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Date: 2/18/2022
HUNTINGTON – In January, the Gateway Regional School District expanded its inclusive preschool program with a new classroom in Littleville Elementary, offering an additional morning or afternoon option for as many as 30 3- to 5-year-olds with and without disabilities.
“We don’t have the full 30 yet. We know there are a number of kids turning three between now and the end of the school year. If they turn three in March, they’ll join at that time,” said Gateway Superintendent Kristen Smidy.
There are now four preschool classrooms in the Gateway Regional School District, including a full-day classroom in Chester Elementary School, two half day classrooms in Littleville Elementary School, and one full-day program in the Gateway Regional High School. All programs run four days a week and are tuition free.
Smidy said the wraparound program, which does have a fee, is also open to preschool students who may be dropped off as early as 7 a.m. for the first session, or picked up as late as 4:30 or 6 p.m. for the afternoon session. There are now 65 students enrolled in preschool at Gateway.
But while the youngest group is growing in numbers, the high school population has been declining, Gateway has 42 seniors in the class of 2022, a number that has been fairly steady for a few years after student enrollment in the district saw a steep decline over the last 20 years, with the population dropping from a high of 1,600 in 2003, to between 700 and 800 today.
The expanding pre-K is a good sign, said Smidy, who started as superintendent on Aug. 1, 2021. She said one of the goals of her first year in the role is to look at enrollment in the school in general.
Eighth grade is when students choose whether to follow a vocational track, and apply to either Smith Vocational or the Westfield Technical Academy. “This year, at least half of them chose that route. We have over 60 kids in the eighth grade, and ninth grade right now has 37 students,” she said.
“One of the things I’m hoping to do in the next year is to market our two vocational programs.” Smidy was talking about Gateway’s two Chapter 74 state-approved certification programs, Early Education and Care (EEC), and Welding and Manufacturing; programs that in some cases even other teachers may not know about.
Of the 65 children in preschool at Gateway, 31 are in the full-day program in the high school, which is connected to the Chapter 74 Early Education and Care program. “A number of the high school students have enrolled to get a license in Early Education. It’s the only EEC program in the area,” Smidy said proudly.
The Early Education and Care program at Gateway started three years ago, hiring EEC teacher Kelly Bartolo, who has taught the vocational program for eleven years, formerly at Putnam Vocational in Springfield.
Bartolo said when she started three years ago, students began in EEC in the 10th grade. “I will have my first graduating class this year,” she said. Graduates must complete all the requirements for child growth and development along with 150 hands-on hours in the preschool. They will receive a professional qualification certificate from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, allowing them to teach in a daycare.
Bartolo said four graduates will be receiving their certificates this year. She said other students who come to the classes are interested in continuing on in early childhood, pediatrics, social work, and psychology.
As part of the program, some of the students are eligible to work after school or during the summers, and have opportunities for co-ops in their senior year. She said Gateway has partnerships with the Roots Learning Center and Tiny Toes Daycare in Westfield, and she is hoping to find more businesses with which to partner.
Bartolo agrees that the program and its opportunities for students could be marketed more. “Outside of our little community, it’s not well known at all other than the places that are partnering with us. We’ve even had teachers here who didn’t realize it was here,” she said, adding that it could definitely be a draw for high school students.
Welding teacher Paul Atkinson says that students going through the Chapter 74 Welding and Manufacturing program at Gateway receive the 500 hours of class time required for a certificate of completion as a welder, and at the end of four years, are ready to enter the workforce. “I get them to the point where they can be certified when they leave here,” Atkinson said.
“There is so much work for welding and fabrication right now. It won’t be an issue for the next five to 10 years.” he said, adding that some students also enter the program to be able to work with their families in farming or on heavy equipment. “They learn what they have to learn to work,” he said.
Atkinson said in his 14 years of teaching, he has probably placed 120 students in the welding profession.
Apart from students using School Choice to attend other schools, the declining student enrollment at Gateway is also the result of an aging population in the hilltowns. Many towns hoped that expanding broadband access over the last decade would attract more young families and businesses to the area.
Gateway member towns, which include Huntington, Blandford, Chester, Middlefield, Montgomery and Russell, have experienced the same boom in the housing market as the larger region in the last two years, with houses selling quickly and prices rising.
Smidy said while it may be too soon to know the full impact, the home sales don’t seem to be increasing school enrollment, with many being bought as part-year residences or for Airbnb’s, and with a growing Mennonite community whose children are schooled at home.
As she did as the high school principal at Hampshire Regional before coming to Gateway, Smidy said she plans to contact families that have left the district to learn why they made the choice to leave; whether for academic or athletic opportunities, or because of the school culture. “I did this before at Hampshire Regional. I was surprised how many left for athletic opportunities,” she said.
Within the school, Smidy wants to focus on personalizing support for Gateway students for both college and career readiness programs, and on re-engaging with the community and fostering a close connection to the towns. At a recent meeting with town leaders, she said Chester Selectman Richard Holzman suggested bringing the kids to his house to go sledding one day.
The superintendent is also taking suggestions from the students themselves. One group told her they wanted more interaction with animals, and she is looking into having a therapy animal one day a week to come to the schools.
Smidy said another strength at Gateway is special education, which has been praised for how strong and supportive it is. “We have a new program for students with vision loss; someone teaching braille and adaptive technology. We’re working on offering it as a day program for other districts. It’s nice to include kids with disabilities in the general population,” she said.
She said because the school is small, teachers are forced to teach multiple subjects, and she sees them rolling up their sleeves and doing the hard work. “They’re willing to do all of the work so that our kids can have this great experience,” Smidy said, adding, “It makes me proud that they’re willing to jump in despite everything that’s going on.”
She said some of the ideas being floated will come to fruition this year, and some next year. The district plan is to strengthen what they have to offer, and Smidy believes that the structure is present at Gateway to continue to build upon. She called the Chapter 74 programs that are approved and up and running, “an amazing opportunity to grow, and a great benefit for our own kids.”
Smidy said families are also really willing to work in partnership. “It’s a great place to be,” she said.