house. Ican’t do that while doing this job. So Ilooked at it all, and the offer was therefrom the state to retire.

I’m basically retiring early. I had tolook at it and then I had to figure out whenis the best time and that was all figuredaround the accreditation process which Ilooked at very carefully: When would bethe best time to leave the school?...Ilooked at each month and said when wasthe best time to leave...I write goals formyself every year: “this is what I’m go-ing to try to accomplish,” and it’s usuallywhat I’m going to try to accomplish forthe school or for myself.

I have some personal goals. Don’t al-ways make them, by the way! But they’re

good to write down and reflect on. As Iwas writing the ones for the school thisyear, with the accreditation process, I re-alized that the process of self-evaluationwould be pretty much done by the end ofthe year, and that if I stayed on till thevisiting committee came, that I wouldprobably be in the process of writing thenew 10-year plan, and then I said to my-self, “Oops! If you’re writing the plan,maybe you ought to stick around to dosome of it and make sure it works. Andas I followed that logical process, I said,“Wow, I can end up working five or sixmore years, because of who I am. Onceyou put a plan in effect, you like to makesure that it works and that it gets going....

What I want to do here is finish theself-evaluation because I will have beenhere five years, get all the critical datatogether that you need to look at your-self, and then hopefully leave it to the nextprincipal to come in and say, “OK, I have

all this data, here’s what it seems to mean.And now I’ve got to build a new plan.” Aprincipal shouldn’t be coming in to dosomebody else’s plan. They should becoming in to do their plan...And I alsowanted to make sure that….

I didn’t want to leave the school with-out making sure that there was a sched-ule and place for everybody, that theywere getting to the best of my ability whatthey needed, to make sure that the teach-ers were hired, to make sure that every-thing was in a nice neat package. I wouldhate to leave the dishes undone, if youknow what I mean. I mean you’ve got tofinish the job and make sure the schoolis in the best place it can be when youleave. And so that’s how I picked August31. It took a lot of talking and thinking,quite honestly, and that’s what I did mostof August with my family, discussing it.

KUBLER: So what do you feel inthese five years has been your most sig-nificant contribution to Mt. Greylock?

NORTON: Oh, I don’t know...I wouldhope that the contributions I made — Idon’t know whether it was significant ornot — was to work with student govern-ment, to get it doing things in the govern-ing end of the building, rather than thesocial end. I also think I tried to bring aspirit here of…let’s work together, andlet’s at least listen to each other. They’rein things I can’t measure, possibly, but asI discussed in my little retirement speech,it’s the enjoyment that I’ve had from thecamaraderie of the faculty and the cama-raderie of the students....

I sure have enjoyed being with the stu-dents in this school. I’ve had some of thegreatest conversations with students over34 years, some of the best have been herein this school. In terms of education, interms of how do we work with each oth-er, how do we help each other, and a lotof them have been just “What do I donow, Mr. Norton?”, you know, or “Howdo I either (a) get out of trouble, or (b)how do I get where I want to go?” ....

The other contribution that I think thatI have done, behind the scenes, that prob-ably a lot of people don’t realize, is real-ly worked at data-driven decision mak-ing. I try not to make any decision with-out having some kind of data behind it.That’s probably my math backgroundsticking out. In other words, after I for-mulate a question, I try to find the datathat either supports it or doesn’t supportit, and then, to interpret the data, and thenmake a change, and see where that changeleads….

I think the student handbook is in bet-ter shape, it has a better process. I think alot of processes have changed. I’ve triedto streamline them, force them to beaccountable...One thing I take pride in isthat Japanese garden, and working withMr. Gerard when he was here, getting itall developed, and Mr. Caraco, but I don’tthink of that necessarily as a contribution.It’s something nice to look at, and it’s anice peaceful place to be. And I think theother contribution is that…the good tra-ditions of Mt. Greylock, I hope I haven’tdestroyed. I think I’ve tried to keep what’sbest about the school, and change whatpeople didn’t like.

