Drury Grad Killed in Florida Crash

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A Drury High School graduate was killed in a motor vehicle crash over the weekend in the state of Florida. 
 
Alison Felix, of Stamford, Vt., was a 2020 graduate of the high school and graduated this year from the University of Connecticut. She played basketball and soccer at Drury.
 
According to a message to the school community from North Adams' Superintendent of Schools Barbara Malkas, the district was notified that she was "tragically killed in a car collision while driving on the interstate in Florida."
 
It is not confirmed when or exactly where the accident occurred but NBC Miami Channel 6 reported a multivehicle crash on I-95 in Broward County late Saturday night in which two women were killed and four others injured. Two cars were stopped after a minor fender-bender when a third car rammed into them.
 
"She was an active, well-known, and admired student during her high school days, and leaves her sister, a current Drury senior, and many staff and friends who are shocked and saddened by her loss," Malkas wrote. "North Adams Public Schools mourns this young woman and wants to acknowledge this loss for her family and the community members who are impacted."
 
She also referred to the recent shooting incident at a school in Wisconsin in saying the school community would be provided information on mental health support resources as well as emergency operating procedures. 
 
"No parent ever wants to receive the message that something terrible has happened to their child. During the holiday season, it seems to be even more of an injury to the soul as we are bombarded with images of family unity," Malkas wrote. "Yesterday was defined by both a loss to our local community, as well as the news of another tragic school shooting, this time in Madison, Wisc."
 

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
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