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Smith College has a longstanding commitment
to partnering with the local public schools, particularly in Northampton, including
a full-time Office of Educational Outreach which provides direct support to teachers
and principals. That office alone represents an annual investment of $182,000 ($145,000
in Smith funds plus $37,000 in external grant support).
Key Outreach Programs
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Partners in Health
(PIH): A collaboration between Smith and the Northampton Public Schools to
promote social and academic success through health and wellness, PIH is part
of a four-year grant to the college from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Smith hosts monthly meetings of Northampton High School (NHS) and JFK Middle
School educators throughout the school year as well as intensive summer workshops
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Partners in Engineering
(PIE): In 2007 Smith initiated PIE, a collaboration among science, engineering
and technology teachers from JFK Middle School, Northampton High School, and
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School; and Smith faculty and students
to explore important aspects of engineering education from kindergarten through
college. Among other activities, a Summer Institute for Educators brought 15
middle school teachers from JFK and throughout western Massachusetts to Smith
to develop technology and engineering curricula to prepare students for the
state-required eighth-grade MCAS test. |
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Summer Science and
Engineering Program (SSEP): A total of 107 high school girls, including eight
from Northampton and western Massachusetts, received scholarships to attend
this program, which is in its 18th year. A month-long residential enrichment
program, SSEP features intensive research courses taught by Smith faculty in
the life sciences, physical sciences and engineering. |
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Lamont House students responded
to requests from JFK Principal Lesley Wilson and PTO leaders for volunteers
to help out in classrooms and in after-school programs. Lamont students from
a variety of academic majors “adopted” JFK Middle School by volunteering
to lead after-school programs, helping out in classrooms throughout the day
and acting as ambassadors in welcoming JFK students to campus for field trips. |
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Smith has provided funding, a lab
instructor and some 20 student volunteers in support of hands-on science experiments
at Ryan Road School, showcased in their annual Science Night. |
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Smith-Northampton Summer School
For more than four decades, Smith has sponsored the
Smith-Northampton Summer School, a five-week summer school program that enrolls 300
students in grades three through eight in a mix of enrichment and remedial courses
as well as athletics instruction. The summer program also offers courses at the middle
and high school levels to help students meet challenges presented by courses or MCAS
testing. Courses are taught by master teachers and intern teachers from around the
country. Tuition is heavily subsidized and no one is turned away if unable to pay.
Without Smith’s human, financial and administrative support, this very successful
college-city partnership could not operate. The college’s annual subsidy is
$30,000+.
High School Student Coursework
Since 1990, 959 area
high school students have taken 1,087 courses at Smith at no cost.
Social Work Interns
In partnership with Superintendent
Isabelina
Rodriguez-Babcock, SSW interns have been based in Northampton schools
since 2001, including Bridge Street Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Middle School,
Northampton High School and Florence Learning Center. The interns provide approximately
700 student contacts per year in addition to their work with educators and administrators.
In 2005–06 they helped develop strategies to increase parental communication
and contact with teachers and administrators, and in 2006–07 the interns were
active in the district’s civil rights committee. The interns’ involvement
in such policy-oriented activities is part of the school district’s overall
plan to improve the academic achievement of all students.
Department of Education and Child Study
Approximately 30 Smith student interns complete their student teaching practicum in Northampton public school classrooms each year. The teachers they assist receive a stipend, are entitled to take a course at Smith (worth approximately $4,040) and are granted library privileges. As part of their coursework, more than 100 Smith students serve as tutors in Northampton schools and as mentors and tutors in the JFK Middle School after-school program. Education department faculty regularly engage in professional development work with Northampton teachers as well.
Athletics Facilities
The Northampton High School indoor
track team and the field hockey team (some special night games in field hockey),
the Smith Academy field hockey team, the Massachusetts Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(tennis tournament) and the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference track
league host events at Smith throughout the season. Youth groups such as Northampton
Suburban Basketball, Northampton Little League, Special Olympics Basketball, Sugarloaf
Track, Baystate Swimming, Northampton Area Swimming, Pioneer Valley Swim Leagues
and Northampton Rowing also use the facilities for their sporting events. Facilities
are provided for free or on a fee-for-expenses basis.
Graduation Facilities
Smith provides the use of its
facilities with no rental fee to local public high schools for their graduation rehearsals
and ceremonies. Graduation ceremonies held at Smith in recent years include the Smith
Vocational and Agricultural High School, Hampshire Regional High School, Northampton
High School and the Hampshire Educational Collaborative.
Real estate taxes 2006-07
$476,274 ($425,849 on rental
properties, $50,425 on non-rental properties). Smith is Northampton’s largest
taxpayer.
Gifts
Among the college’s recent contributions
is a $50,000 gift to the Northampton Education Foundation.
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Smith's
Impact in Northampton
Volunteer
Activity
Smith & the
Northampton Public Schools
Educational
Outreach
Community
Advisory Board
College Council
on
Community Policy |