Angst of layoffs, comraderie of cooking, and ‘leaving the dishes done’NORTON INTERVIEWED:

I have laid off now a lot of teachers over mylast 10 years as a principal. You hire these peo-ple. You work with them. You make connec-tions with them. You then have to turn aroundand let them go, and they’re really good peo-ple, and you know they’re doing a good jobfor the students, and they’re making yourschool move forward. You suffer emotionally.

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo Page 5

I’ve reflected a lot about when I camehere for the interview...I feel that if thosestudents who talked to me that day fiveyears ago would look at the school now,they would see that what they asked tobe changed was changed. I think with theteachers, my biggest contribution is…togive them food for thought, things to thinkabout, how to make themselves a stron-ger and better teacher.

KUBLER: Thanks. So, what, if any-thing, do you think you could have donebetter these past five years?

NORTON: Oh, you can do lots ofthings better! I would have liked...to haveseen a different schedule for the studentsin terms of a bell schedule. I would saymy other big contribution is…the break.I mean, I believed for a long time in edu-cation there should be a break, and thenhaving a school finally that could workthe break and effectively work it.

You know, to get that break you haveto have cooperation from just about ev-erybody in the school, and we’ve had itnow for three, maybe four years. Fabu-lous! ... I would have liked to have donemore things to tinker with the schedule,so the kids could go through what I con-sider a respectful day, not a factory-man-dated bell schedule. The other thing Iwould have liked to have worked on morewas bringing more hands-on courses toMt. Greylock, but the budget has kind ofstymied that.

I would have liked to have seen agraphics program here for students. Mybiggest disappointment is that — and thiswas just my own self-goal — was to bringan animation program to the school. Be-cause I think that students would...haveloved it. This school has a lot of kids whohave got very incredible artistic talents.And I always look at the schools as sup-posed to be developing you not only aca-demically and in math, but it’s to devel-op you so that you’re ready to do a jobout in the real world. And I happen to be-lieve that animation, working with com-puters, is something we should be focus-ing students on, because students can godirectly from high school to those jobs.

And, you know, we don’t all go to col-lege, and we don’t all make it throughcollege, so we’ve got to have somethingthat allows us to make a living. And...thiscould be a very valuable skill. If not inthe Berkshires, then it would be at leastin the rest of the country. My disappoint-ment is we didn’t get that far... Other thanthat, I don’t have a lot of disappoint-ments, because I’m pretty much a realistand a pragmatist. You do what you’ve gotto do, and you get as far as you can do.

KUBLER: Thanks. So you men-tioned the budget being a hindrance tosome of the things you would have likedto have done.

NORTON: Oh, yeah. Budget has al-ways been a hindrance for people. I thinkthat probably was the thing that tippedthe scales whether or not I wanted to workanother five years, because I have been aprincipal since 1992...and in that time, itseems like I’ve had to do an awful lot ofbudget battles with communities, aboutwhat they have to pay for their education.And I just wasn’t ready to go through an-other battle like I thought we wentthrough last year. Having to justify everysingle penny to a community... “Why arethey spending it on education?" "Why didthey need to do this?" "Why did they need

to have new textbooks?" "Why do youneed to have phys ed?" You know, "Why?""Why?" You answer those questions, andI've done it now for a lot of years. I foundmyself, actually, getting almost sarcasticabout it, because I've done it so manytimes. And why weren't people listening?Why haven't people figured out that goodeducation costs money? The logic of theaverage citizen about what he’s payingfor in school…is beyond me . . . I wasbrought up with parents who verymuch...I had a father who didn’t gradu-ate out of high school. I had a mother whojust graduated out of high school. I’m thefirst of my whole family to ever go to col-

lege. They treasured education...So whenwe get into these budget battles, every-body has their individual focus...And Ijust see that those battles are going to con-tinue for three to four years....

