MountainOne Engages Capeless Elementary Students with Storybook Reading

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The first-grade class at Capeless Elementary School recently enjoyed a surprise visit from some very special guests.
 
Jennifer Meehan, vice president of community engagement at MountainOne, stopped by the school to present and read MountainOne's new children's storybook, "How to Climb a Mountain," to 35 students. The book features Mo, the MountainOne Spokesgoat, and aims to promote positive life lessons, literacy, and financial education, stated a press release.
 
Meehan was joined by Mo the Spokesgoat.
 
According to a press release:
 
"How to Climb a Mountain" follows Mo on a journey that highlights the importance of preparation, overcoming fears, and achieving goals. The students were actively engaged throughout the reading, participating in guided, thought-provoking questions that reinforced the book's themes and incorporated financial literacy and goal setting.
 
The event concluded with Mo the Spokesgoat personally providing each child with a free copy of the storybook, along with a set of crayons, coloring pages, and financial literacy activities.
 
"We were incredibly impressed with the students, who all actively engaged in the storybook reading and provided some impressive answers during the guided questions," said Meehan. "We look forward to sharing Mo's adventures and lessons with more children throughout the Berkshires and South Shore in the coming weeks and months."
 
MountainOne invites local schools, libraries, summer programs, and community partners to host a reading of "How to Climb a Mountain" and future stories featuring Mo. To request a reading, please visit the MountainOne website at mountainone.com/mo-storybook/ and fill out a short form.

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BCC Trustees Vote to Hire Hara Charlier as Next President

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Catheryn Chacon Ortega, the alumni appointment, liked how Hara Charlier easily connected with students faculty; Melissa Myers, alumni representative, also noted how comfortable Charlier was with various groups. Charlier, right, was called after the vote and accepted pending negotiations and state approval. 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It wasn't hard for BCC's Board of Trustees to elect a new president from Minnesota on Monday.

One by one, during a special meeting at Berkshire Community College, board members expressed their conviction that Hara Charlier was the best candidate to lead after Ellen Kennedy retires. They unanimously recommended Charlier as the next president of BCC to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

"We're not trying to hire a replacement for Dr. Kennedy; We are trying to hire our next leader," Chair Julia Bowen said.

Charlier, currently the president of Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minn., was one of four finalists identified by the Presidential Search Committee who visited the campus. She was not on site, but was called after the vote.

Catheryn Chacon Ortega was impressed by how Charlier connected with students and faculty, as well as her passion and breadth of experience.  

"As the appointed alumni, I put myself in the students' shoes when I was thinking about this, and I think I feel very represented by her, like if I come back as a student here, I think she will be a person that will be open doors to me, to my community, to the immigrant community, to everybody," she said.

Danielle Gonzalez feels Charlier has a "very" clear commitment to the community part of community college, and a deep experience of serving underserved populations, "really just with great enthusiasm."

"I think that in addition to having really deep community college leadership experience, she was able to articulate a very thorough understanding of the issues of the college of Berkshire County, of what those opportunities might look like, and how she would connect what her experience has been with how she could drive the school forward," said Julie Hughes, a newer member of the board.
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