Remembering Searles Middle School
Patrick White for State Representative
Desk of dread.
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As part of the old Searles Middle School gets torn down, I thought I'd share a memory from attending there. More serious topics follow below.
Remembering Searles Middle School
Growing up in the Berkshires was like growing up just about anywhere in America: We had school, friends, and for some kids sports and church.
In 1960, my parents Russ and Ronnie bought a house in Stockbridge just a stone's throw from the Lenox town line. As the crow flies, it's less than mile from Lenox Town Hall. But, being in Stockbridge, I was enrolled in Berkshire Hills Regional School District. That meant that as I entered 7th grade, I'd be attending Searles Middle School, which preceded the creation of Dubois.
It was far, over ten miles. I initially dreaded the long bus ride: it took almost an hour to get to school with the transfer on Main Street. That dread of something new quickly gave way to a place I loved, as I made so many lifelong Great Barrington friends. It was a time-tested model: hyper-local elementary schools, with regionalization coming into play as kids get older.
There was, however, one day of infamy. The day of the desk.
Mrs. Cunningham taught us middle school French back in the day, and I took her first period class as a 7th grader. "'Michele, Anne, vous travaillez?' 'Er, non, nous regardons la television. Pourquoi?'" Anyone of a certain age who took French knows these lines. The rest of you can use Google Translate.
I sat in the back of the class. I did well in school, so the actual classes were a bit boring. Hands fidgeting, I took to inserting my index finger into the small hole bore through the metal on the underside, where you stored your books. It fit perfectly.
About 15 minutes before the end of class, it got stuck.
I tried frantically as the clock ticked down to the bell to get it unstuck, no doubt causing it to swell and get, well, more stuck. Tick, tick, tick, and the bell rang. The rest of the class got up and left. I did not. I was stuck to the desk.
Mrs. Cunningham thought I had fallen asleep. "Patrick, the bell rang. Time to go," she said. I sheepishly explained my predicament.
At this point, the 8th grade was queuing up for second period French. This class included my older brother Mike and several dozen other middle school "seniors", as Searles only served the 7th and 8th grades.
Mrs. Cunningham told them to wait in the hallway, but they all peered in to get a glimpse of the emergency. Mike's brother was stuck to the desk.
She called the principal from the wall phone with the dangling cord. He came by and called the shop teacher. None of them wanted to perform the combination of metalwork and surgery required to solve this quandary, which, to my credit, was the first time they'd ever experienced this specific situation. That's some accomplishment I am told by seasoned educators.
"Let them deal with it at Fairview," was the consensus opinion. Emergency Medical Services to the rescue, transporting me, and my desk, to the Fairview Emergency Room. The ER doctor was like, "I have no idea what to do." He called in their maintenance guy, who carefully cut the small square of metal surrounding my finger from the desk and then used metal cutters to carefully cut a wedge out, thus freeing my finger.
I got back for lunch period expecting the worst, expecting months of ridicule from my peers and the dreaded 8th graders. And that's when having a big brother who was also tough as nails, great at sports, and really popular saved my proverbial butt. He came over and put his arm around me and said, "You OK?" while simultaneously glaring at every one of those kids in the cafeteria that day. "I'll survive," I replied. Message received. I never heard a word again from any of them.
To all those big brothers and big sisters out there: be like Mike. When the chips are down, have your little brother's back. They'll be forever grateful.
Mom and the kids. Thanks, Bro! Photo: Dad
Onto More Serious Topics
First, thanks to all of you.
At the end of March, candidates for the State House had to file their month-end reports. I am pleased to report that over 140 of you donated to my efforts. That's well more than double the number of donors to the other three candidates combined.
In case you are wondering, these donations didn't come from folks looking to curry favor. The vast majority came in small donations from the good folks of Stockbridge. I suggest to you that one of the best measures of a candidate is how their local town reacts to their candidacy. This district contains 18 towns, and the town one serves in knows their candidate the best. The people of Stockbridge know how hard I've worked on their behalf, and how I have used just one lens to evaluate my position on any of myriad issues that come before a select board member: what, on balance, is best for the town and its people? Thanks to all my neighbors for this statement of support. It means the world to me.
