Low grades are a concern at HVRHS

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) Principal Matt Harnett addressed the unwelcome news that, in the first marking period of the school year, there are a significant number of students failing at least one class.Speaking to the Region One Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting Monday, Dec. 3, Harnett said the information had been published on a blog and he had received numerous inquiries.He said that 37 of 96 seniors have a failing grade — about 40 percent of the class. (One student has an incomplete.)Among the juniors, 38 of 122 have a failing grade (32 percent), and eight students have an incomplete.For the sophomores, 41 students (of 99) are failing a class (five with an incomplete), as are 20 of the 107 freshmen (three with an incomplete).“These numbers are not acceptable,” Harnett told the school board. He added that semester grades, not marking periods, appear on school transcripts that are used by college admissions offices.Harnett said he has taken the following actions:• Large study hall groups have been broken down into smaller groups, with teachers providing closer supervision and direction, to help keep the students on task.• Early Intervention Planning teams are holding meetings with seniors to address the reasons for the low grades and to take steps to improve performance.• A new policy requires teachers to get in direct contact with parents, starting at the end of the second week of a new marking period, if the student is below a C minus.• The parent and student portal section of the school’s website opens Dec. 5. Harnett said this will allow parents to directly monitor their children’s progress and to communicate directly with the teachers.Harnett said at least part of the problem lies with the students. Based on conversations he had with students, he said some students have calculated that they can get a poor grade in one marking period and still do well enough in the second to finish with a passing grade.

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Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

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To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

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Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
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— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

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Provided

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The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

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