By FRAN RYAN
Daily Hampshire Gazette
WORTHINGTON — During one recent Friday morning meeting at the R.H. Conwell Elementary School, students discussed some of the books that they have been reading, including “Rosie Revere, Engineer,” “Filbert Flies” and “Giraffes Can’t Dance.”
All of the titles are centered on themes of determination, ingenuity, self-confidence and individuality — universal themes that also intentionally reflect the community’s struggle to re-establish its own school.
When called on to summarize the meaning of those readings, students offered answers like “Follow your dreams and never give up on them,” “If you try and try and keep trying no matter what, you will succeed,” and “The only true failure can come if you quit.”
Principal Gretchen Morse-Dobosz told the students that those are good thoughts to remember when things feel too hard. “Like when we are trying to understand math, or get our ideas out when we are writing.”
Later, in her office, Morse-Dobosz said that kind of resolve is an important trait to instill and nurture in students. “Perseverance and grit is often missing from the equation these days,” she said. “It is hard to teach something like grit.”
It is appropriate that Worthington students are learning those skills at Conwell, which reopened as a public school at the end of August after being closed in 2010 for financial reasons by the Gateway Regional School District.
The high morale at the school is inspired, in part, by the town’s four-year battle to extricate itself from Gateway Regional and to create its own school district in Worthington. The closing in 2010 was so unpopular with residents and town officials that they began the lengthy process to withdraw from the regional district so they could reopen an elementary school in town.
After special legislation was signed by then-Gov. Deval Patrick, Worthington successfully left the district in May 2014 — although that decision was challenged in a lawsuit filed by Gateway and two officials from Russell, a member town. The case was argued in Hampshire Superior Court on Thursday, and Judge Bertha D. Josephson said it would take awhile to reach a decision.
Meanwhile, the school had remained open as the private R.H. Conwell Community Education Center. Now it has an entirely new teaching staff, is exploring innovative and inquiry-based curriculums and has an enrollment of 48 public school students.
“The first month was amazing,” Morse-Dobosz said. “The spirit and enthusiasm in this building is strong and the support that everyone gives to one another is unlike any other school experience I’ve ever had.
“We learn something new every day because we are creating something new, and that is what makes this really exciting,” she added. “We have a mix of brand new and veteran teachers and they are working beautifully together.”
Teachers at the school are Grace Ahrensdorf, kindergarten; Chris Cleland, first and second grade; Kim Orzechowski, third and fourth grade; Rachel Appell, fifth and sixth grade; and Emily Lak, special education.
“We are very pleased that R. H. Conwell has gotten off to a great start and trust that we will enroll additional Worthington and school choice students as people learn more about the quality of education we are offering,” said Dick Wagner, chairman of the Worthington Select Board.
The town’s determination, perseverance and commitment to locally controlled and administered public elementary education is reflected in the goals and operation of the school.
“We are really the newcomers here and we are trying to understand the culture and history of the community, what traditions they have, and how we can incorporate that into our school,” Morse-Dobosz said.
Sixth-grader Lily Dufresne, 11, of Worthington, said the reopening of the Conwell School has had a positive effect on the quality of education.
“The teachers said that they fell in love with the story of our school and that made them want to teach here,” Lily said. “That is good for our school and for us because I think when they enjoy teaching, it makes them better teachers, and then we learn a lot more.”
Lily said she enjoys learning about science — and specifically about cells and DNA. “I think all of that is very interesting,” she said while sitting at a table in her classroom.
On a Friday morning in early October, Appell’s fifth- and sixth-grade students were outside playing a game that involved both physical activity and mathematics calculations.
“Everything is new here. We have a whole new staff, and new principal,” Appell said. “I have never been able to participate from the ground floor up before, so it has been very interesting.”
Appell said that part of what drew her to teaching is forging meaningful connections with her students that enhance their learning experience.
“In small classes like these, you can really connect with the kids and enjoy more activities, like going out into nature while teaching math,” Appell said.
Morse-Dobosz said that a goal at the school is to “create a culture and space that nurtures and gives teachers permission to teach with passion.
“It’s not like other schools where teachers relax during a free period — here these teachers are always looking for more to do,” she added. “They collaborate, share resources, and there is a real drive to figure out our place in this community.”
Fourth-grader Payton Shippee, 9, of Worthington, went to Berkshire Trail Elementary School in Cummington when the Conwell School was shut down.
“I really like it here,” Payton said. “There is no bullying, the people and teachers are nice, and there is a lot of hands-on stuff that lets us experience things and helps us learn.”
Berkshire Trail Elementary School was another small local elementary school that was closed for financial reasons by the Central Berkshire Regional School District in July.
Morse-Dobosz said she visits each classroom every day to chat with students — who she calls “friends” — and check in with teachers. “This is an amazing place. I really love coming to work here,” she said. “Every day I feel blessed.”
Wagner said that reopening the elementary school was the best way to serve the educational needs of students in Worthington.
“Among the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson was the most vocal about the importance of local public education to a free society, and we strongly feel that the local educational opportunity now reestablished for Worthington is both in the best interests of our town’s elementary students and consistent with that important vision,” Wagner said.