I have laid off now a lot of teachersover the last 10 years as a principal. Youhire these people. You work with them.You make connections with them. Youthen have to turn around and let them go,and they’re really good people, and youknow they’re doing a good job for the stu-dents, and they’re making your schoolmove forward. You suffer emotionally.Something people don’t talk about, but Ireally don’t want to do more of that.That’s the unhappiness…you do it, andyou do it to the best of your ability, but Idon’t need to do that again for the nextfive years...But if those things weren’tthere and if…I’ll tell you, when I firstcame here the school was in very goodshape financially, I thought, in very goodshape…we would have probably stuckaround a few more years.

You know, I’m going to retire at basi-cally 57 years old, which is young. I couldhave worked till 62, but the joy is that Ihad, you know, I had the number of years.The other thing that’s come to me, theenormity about why am I even thinkingabout retirement. I went to school in 1953.I have been continuously, never missinga year, in school since 1953. That’s 50years! That’s incredible! 50 years…goingto school! Whether as a teacher or a stu-dent. And I said to myself, “Wow, I mean,50 years I’ve listened to the bell ring!”

I still do get excited about school. Theopening of school, I probably get just asexcited about as I probably did when Iwas a kid. Because it’s a fresh start, a new

group is going to come in, you have newsets of things that you can do. And theyknow they’re going to see new teachersand new people, and we’re going to dothings differently. And the only place thathappens, by the way, is in school. There’sa start and a stop, and it’s every year. AndI love that, and I’m going to miss it. Be-cause I have been in that routine for somany years!...

KUBLER: Do you have any sugges-tions for the next principal?

NORTON: I would hope that the nextprincipal, whoever they be, very quicklyreaches out to the students. If they don’t,I think it would be a mistake...I would

also tell them to listen to their schoolcouncil. I have a great school council,they’re a really good sounding board. I’dtell them to get to know thecommunity...But I would hope that who-ever is the principal comes with the needto improve, to keep building.

I would tell them the status quo isn’tgood enough. Of course, it’s never been.I’m just somebody that doesn’t believein the status quo. Often I tell people, youknow, one of the beautiful parts abouteducation, it’s constantly changing. Peo-ple say, you know, they want the old daysbut, you know, we should change, thewhole national experience I think is toimprove. And so I think whoever comesin ought to think about how they are go-ing to improve it, they’ll do their part toimprove it, somebody else will do theirpart to improve it, and you’re constantlyrelearning.

It’s very similar to building a car. Lookat a Model T and then look at the carstoday. If the Model T was such a beauti-ful car, why don’t we keep building it?There’s a reason why. And I would tellyou this school should not be the sameschool, whoever comes in. That theyshould…they’re going to change it. WhatI would hope that they would use in thatchange is the students and the teachers,because they’re really good people.

KUBLER: Thanks. So, as you said,you intend to move to Alaska for awhile?

NORTON: No, I’m not going to move,I’m going to travel in Alaska. I would liketo go up there and do from summer rightthrough till almost winter just to see thesights...Want to go north of the ArcticCircle. When I travel I keep track of all

the animals I see, would like to see a muskox, and a polar bear, and a few other an-imals that I haven’t seen. I’ve been therecross-country once, but I did it throughCanada. Saw a lot. But I would like toalso see the whales...when you look atthe pictures of Alaska they look huge. Iwant to see what that hugeness is allabout.

So the dream to go to Alaska is to notjust go to a spot in Alaska but to coverthe state in all its regions, meet the peo-ple, not necessarily to live there, but tovisit there, but visit therethoroughly...And then from there, I’ve gotsome other goals in my life...probablygoing to stay in the area, even though Ihave a house on the Cape which I builtmyself. I’m going to try to keep a foot intwo places for a while until I can decidewhere I want to end up. I’ve always beenflexible.

You know, I mean, I’m pretty happywherever I’m at, but…life changes...I canmake all these plans and talk to you to-day, and I know enough that tomorrowsomething could happen in my life whereI’m requested to do something and I gooff and do it. Because you have familyobligations, you just do it. That just push-es your dream or your goal back a littlebit, but it doesn’t mean it’s unachiev-able....

