
The closure of Bard’s campus at Simon’s Rock has left faculty facing an uncertain future.
Photo courtesy of the Berkshire Eagle
The closure of Bard’s campus at Simon’s Rock has left faculty facing an uncertain future.
GREAT BARRINGTON — An online petition by a student trying to save the livelihoods of Bard College at Simon’s Rock faculty has gained 912 signatures since it was first released on Tuesday, Nov 19.
And another student is working on a campaign to establish a fund that employees of the school who lose jobs and health insurance can draw from.
After the Nov. 19 announcement that the school would close its early college at the end of spring semester, employees and students have been grappling with the news, attending frequent meetings and trying to help those whose jobs are likely on the chopping block.
There is much sorrow, anger and frustration in the atmosphere, students said.
“It’s been really, really sad,” said Isabella Zeisset, 18, a sophomore, who started the Change.org petition asking Bard to renew faculty contracts. “The students are really worried about the faculty.”
Numerous faculty contacted by The Eagle said it is too early to talk about what’s happening.
And, the students said, it is also too painful. Many longtime faculty and staff at the school are facing layoffs as the school moves its entire operation to Bard’s new Massena Campus at Annandale-On-Hudson, N.Y.
It’s a move that Bard has been mulling for several years.
Bard said in its announcement and on its website that faculty positions will not be transferred from Simon’s Rock, and that they have to apply anew for any available teaching slots.
A spokesperson for Bard has not answered specific questions the number of positions at the New York campus, about 40 miles southwest of Great Barrington.
Rumors are flying through campus about these numbers, students and other sources told The Eagle. The Bard website showed roughly 50 job openings as of Thursday evening.
A Simon’s Rock spokesperson said the school currently has 238 employees. It was unclear exactly how many staff and faculty may lose their jobs.
Those who do get rehired at Bard could lose seniority in terms of benefits. It will be up to the discretion of Bard, the website says.
For these reasons and more the announcement on Tuesday rattled the entire campus and town, given Simon’s Rock’s immense economic and cultural significance in town since the 1960s.
School officials cited declining enrollment as a primary reason.
Students who continue on will transfer to the new Bard campus in the fall to finish their studies. Summer housing will be available “on a limited basis and prioritized for students with the greatest need,” the school website says.
The school is one of Great Barrington’s largest employers. And over the decades its students have worked and shopped at businesses in town. Many returned to the town later to raise families and open businesses.
“It’s a huge deal,” said Erik Bruun, who owns SoCo Creamery downtown and has employed Simon’s Rock Students. “And once you start pulling back the layers of the impacts, [the closing] really almost affects every element of the community. It’s a great loss.”
“The school made a big difference,” Bruun said, “in a lot of people’s lives.”
But Bruun, who wrote about the school in the 1980s when he worked as an Eagle reporter, remembers that the school has long struggled with money.
“It was sort of touch and go in the 80s,” Bruun said. And apparently also for the last “several years,” according to the school’s website.
The school’s board of overseers and college administration “have been working to find a solution for a path forward for Simon’s Rock … after it became clear that the current state of enrollment and fundraising was not sustainable”
The school, as a nonprofit, did not pay property taxes and has not made any payments in lieu of taxes, according to the town.
Another big question is what will happen to the campus. It will be sold, but the question is to whom and for what. Great Barrington residents have floated a variety of ideas, such as affordable housing and even as the new location for a Monument Mountain Regional High School, which could cost around $140 million to rebuild.
In response to questions, Bard spokeswomen Liz Benjamin said that there are no offers currently on the table to buy the campus or any part of it.
The Kilpatrick Athletic Center will carry on with its regular programming through the end of summer. “More information will be shared as it becomes available,” she said.
The Daniel Arts Center, Benjamin added, “will honor all performances and rental agreements through the end of 2025 summer season.”
There are various other campus programs, including a farming program, whose fate is uncertain.
Bard has not responded to the the student petition. Benjamin said that school officials are aware of it, and that “this situation is developing, but faculty and staff will have the opportunity to apply for positions at the new campus.”
Some petition supporters expressed their concerns and anger in comments.
