Can you tell us a little about your background?

I am thrilled to join the Flying Cloud Institute team. Originally from Salisbury, Connecticut, I moved over the border into Sheffield about 10 years ago. As a development professional, I find it rewarding to help organizations develop a strong support network to advance their vital work. I enjoy helping people feel welcomed and part of making a positive difference in our world. It's a privilege to meet such smart, generous, creative people in our community and help connect them to each other and an important cause because together we accomplish great things. Prior to Flying Cloud Institute, I worked in the development office for NECC in Millerton, NY. I am currently on the Board of Trustees for the North West Music Association in Salisbury, CT.

What makes Flying Cloud’s mission powerful for you?

As a mom, I greatly appreciate Flying Cloud's unique hands-on activities exploring science and arts. There is joy in learning here. The children are visibly excited breaking geodes to find crystals, building magical fortresses in the woods, meeting real science and art professionals like geologists, chemists, musicians, and visual artists.

What interests you most about working for Flying Cloud?

The people. There is a palpable creative energy in the entire Flying Cloud community - staff, children, board members, donors, and volunteers. There is also kindness inherent in everyone here. Flying Cloud has a culture of lifelong learning and giving back. With programs spanning over 35 years, children who grew up in the programs have gone onto careers as astrophysicists, meteorologists, physicists specializing in solar events with NASA, nuclear engineering, actors, and artists. Many of them come back as adults to volunteer or donate so children in our community can have the enrichment opportunities that helped them succeed.

Where do you see Flying Cloud in 5 years?

I want more people to understand what Flying Cloud does - so that more children can benefit from its programs. Flying Cloud offers a variety of After School activities and week-long science and arts summer programs. Most importantly, Flying Cloud has a residency for teachers, working with them in the classroom, to bring Flying Cloud enrichment to even more students.

Do you want to share any personal information about your family or hobbies?

I love living in the Berkshires with my precocious 12-year-old son, two funny dogs, a smug cat, and twelve sassy chickens. I feel so fortunate to have access to all of the arts and outdoor activities that we have here in the Berkshires.

On Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, State Senator Adam Hinds paid a visit to CLuB at April Hill in South Egremont, Massachusetts. Giving him a tour were leaders from the non-profit organizations that came together to create CLuB (Community Learning in the Berkshires): Flying Cloud Institute, VIM Berkshires (Volunteers in Medicine), Flying Deer Nature Center and Greenagers. Also part of this coalition is Berkshire South Regional Community Center.

Senator Hinds remarked: "I am just amazed by the creativity used to overcome COVID challenges, in this case amazing community leaders finding a way to support kids with education, parents with childcare and doing it safely...outdoors!"

Learn more about CLuB.

1. Can you tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Pittsfield and attended public schools here. After college I moved to California and started a varied working life. I have been a commercial banker, a career transition and organization development counselor, a management consultant, a university professor, and a diplomat. I retired to the Berkshires because I have friends and family here and to enjoy the cultural institutions and the area's natural beauty. I've served on non-profit boards everywhere I have lived for an extended period.

2. What makes Flying Cloud’s mission powerful for you? For me, the experiential aspect of Flying Cloud's programming is the most powerful part of its mission. Even for children who respond well to being educated by reading or listening, the most exciting part of learning is doing. Being able to see what they are capable of on their own does more than teach them a skill or a concept. It allows them to develop a sense of agency, to experience the joy of obtaining a desired result, to discover that even a mistake can be valuable, and learn that you can almost always start over.

3. What interests you most about Flying Cloud? Flying Cloud's focus on STEM education, particularly for girls, is what first brought me to the organization. My high school yearbook states that I was planning to be a lawyer or a research chemist. Although I did neither, I believe that the types of thinking required in the STEM fields, particularly in science, are vitally important for everyone. Science was a key part of public school programs when I was a student--all the way through high school. I learned how to test a hypothesis, evaluate data, assess the reliability of sources of information, and weigh alternative approaches to solving problems. I believe a greater focus on these skills is needed in today's society more than ever.

4. Where do you see Flying Cloud in 5 years? Flying Cloud is a local leader in STEM and SMART education due to its after-school and summer programs in these areas. In five years, as we are able to expand our programming, both in-person and virtual, I'd like to see its leadership in these areas recognized more widely. This recognition has already begun through its work with Community Learning in the Berkshires. I'd also like to see a broader awareness of FCI's professional development programs for teachers and its efforts to reduce educational inequity.