KUBLER: Thanks. Lastly, we allknow about your culinary prowess. So,do you intend to continue cooking mealsduring your retirement?

NORTON: Oh! ...I hope so. That’ssomething that started with me, oh, 20-25 years ago, and it’s continued as oneof my ways of…whether it’s giving backto a community, because I did it for theLions Club for a number of years. I willfind ways to celebrate with large groupsof people and…I love preparing food forthem...I love preparing and having every-body sit down because it’s…there’ssomething about a meal, when you sitdown and eat it, and you didn’t prepareit, that you relax and conversation takesplace, and I happen to believe that whenpeople are relaxed and conversation takesplace, progress happens.

And so if my role in that is to makesure that it happens, yeah, I’ll continueto do it...I mean it isn’t so much my be-ing able to cook, it’s being able quicklyto put together a meal for a large numberof people, it’s the organization of it that’sthe thrill, getting the things for areasonable…and then saying, “OK, doyou like this? Do you like that?” It’s beenfun! In fact, I was very happy, SMILEcame in to me the other day and said, “Wewant to offer a raffle to bring food in forThanksgiving to give to the unfortunate,”and he says to me, “Would you servebreakfast to the winner?”...and I said,“Absolutely!”

You see, to me that’s cooking for apurpose that’s a higher purpose than justcooking...I’ll use it somewhere, makesomebody happy somewhere. My wifedoesn’t even let me do all the cooking,my wife is a better cook than I am, as-tounding. She’s a way better baker. I’mnot a good baker. She can make breadlike you wouldn’t believe. And I can evenwork at the farm, cooking, during mapleseason.

KUBLER: Well, thank you so muchfor your time and patience.

NORTON: You’re welcome. I en-joyed it.

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo

OPINION

By Amanda Bell, Naima Brownand Heather Murtagh

Members of the Mount Greylock RHSStudent Council were disturbed to read aneditorial of complaint in last month’s issue ofthe Echo. We felt it was our responsibility toaddress the concerns which the studentbrought up.

This fall, the Student Council spent threeand a half hours discussing its purpose in theschool and outlining its goals for the future.We created a mission statement for theStudent Council, which is to act in the interestof the student body regarding theadministration of Mount Greylock.

The 24 members of the Student Council arenow organized into four subcommittees tobetter accommodate our multifaceted roles.

The Handbook Committee is reviewing theStudent Handbook in order to propose changesto policies that students have expressedconcern about: the dress code, Student FacultyReview Board, and the bus policy, amongothers.

The Round Table Committee is in theprocess of writing new questions thatincorporate these concerns for upcomingroundtable discussions – meetings run by theStudent Council at which randomly chosenhigh school students have the opportunity tovoice their problems.

The Budget Committee is reviewing thisyear’s budget in an effort to proposesuggestions for future funding (i.e., whichareas of Mount Greylock students feel needmore or less money) to the School Committee.

The Organizational Committee isresponsible for the Student Council’s othercommitments – organizing our communityservice activities, designating tasks for OpenHouse, preparing Recognition Night, andmaintaining the Student Council’s new “LiveSuggestion Box,” a table at high-school lunchwhere students can communicate easily andinformally with Student Council represen-tatives.

In order for the Student Council to properlyserve as a liaison between the administrationand the student body, we need to hear yourconcerns. We invite students to attend ouropen meetings and forums so that we canaddress the issues that the student body, notthe Student Council, sees as vital. We are notasking students to attend our meetings so thatthey can do our job for us. We ask them tocome to us when they have concerns so thatwe can incorporate these concerns in action.

In previous years, we have taken students’concerns and advocated for theirimplementation. The midmorning break is oneexample of a student council-facilitatedscheduling adjustment based on the wishes ofthe student body. Obstacles have sometimesprevented us, however, from carrying throughon all our ideas.

We realize that we have not alwayscommunicated our successes and failures tothe student body. We are working hard toimprove as a Student Council. Remember, ourmeetings are open for your concerns everyTuesday and Friday during Extended Learningin Ms. Slocik’s room.