“Shameful,” wrote one. “The school knew full well and hid this from us when our daughter started a few months ago. At the least they should offer the teachers the new jobs and allow all students to enter Bard full time ASAP.”
“The faculty at the Rock,” wrote another, “are the school’s heart and soul. I was there twenty years ago and can attest to the lifelong impact of the incredible professors I had back then.”
The petition’s author, Zeisset, said she has “deep connection” to the school. Her parents met at Simon’s Rock when they were students. She will continue to Bard next fall, but worries about the employees and faculty here. She hopes the petition will help pressure Bard to hire them.
“A lot have dedicated half their lives to Simon’s Rock,” Zeisset said. “Just the idea of leaving their life’s work behind has been really difficult.”
Salem Lockney, a junior, said she’s working on the fundraising aspect of this for the employees. A professor is helping her figure out the “ethics” conundrum of who would be able to draw money from a fund and how much.
“I’m not sure what that looks like yet,” said Lockney, 18, who also attended the pre-college Simon’s Rock Academy. “I have so much anger about the whole thing and I wanted to do something about it.”
“The staff and faculty,” Lockney said, “have really changed my life.”
Webutuck's Olivia Lopane-Wickwire, no. 2, eyeing a pitch as she steps off first base.
FALLS VILLAGE, Conn. — Webutuck High School softball defeated Housatonic Valley Regional High School 14-9 on Thursday, May 15.
The non-league game was played in Falls Village, Connecticut, in what is a becoming an interstate rivalry. When these teams met last year, Housatonic won 16-3.
The match was paused in the second inning due to a lightning delay. At the time of the delay, Webutuck led 5-4.
Housatonic’s Madison Dewitt tied the game with a homer to center field once play resumed.
Webutuck pulled ahead as the game went on. Bella Milano led the team offensively. She drove in six runs for the Wildcats and hit 3 for 4 at the plate with a triple.
Pitcher Madison Krueger earned the win for Webutuck with 10 strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings. Her performance put the team total for strikeouts this season at 103.
For Housatonic, Kylie Leonard hit 3 for 5 with two RBI. Freshman Payton Wagner pitched six innings for the Mountaineers.
The annual Columbia County event draws hundreds of bargain hunters to Hillsdale’s Hamlet Park.
HILLSDALE —The town of Hillsdale’s flea market returns Saturday, May 24.
Dozens of vendors will be selling things at Hillsdale Hamlet Park, southwest of the intersection of routes 22 and 23 in Columbia County.
Items expected to be on sale range from the practical — kitchenware, furniture, toys, garden tools and clothing — to unique hand-made items, antiques and collectibles.
Vendor spaces are available. Spaces cost $50 for a 15-by-15 foot space or $30 for 10 feet by 10 feet. Vendors must bring their own tables.
“The Hillsdale Flea is a great excuse to gather up all those treasures you have laying around your house and give them a new home,” said Tim Stookesberry, a co-organizer of the event. “I’ve had a blast selling at the market the last couple of years — and have made some decent money, too.”
The market will open at 9 a.m. for early-bird shoppers during the first hour, with a suggested donation of $10 for the Hillsdale Fire Company no. 1. The market will continue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Fire Company will also be raising funds by serving breakfast sandwiches and coffee at the event. Other food vendors also are expected to be on hand.
As this is an outdoor event, a rain date for severe weather is set for Sunday, May 25, with the same times. Notice of a rain delay will be posted on Hillsdale’s various Facebook pages as well as the town website, hillsdaleny.com, and other social media outlets.
For more information on the event, contact the organizers at hillsdalenyparks@gmail.com.
Producing a blizzard of bubbles, the Bubble Bus delighted visitors to the annual Webutuck Community Day at the high school on Saturday, May 17.
AMENIA — Outdoor and indoor fun activities awaited area families who attended the Webutuck Community Day at the high school on Saturday, May 17. The popular annual event was co-sponsored by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Webutuck PTA.
In addition to outdoor displays including a car show, large trucks, a helicopter, a state police water rescue vehicle and a bubble bus producing blizzards of bubbles, the indoor displays numbered more than 60 local and area organizations, vendors, demonstrations and volunteer opportunities, nearly all giving things away for free.
