| Local
Teachers Recognize Smith's Outreach
 For
its efforts working with the educational community, Smith
College was recently awarded the Friend of Education Award
from the Northampton Teachers Association (NTA), an annual
honor presented during the association’s annual meeting.
With the assistance and leadership
of the Office of Educational Outreach, which opened five years
ago, Smith has developed numerous connections with the local
educational community.
“Smith College in recent
years has truly become an integral part of Northampton’s
public schools with the programs they offer students and staff,”
said Sharon Carlson, president of the NTA, in presenting the
award on Oct. 20. “For educators, they have provided
professional development and time to collaborate with colleagues.
For students, they have developed initiatives that have been
an invaluable asset to our schools.”
Smith coordinates more than 30
educational programs for elementary, middle and high schools
students, and for teachers and administrators in the region.
 The
Department of Education and Child Study trains students who
serve in internships in Northampton’s public schools.
Interns from the School for Social Work assist educators in
enhancing school climate and developing communication. The
Peer Outreach Program (POP) in Women and Financial Independence
trains students to lead workshops in area middle and high
schools on budgeting, investing, and managing credit cards.
The Museum of Art and Botanic Garden welcome students in numerous
workshops and field trips. Local students enroll in college
courses in the Smith-Northampton Summer School and the summer
Science and Engineering Program at Smith. Educators participate
in the Summer Institutes for Educators at Smith, the Engineering
Education Partnership, and Museum of Art programs.
Gail Scordilis, director of educational
outreach at Smith, says that working in partnership with the
Northampton public schools is a privilege for the Smith faculty,
students and staff from across the campus. "Our colleagues
in the local schools welcome us into their classrooms and
laboratories, and we invite them to share in the resources
on our campus," she said. "Increasingly, we are
having collaborative discussions about our shared research
and teaching interests and the resulting efforts are enhancing
learning at Smith and in the local schools. It is a wonderful
partnership and we are very grateful to the Northampton Teachers
Association for honoring these efforts with the Friend of
Education Award."
The Friend of Education Award
will be on display in the Office of Educational Outreach,
located in Clark Hall. “Presented to Smith College with
appreciation and thanks for the work you do with the Northampton
Public School System,” says the award inscription.
For more information about Smith's
outreach efforts, visit www.smith.edu/outreach.
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