The authors are seniors and student-council members.

By Carl KublerWhen former Gov. Jane Swift made an appearance at

Mount Greylock Regional High School on Thursday,October 30, not all factions of the high school bodyreceived her with welcome hands.

Swift, who served as acting governor from April 2001to January 2003, was one of the politicians primarilyresponsible for instituting the MCAS examinationthroughout the Massachusetts school system. TheMCAS is designed to evaluate students’ verbal and mathskills. Asked by one student whether the standardizedtests were a valid assessment of acquired knowledge,Swift rashly replied that she believed “these tests are thebest in the nation, a significant step towards maintainingeducational excellence.”

But what about the tens of millions of dollars that arebeing poured into the exam every year? Given the state’senormous cuts in education, could the money beingspent on the MCAS not be more effectively used tomaintain learning standards in the classroom? If schoolsare struggling just to sustain their short supply ofteachers, how can the needy students taught by theseteachers be expected to perform well on a test that isforcing them to use outdated books in packed classroomsof thirty kids or more?

Considering that students are allowed to take theMCAS seven times before graduation, why doesMassachusetts not first ensure that these students areattending good schools with good teachers and ampleeducational resources before evaluating students on whatthey are supposed to have learned?

The institution of an examination similar to theMCAS is by no means a “horrible” idea, but educators atthe state level may wish to reconsider how and when

such an examination is to be implemented. A single testis unlikely to produce the “educational revolution” thatpoliticians may envision. Only by analyzing theeducational systems of individual schools and providingneed-based aid will administrators of the MCAS be ableto take a “significant step towards maintainingeducational excellence.”

When asked how budget cuts will affect theeducational standards she strove to maintain while inoffice, Swift refused to express her opinion: “I don’toffer backseat-driving advice to the currentadministration.”

The assembly concluded with a few questionsconcerning Swift’s standpoint on gay rights. Althoughthe former governor does support gay rights, she isopposed to gay marriage. This seemingly paradoxpolitical belief may have its roots in the Judeo-Christianreligious tradition which gave rise to the U.S.Constitution, wherein marriage is seen as not only a legalunion, but also a spiritual one. Therefore, gay marriageseems unethical to many religious Americans.

What is preventing our country from changing? In herprepared remarks, Swift delivered a lengthy speech onthe necessity for society to change its perspective onfemale politicians. In her closing remarks, Swiftrepeatedly emphasized the need for educational reform.So why is she unwilling to endorse change in other areasas well? Is it the American reverence for this country’s“holy Constitution?” Regardless of Swift’s reasons forher views, many students understandably departed fromthe auditorium with disgruntled looks on their faces.

Sophomore Carl Kubler is this month’s Echoissue editor and a member of student council.

Mission statement,four subcommitteesguide student councilIf Swift favors education reform,

why not in other areas, too?

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CARTOON CORNER By Paul Bergmann

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo

`Doing’ Shakespeare – it siphons love, hatred, passion, energyOpinion by Charles Cochran

We all know our school. We all know the sports,the clubs, the organizations. We all know about theschool musical, put on stunningly by Mr. Welchand Mrs. Walt. We all know about our spring play,put on by Mr. Ostheimer and the seniors.

Even if you are not involved with theaterproductions, you know who directs, you knowwhere the play is, and sometimes you even knowwhat it’s about. Yet, that Shakespeare play, perhapsone of the best-performed plays in the entire year,is barely known.

Shakespeare and Company. Sure, you haveheard the name, you have heard snippets ofconversation about it, you have perhaps even beenurged by a friend to attend the Friday-nightperformance in November. But…who directs it?Where the heck do these people come from? Two,maybe three performances go by in November,then these nameless, faceless directors disappearfor another whole year.

First off, if you think that Shakespeare is somepansy way of getting into college, or if you thinkthat Shakespeare is a weird groupie thing to doafter school, you are dead wrong. WilliamShakespeare wrote plays to entertain – to makemoney, yes – but really to entertain. Shakespeare& Co., based in Lenox, maintains that legacy, butnot just for the audience.

