Clark Art Presents Talk on Bernice Abbott

08:46AM / Thursday, August 07, 2025Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 1 pm, the Clark Art Institute presents Berenice Abbott Bonus Selection, the third in a summer series of free curatorial talks highlighting rarely exhibited aspects of the collection.

This event takes place in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper in the Manton Research Center.

According to a press release:

American-born, Parisian-trained Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) is one of the most skillful and celebrated documentary photographers of the twentieth century. Grace Hanselman, curatorial assistant for works on paper, presents a sampling of portrait and architectural photographs that complement the works currently on view in Berenice Abbott's Modern Lens.

This event is part of a series of Works on Paper Highlights Talks in the Manton Study Center, which houses the Clark's collection of more than 6,500 prints, drawings, and photographs. Each Wednesday through Aug. 26, a member of the Clark's curatorial department provides a special look inside a facet of the works on paper collection, including rarely exhibited prints, drawings, watercolors, and photographs. The talks are offered from 1–1:30 pm.

The next talk in this series, America's Grand Tour, takes place on August 20 at 1 pm and is presented by Hannah Chew, graduate intern for works on paper.

Free. Capacity is limited. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Tags: Clark Art,

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Letter: Incomplete Picture from Greylock School Committee

Letter to the Editor06:30PM / Wednesday, October 28, 2026

To the Editor:

At the October Mount Greylock School Committee meeting, there was much celebration over the student growth percentiles (SGP) from last year's MCAS test data (Spring 2026). Growth is worth celebrating. But I worry the meeting, and the coverage of it, left families and our community with an incomplete picture of how our students are doing in math.

"Growth" sounds like it means scores went up, but that isn’t quite what SGP measures. SGP compares each student to students in the state who scored about the same the year before, then ranks how they did this year against that group. If a whole group of similar students decreases, the student who decreases the least can still earn a high growth percentile. A strong SGP tells us our students did better than their peers who scored similarly the year before. It doesn't tell us whether they are at grade level.

For example, the current 6th grade class at Williamstown Elementary School (WES) has decreased in their grade-level math proficiency every year since their 3rd grade MCAS. In 2024, 64 percent of the class was meeting expectations; in 2025 48 percent were at grade level, and in 2026 only 33 percent of their class met grade-level expectations. Our current WES 5th grade class follows a similar trend, with 48 percent meeting grade-level math expectations last year vs 56 percent meeting expectations in 2025 when they were in 3rd grade.

Not every class follows this pattern; our current 7th graders gained to 62 percent last year. But seeing entire classes decrease is something that deserves our attention.

Growth comparisons across the state provide useful information, but they do not tell the complete story. We also need to look at where our students are in terms of grade-level proficiency and how those numbers are changing from year to year within the Mt. Greylock school district. This will be our first year with the math interventionist role filled at WES and our second year with the new i-Ready curriculum.

As we watch whether these changes are working, I hope the School Committee will discuss proficiency alongside growth in its public meetings, so our community can see the full picture. Growth matters, but it isn’t enough if fewer of our kids are reaching grade level each year.

Sincerely,

Jenna Hasenkampf
Williamstown, Mass.

Hasenkampf is a parent of WES students in Grades 2 and 4.

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