Believing every adolescent can open new doors.
BEACON served 15 Greenfield High School students for the 2023-24 school year. The program was originally developed as a partnership between Greenfield High School and Greenfield Community College in 2020.
BEACON is now enrolling students from across all of Franklin County for the fall of 2024.
The Experience
BEACON students spend their mornings at their sending high school participating in core academic subjects with their teachers, and spend their afternoons at Greenfield Community College for BEACON programming.
The program works hard to create a community where every student feels safe, included and ready to learn. The experience is designed to begin right away with personalized attention and care that helps to establish a sense of belonging. Students build a routine, receive academic coaching, and gain trust in the program and environment. As they progress in the program, students will become more engaged in project-based learning.
BEACON is intentionally designed to help students develop the tools and knowledge needed to persist through high school graduation, and works with students to develop a solid plan for post-secondary success.
The BEACON Program is located at Greenfield Community College, East Building, 1 College Drive, Greenfield, MA, 01301.
Four Programmatic Building Blocks for Success
Academic Coaching and Credit Recovery
Students spend an hour each day with personalized support and coaching, completing school assignments, studying for tests, and when needed, working to receive credits for previous classes that they have failed.
Entrepreneurship
BEACON students develop an entrepreneurship mindset by creating and piloting their own business ideas while developing critical 21st-century skills.
Service Learning
Students work in small groups to design and lead community service projects aimed at addressing social challenges that they are passionate about including public art projects, animal neglect, and community clean-up days.
Social, Emotional, and Physical Wellness
Through group and individual activities and exercises, students explore their personal holistic health and develop tools and practices to help them manage stress, experience joyfulness, participate in physical activity, and find gratitude in day-to-day life.
For More Information, Contact:
Karen Reuter
Karen Reuter, M.S., is the Deputy Director for the Collaborative for Educational Services. Karen was previously a part of the leadership team at SABIS International Charter School in Springfield, MA from 2005 until 2019. At SABIS, she held positions including Director for Academics, Deputy Director, and was the school’s Director for 10 years. In that position, she was the SABIS district leader, supervising a staff of 180. Prior to joining SABIS, Karen was the Director of 21st Century Community Learning Centers at CES (then named the Hampshire Educational Collaborative). She has also been a History and Humanities teacher, and is currently a licensed K-12 Principal.
Position: Deputy Director
Email: kreuter@collaborative.org
Phone: 413.586.4900 x5963