Tell me, are you allowed to standon a table during a SMILE meetingwith a sword in hand and cry withall your malice at your enemy:“Come, sir! Your passado!”?

I had more fun being in a Shakespeareproduction than watching all three Matrix moviesback to back (with lots of chips and soda). Youmight think Shakespeare a tremendous waste ofprecious time, memorizing pages and pages of“Doth thou speak unto me?” stuff, but it is not allwords.

Tell me, are you allowed to stand on a tableduring a SMILE meeting with a sword in hand andcry with all your malice at your enemy: “Come,sir! Your passado!”?

Tell me, are you allowed in that touch down runto stop and dance and make the crowd holler withjoyous laughter and cheer to how much peoplelove you (not that they would not do that anywaywhen you are going in for a touch down – somaybe you should not dance, just make the touchdown instead)?

The Shakespeare directors siphon your love,your hatred, your passion, and broil it up into yourfingers, eyes, ears; the energy they bring makesyour blood rocket through your veins. (No, I amnot talking about drugs.)

The Shakespeare directors let you act the waythe character would act, they help you over therough edges and goad you towards glory andimmense happiness under the spotlight. I am notkidding. I would not want to be any one place inthe world save the stage when Shakespeare & Co.is directing.

Charles Cochran is a sophomore at MGRHS.He played Sebastian in this year’s production ofTwelfth Night.

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ARTS

Mount Greylock is amongnine high schools that stageShakespeare plays each fall,culminating with lastweekend’s “Fall Festival” atShakespeare & Co.’s cam-pus in Lenox. Shown inscenes from MGRHS’sTwelfth Night production Nov.14 are, TOP: Gideon Bradburdand Topiaries; MIDDLE: AmyMendes and Gentlewomen;BOTTOM (left to right): TessMcHugh and Charles Cochran.(Photos courtesy Henry Gold)

Nov. 25, 2003 Mount Greylock Echo SPORTS

But strong field will return in fallBy Sam Baldwin

Key members of the Mount Greylock varsity girls’soccer team will be returning next fall, raising hopesfor another strong season after the Mountie girlsfinished second in the Western Massachusettstournament against Belchertown High School.Overall, the team ended the regular season with astrong 10-3-2 record.

And as a consolation, the team led by coaches KimChapman, Dave Holmgren, and Phil Paul, wasawarded the Division II State Sportsmanship Award.

After dominating the field throughout the first halfof the Belchertown game, a referee’s call swung themomentum of the play away from Greylock and infavor of the Belchertown players. The eighth-seededMounties continued to fight on, but couldn’t recover.

Mount Greylock’s path to the finals progressedthrough a a relatively easy game against Greenfieldin the first round. The Mounties concentrated mostlyon passing and good positional ball movement so asnot to appear unsportsmanlike. The game nevertheless

ended in a 7-0 victory for the girls, leading Greylockto play first-seeded Hampshire. All 80 minutes of thismatchup were played hard by both sides, but Greylockeventually triumphed 3-2.

In their semifinal game against MonumentMountain, it seemed that the Mounties would winwith ease — they were maintaining a 2-0 lead withonly five minutes remaining in the game. Monumentcreated a few opportunities, however, and suddenlytied up the score. After 20 minutes of overtime playwithout any goals, the decision was brought down toa closely-contested shootout from which Greylockeventually emerged victorious.

Senior defenders Nicole Kasuba, Sara Miller, andLauren Quinn stood strong throughout the entireseason. Assisted by seniors Krista Moriarty andNicole Poulin, who became ill and injured as theseason progressed, midfield seniors Colleen Farleyand Kirsten Holmgren helped lead the team to victorywith their foot speed and intensity of play.

Junior sweeper Rachel Finan was well recognizedfor her outstanding hard work and leadership.

