How to Parent Healthy Kids in the Digital Age

03:40PM / Thursday, February 26, 2026Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Pine Cobble School will host How to Parent Healthy Kids in the Digital Age: Supporting Connection, Resilience, and Critical Thinking, a presentation for parents of elementary and middle school kids who are seeking developmentally appropriate guidance on preparing their kids to handle the complexities of digital life.

The evening will start with a presentation by educator, author, and parenting expert Betty Ray, who will share findings from her years of research as head of innovation at the George Lucas Educational Foundation and chief impact officer at Pandora's Way.

The event is intended for parents and other caregivers of elementary and middle school students who are eager to take proactive steps for healthy digital engagement. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, and will leave with several actionable steps they can implement right away.

Following the presentation will be a Q+A with Betty, as well as Pine Cobble Head of School Dr. Jill Romans, and developmental psychologist Scott Burg.

How to Parent Healthy Kids in the Digital Age: Supporting Connection, Resilience, and Critical Thinking will be held on March 5, 2026 at '62 Center for Performing Arts on the Williams College Campus, Williamstown, MA. Doors open at 5:45 pm and the program starts at 6 and runs until 7:30 pm.

"I am delighted that we can come together as a broader community and discuss this important topic for our youth through the lens of child development," Romans said. "Betty's focus on rites of passage is helpful in understanding the process for nurturing agency and empowerment for our students as they navigate an increasingly digital world. We must be intentional in how we introduce children to this environment and ensure they have adequate skills to navigate digital platforms in healthy ways."

Attendees will discover:

How to plan for the developmental shifts from childhood to adolescence.
How digital media is designed to engage the developing adolescent brain
A practical approach to introducing digital media and sustaining healthy development.

Tags: Pine Cobble,

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Letter: We Have Great Political Leaders, Let's Keep 'em

Letter to the Editor03:00PM / Thursday, August 20, 2026

To the Editor:

We are very lucky in Berkshire County. Our political leaders are the envy of voters around the nation and respected by their peers — and because of their experience, knowledge, and seniority they get stuff done for us.

Sen. Ed Markey once again faces a challenger whose entire campaign is founded on age. As WBUR in Boston observed, Moulton is running on age, but what else? Joe Kennedy had the same platform — and Massachusetts voters rejected him.

It seems to me a candidate's age is irrelevant if he's doing the job, and Ed Markey is doing his job — very well, in fact. He's no stranger to the Berkshires, and he's fighting Trump's fascist policies every single day.
He is also the Senate author of the Green New Deal legislation.

Congressman Richie Neal is in a similar fight. I've asked friends who oppose him to name one vote he's taken they disagree with, and they cannot. Remember, the great Nancy Pelosi trusted Richie and made him chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which benefits us in the Berkshires as well as the nation. Richie is a powerful advocate for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, West-East Rail, and local investment. His opponent would be a back-bencher with zero clout.

The same arguments could — and should — be made for the rest of our Democratic contingent in Boston: Gov. Maura Healey's opponent is likely to be a Boston-centric MAGA billionaire. Do you think he cares about us? Our state Sen. Paul Mark and state Reps. John Barrett, Trish Farley-Bouvier, and Leigh Davis are all tried and true progressive Beacon Hill veterans who also know how to get stuff done. And Tara Jacobs, our representative on the Governor's Council, provides a Berkshire voice on that body that has been absent since the 1950s.

This is a nation on the brink. We have serious problems, and we need serious people to deal with them. Our Democratic contingent is made up of very serious people. That's why they all have my vote. I hope they have yours, too.

Lee Harrison
Williamstown, Mass.

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