5. Tell us about your hobbies… I love to travel and have either lived in or visited 25 states, 47 countries, and six continents. When travel is opened up again, I plan to add the seventh continent to my list. I'm dealing with the pandemic restrictions by reading voraciously, indulging in a guilty pleasure of watching superhero and action movies, and walking with my 15-year-old dog (who has lived with me on three continents and seems to enjoy travel and new experiences as much as I). ❤︎

Photo of Mary Nash by Eric Korenman

1. Can you tell us a little about your background? I’ve lived in the Berkshires for almost 30 years and work as a consultant to nonprofits, with a focus on needs assessments, program evaluation, and grant writing. My clients include schools, higher education institutions, and educational programs as well as programs in health/mental health and foundations. Prior to becoming a consultant, I served as Executive Director of two nonprofit organizations. I have served on several other nonprofit boards during my time in the Berkshires. Currently, I’m on the Board of Trustees for the MCLA Foundation and chair their Corporate Relations Committee. I grew up in Philadelphia, home of the best soft pretzels, water ice, and cheese steaks.

2. What makes Flying Cloud’s mission powerful for you? I like the idea of inspiring young people and igniting their creativity by engaging them in fun educational experiences. The combination of science and art together is very powerful to me.

3. What interests you most about Flying Cloud? Having worked on educational projects for a lot of my career, I’m interested in Flying Cloud’s model for offering engaging out-of-school programming. I know that mentoring really helps to inspire young people, so I enjoy seeing older students working together with younger students to explore science and arts. I’m also motivated by the great people that Flying Cloud attracts in terms of staff, board members, students, and volunteers. Flying Cloud’s Founder Jane Burke and current Executive Director Maria Rundle have brought vision and inspiration to the organization.

4. Where do you see Flying Cloud in 5 years? I see Flying Cloud as remaining a leader in after school and summer programming in STEM and the arts, bringing in scientists and artists from different disciplines to inspire our youth. I’d like us to explore positive partnerships in the community and increase our visibility. In addition to working with the public schools, we are testing out new markets such as home schoolers.

5. Do you want to share any personal information about your family or hobbies? I live in Lenox with my husband Seth and have two adult sons, Dylan and Jake. My hobbies are getting outdoors in the Berkshires, cooking healthy dinners and sweet desserts, and attending cultural events when they were happening. During the pandemic, my new hobby is riding my Peloton bike in the basement.♥

Outdoor Learning is a core component of the CLuB (Community Learning in the Berkshires) program. Children in grades K-8 receive skilled assistance with school-assigned academic work and extensive, daily enrichment in science and art. They spend most of their time outside, amongst farm animals and amidst the backdrop of rolling hills on the beautiful April Hill campus in South Egremont, MA. So how do they stay warm on cool days as we head into winter?

Little bodies are kept moving with hikes, games and other physical activities. Campfires, hot water bottles and a system of propane heating vents in covered tents provide warmth during stationary times. For lunch on a chilly day, children helped harvest carrots, potatoes and onions from the garden, chopped them, added frozen peas, corn and herbs and made a nourishing soup - Yum! See more happenings at CLuB on our social media pages:

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Greenagers has continued its commitment to outdoor programming amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic to offer teenagers and young adults nature-based work and socially distant connections...

Greenagers also partners with Flying Cloud Institute, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Volunteers in Medicine, and Flying Deer Nature Center to offer Community Learning in the Berkshires. The goal of CLuB is to offer local parents a low to no cost remote learning site for their children because of the COVID-19 virus forcing schools to adopt a hybrid learning model and leaving parents short for childcare.

CLuB includes full-day supervision from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and skilled, enriching assistance with school assigned academic work. This program places an emphasis on outdoor experiential learning and the use of outdoor classrooms in all seasons.

Greenagers plans on serving 125 children between host sites Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington and April Hill Conservation and Education Center in Egremont. Read the full article by Brittany Polito on iBerkshires.

Since September 21, 111 (and counting) local students who might otherwise have been left alone at home or fit into piecemeal childcare arrangements have been accessing their remote school lessons with adult assistance through CLuB. Read more in the Berkshire Edge article by Sheela Clary.

A CLuB Instructor leads students back from a hike at April Hill in South Egremont.

“I don’t learn stuff — I do stuff.”