Last-minute coaching was in order before the start of an old-fashioned sack race. Millerton Village Board member Matt Hartzog was ably coordinating each race and cheering all contestants onward at Webutuck Community Day on Saturday, May 17.Photo by Leila Hawken
Old-fashioned sack races for kids were a popular outdoor feature organized and managed by Millerton Village Board members Matt Hartzog and Lisa Hermann. They provided information about the upcoming 175th anniversary Millerton’s 1851 founding. A significant celebration is being planned for next year between July 11 and 19, 2026. Volunteers are being sought now.
“We’re looking for people and organizations interested in helping out,” Hartzog said, adding that organizations might contribute an event to be scheduled within that celebration week.
“We want to fill the week,” Hartzog said. “It’s a work in progress,” Hermann added.
For information about the celebration, go to www.villageofmillerton-ny.gov/175th.
Little Kinsley Kelly from Dover, who recently celebrated her first birthday, attended her first Webutuck Community Day on Saturday, May 17. Eager to try the sandwiches being prepared in the high school cafeteria, she found the burger held by her dad to be to her liking.Photo by Leila Hawken
The Millerton Fire Company was represented by members volunteering to hand out fire safety kits, plastic helmets and baked goods, while providing fire safety information.
Second Grade teacher Sydney Cipriano was looking after the PTA Book Fair display. The Book Fair is an ongoing PTA activity. Community Day organizer and PTA President, Anna Kall, busily came and went from the Book Fair display ensuring that the event ran smoothly.
Faith Bible Chapel offered information about their Vacation Bible School, scheduled for June 23 to 27. Pastor Bill Mayhew said that the free-of-charge program for kids 2 to 18 has steadily grown in numbers over the years.
Bee Bee the Clown of Milan, an area favorite, made balloon animals.
Delighting youngsters with balloon creations, Bee Bee the Clown paused for a photo with Third Grade teacher Sydney Cipriano in the PTA book booth.Photo by Leila Hawken
Local libraries were there. The Amenia Library’s program assistant Megan Marshall had been kept so busy, she said, she had given away all of her cookies, but still had a few handcrafted bookmarks made of recycled materials to give away. NorthEast-Millerton Library children’s librarian Naomi Schmidt was distributing stickers to children who shared a poem.
Outdoors, not far from the bubbles, the New York State Troopers had brought along an air boat used in underwater rescue or recovery emergencies.
“We get to give back to our communities,” said Recovery SCUBA team member Michael Polishuk, adding that they were there to talk to children about water safety.
Funding for repairs to the NorthEast-Millerton Library were secured Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106).
MILLERTON — The NorthEast-Millerton Library is set to receive a facelift thanks to a $125,000 grant to support overdue repairs and necessary upgrades to the library’s Annex.
NorthEast-Millerton Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson said the repairs are scheduled to begin around mid-June and conclude in early August. The grant will be used to repair structural and cosmetic damage, including rotting wood, chipping paint and damaged siding. Leo-Jameson said if there is any budget remaining, the library will replace an exterior door and window.
But it’s not just about paint and repairs. As outlined in the library’s strategic plan, which runs through the end of this year, a primary goal of the library is to “bridge the divide in our community” using the Annex to host events, meetups and offer the space to organizations looking for a place to gather.
“The Annex has become a community hub,” Leo-Jameson said. “The community deserves to have a place that is well-maintained and attractive.” The Annex is utilized by the library, community members and local organizations six days a week. It has also served as the polling location for the Town of North East.
This funding — secured by Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106) — comes at a critical moment, as libraries across New York face uncertainty amid significant cuts to federal support. Barrett, a longtime supporter of public libraries, said the threats to funding streams from the federal government “will, without question, impact the libraries in our district.” She said libraries like the NorthEast-Millerton Library, which generally operate on shoestring budgets, will feel these funding cuts deeply.
“It’s a critical dynamic in our country right now,” Barrett said, adding that the public has a role to play in the sustainability of libraries. “I think now is the time for the community to step up and become members, look at ways to be supportive, teach kids about programs at the libraries and get involved.”
Barrett has visited the library over the years for meetings, political events and talks. “I love that the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex is a hub with energy and a sense of community and when it’s a newly refreshed building I know it will be super exciting for the community.”