Sophomore Mackenzie Haig and Junior Emily Masonwere also a tremendous help to the senior defense.Midfielders Mary DeMatteo, Mandy Moriarty, andEmily Stinson greatly contributed to the Mounties’successes. The team’s junior star line of strikers JodiDias, Carly Mason, Zoe Remillard, Sarah Whateley,and Liz Windover worked cooperatively to score atotal of 43 goals this season. All will return next year.

Midfielders and defenders also worked together toscore a total of 16 goals this season. Rookie goalkeeperSam Baldwin worked hard and made 88 season saves.Backup keepers Liz Martin and Pattie Shartrand had10 saves combined. Rookies Alysha Apkin, AnnieConnoly, Allison Hall-Jordan, and Libbie Weimersupported the team tremendously and will make evengreater contributions next year.

Team manager Maranda Cooke has the Mounties’gratitude for her constant encouragement. Althoughmany outstanding players will be graduating, KimChapman, Dave Holmgren, Phil Paul, and newly-appointed 2004 captains Rachel Finan and ZoeRemillard look forward to another victorious seasonfor the Mount Greylock team next year.

Soccer girls end as second fiddle to Belchertown

Seven runners make All-Berkshire asgirls finish regular season undefeated

Dils calls 5-1Wahconah lossa`tough pill’ forboys soccer

By Jason SilbersteinAs Boys’ Soccer Head Coach Blair Dils

puts it, Greylock’s lopsided 5-1 loss toWahconah that crushed the Mounties’Western Massachusetts title hopes was a“tough pill to swallow.” The slick conditions,questionable refereeing (“no, no, I can’t callany fouls because it’s wet outside”), and lackof fire on Greylock’s part, combined with theWarriors’ foot speed, led to a disappointingend to the season. However, it was only thefinal game in what was otherwise a two-month period that far exceeded expectations.

Fall 2003 was supposed to be a“rebuilding” time for Greylock Boys’ Soccer,but the Red and White instead maintainedtheir reputation as one of the toughest teamsin Berkshire County. They finished secondin the division behind Wahconah, a teamwhich the Mounties had destroyed and tiedduring regular season games.

Departing seniors this year include CaptainScot Beattie, Captain Chris Folan, JasonGroth, Brady Haig, Zack Ogden, and JustinQuinn. They were the core of the team andwill be sorely missed next year. Sophomorestandout Joe Jacobson will also be leavingthe team as he and his family move to Texas.

In other news, soccer coaches aroundBerkshire County have picked their All-Northern Division and All-Southern Divisionteams. Representing Mount Greylock on theNorthern team are Justin Quinn as goalie andJason Groth as fullback.

_

By Heather MurtaghNot only did the Mount Greylock Girls Cross

Country Team have a successful regular season, butthe runners’ post season races were just as remarkable.The Mounties were undefeated in the league, claimingseven spots on the All-Berkshire Team. They wentinto Individuals, Western Mass., and States with highhopes. Although Mount Greylock rested its top sevenrunners at Individuals, the team still placed eighthoverall. Freshman Anna Hogeland finished 26th in thevarsity race, leading her teammates to a strong finish.

The Saturday following Individuals, the Mountiestraveled to Northfield Mountain to compete in theWestern Massachusetts Cross Country RunningChampionships. All our girls placed in the top thirty,

giving Greylock a combined score of 75 points andclinching the second place title for Division II. Middleschool runners Lindley Bell and Jackie Lemme ledthe Mounties by placing 11th and 12th.

Other racers at Western Mass. included LaurenClement, Heather Murtagh, Alex Peacock, andKatherine Wadsworth. A large contingent of the CrossCountry team accompanied them to provide moralsupport and cheer on the runners. Mount Greylock’ssecond place finish earned it an invitation to the StateChampionships the following weekend.

The Mounties finished 7th in Division II with a scoreof 191, just one point behind the 6th place team. Suchresults at the state level look promising for next year’srunners and are a nice closing to a great season!

The MGRHS girls’ coss-country team is shown after receiving its plaque for win-ning the county-wide title.

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