That’s how third grader Ivanna Aguilar described her first day at Community Learning in the Berkshires, a new program in South County that seeks to take remote learning to “the outdoor classroom.”

Fearing a pandemic-impacted school year could disadvantage families without stable internet access, or without a caregiver who can stay home to supervise remote learning, local nonprofits partnered with two local school districts in an effort to fill those gaps.

Community Learning in the Berkshires, or CLuB, operates two sites where children participate in their school’s remote learning program under the supervision of trained educators and child care providers. Organizers say CLuB allows working families to remain in the workforce while providing school-aged children with social and emotional learning experiences that can be tough to get at home. Read more of Danny Jin’s article in the Berkshire Eagle.

Executive Director Maria Rundle

This is our seventh year of honoring 25 outstanding individuals—the human core of our beloved Berkshires—and it is one to be remembered. This year has produced community members who are more dedicated, more creative, and more influential than we have come to expect: Teachers not giving up on our kids. Protectors of our natural environment. Advocates for food and healthcare equity. Young activists with the vision and resolve to effect social change. Artists whose creative expressions feed our soul. Politicians and businessmen and women who have our back. With the help of a panel of advisors, we proudly present this year’s amazing Berkshire 25.

Maria Rundle is executive director of Flying Cloud Institute in Great Barrington, which is dedicated to science and arts education. Described as a strong leader who takes action, Maria finds herself continually adapting so that she can serve as many students as possible. She is where her daughter, not too long ago, had “the best day ever.” Maria is a Richmond native, and was development director at Gould Farm in Monterey for five years, working to raise awareness about mental illness. Says one parent: “Maria works every day to bring exciting and life-changing educational experiences to the Berkshires.” - From Berkshire Magazine

In a letter to the editor, Sheela Clary writes: "In the next few weeks, young children everywhere will be left to fend for themselves for eight to 12 hours per day, three or four or five days per week. Shame on us if we know that’s what’s going to happen and we do nothing about it." Read the letter in the Berkshire Edge.

A group of South County nonprofits is launching 'Community Learning in the Berkshires', a remote learning program to give kids a place to go on days they're not allowed at school.

"We're going to help them the same way a caring parent would, just helping them connect with what the school's already assigning, and making sure they're moving forward on completing their assignments," says Maria Rundle, Executive Director of Flying Cloud Insitute.

There will be two host sites: The Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington and Greenagers' April Hill Conservation Center in South Egremont.

Rundle says each place will serve several groups of socially distanced students. Read more and see the Video from Spectrum News.

Young women present at a workshop at Shakespeare & Co, in collaboration with Flying Cloud and WAM.

Joy Davis, a sixth grader from Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, is a first-year participant in the Flying Cloud Institute's yearlong girls' STEAM Team after-school program.

Joy said she was interested in the program because "I love learning about planets and chemicals."

Asked whether it is important to her to have more women in STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics — fields, she nodded and said, "Yeah, because I want to be a doctor."

The young aspiring doctor was among 17 young women who got together at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre of Shakespeare & Company on Nov. 2 to explore their current interests and potential future roles in science, art and society. Read more of Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle.

STEAM Challenge Night at Hancock Shaker Village

Last Wednesday, Berkshire/Pioneer Valley STEM Pipeline Network and Flying Cloud Institute partnered with multiple area agencies to host a STEAM Challenge Night at Hancock Shaker Village. The free, public event gave families two hours to tinker and play. Some programmed robots while others built color 3D cardboard sculptures. Others tried a stormwater runoff simulator while others cut up plastic milk cartons, wooden dowels and corks to build a working water wheel. There were also observation stations, beckoning guests to look at fall leaves under a microscope and learn about chemical reactions. Read Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle

WAM Theatre cast rehearses program to empower girls

WAM Theatre is branching out beyond the stage this fall to debut two new education and outreach projects -- both designed to empower girls and young women to use their creativity to address and explore social issues that affect them.

The first project is an after-school program partnership between WAM Theatre and Girls Inc. in Pittsfield, through which pre-teen girls will create their own theatrical performance to present in December.

The second project brings theater professionals from WAM Theatre together with students from five Berkshire County partnerships, including: Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School, Flying Cloud Institute; Girls Inc., Multicultural BRIDGE, and Rite of Passage and Empowerment for Girls Program. Read more of Jenn Smith’s article in the Berkshire Eagle