Secretary of Housing
I had a chance to sit with the residents of Heaton Court on Friday and meet with Ed Augustus, the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing, Rep. Smitty and Sen. Mark. We discussed a wide range of issues related to the Housing Bond Bill, the challenges to missing middle housing, the fading dream of home ownership, the need for better preferences for locals for senior housing so folks can stay in their hometown.
Three of the four candidates in this race have strong bona fides when it comes to housing. For me, I helped create and serve on our affordable housing trust, I wrote and got passed our residential exclusionary bylaw that makes luxury developers contribute to our trust, and I inserted the provision banning professionally managed units from running short term rentals in Stockbridge to protect our housing stock, just to name a few.
The Governor's housing proposals are transformational, and they are the culmination of tremendous work by legit experts at housing. I strongly support these efforts. If I get the job of being state representative, I am buoyed by the idea that great minds are already on top of this. The work has already been done and the legislation is already complete. This frees me up to tackle the many other pressing issues facing the good folks of the Berkshires.
I did spend a few hours this week working with a constituent who makes less than $30,000. This person is losing their $1,000 a month apartment, and the going rate of rentals are upwards of $2,000. Here's a situation where this person is hardworking in a vital role for our local community and this awful housing market has very few solutions that work. Our local housing authority manages Heaton Court, which has a waiting list of over 2,000 folks from across the state, and they generally can't preference locals. Let's fix that.
The tall guy is the Secretary, flanked by Smitty and Paul. That's me on the right! Photo: Teresa O'Brient
Health Care: Fixing Insurance in Massachusetts
Today's New York Times has a story that illustrates how broken health insurance is. In one example, out of a total of $1,000 billed, the hospital received just $134.13. The insurance company got $658.75 for processing the claim, and the data consultant, whose job it is to foist the cost on the patient, got $167.48, more than the treatment center! The current system is a complete perversion of the way insurance is supposed to work. Nearly 87% of it goes to the vultures with their predatory, AI-driven billing models. This is both disgusting and hard to fix, but it can with enough backbone. Send me to Boston and I will stand against these practices and work to lower the cost of healthcare and the outrageous fees being hoisted onto our seniors and families.
Snapper next door from a spring past. Photo: me
Popsie Goerlach Venison Dinner
I had a great time attending the Popsie Goerlach Venison Dinner at Dalton's Stationery Factory this past Wednesday night, in support of the Wahconah Warriors football team. Even with the weather, hardly a seat was empty! The food was great but what was really impressive was the sense of community.
For years, I've worked with the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen. I have a tremendous amount of respect for these folks, who work tirelessly to protect our environment and who are truly subject matter experts in this regard. I plan to represent every single person in this district, regardless of their party or politics. These folks represent a Berkshire way of life that goes back centuries. I will have your back.
Menu at Wednesday's dinner. Photo: me
Hundreds turned out during the storm to support their football team. Photo: me
Want to Learn More?
Please consider supporting my candidacy to represent you in the State House. To learn more, visit https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
You can donate by clicking here:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/patrick-3rd
Or you can mail a check to:
Patrick Thomas White Committee
81 Hawthorne Street
Lenox, MA 01240
I've reached about 25% of my fundraising goal. Thanks for any help you can provide. I am in it to win it and am running to effect real change. I'd love to have your support.
Warmly,
Patrick White
PS: You can find detailed positions on my campaign website:
https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
Gearing up for spring. Photo: me
Previous Notes
Week ending 3/29/2024
It's all about the jobs. read more
Week ending 3/22/2024
Snow - Taxes - Childcare - Grants - School Play read more
Week ending 3/15/2024
Economic development, family farms, why just water? read more
Week ending 3/8/2024
Affordable housing, Climate Advisory Board, Multicultural Bridge, economic development, ROR filing. read more
Week ending 3/1/2024
West Stockbridge rent control brief, PCB radio interview, cancer and the river, reducing property taxes. read more
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