I just finished attending the CIP Berkshire center. It does have some good and bad parts…read more Pros: self-paced curriculum, kids are treated like individuals, expected to behave like adults, many students are successful upon leaving Cons: price, student houses aren't all that great, very few students get paid jobs, staff don't always listen to student complaints even though they say they do, and signing up for activities has become increasingly difficult, inconvenient location for those who don't have cars, also the curriculum is extremely repetitive so if you've been there for a couple years, you'll continue to hear the same things over and over again.

CIP is a phenomenal program preparing students with learning differences for vocations and…read moreindependent living. As mother of a son with ASD and ADHD, I'm so grateful for a program like this, tailored to his unique needs and committed to helping him realize his highest potential!

My oldest attended kindergarten at BWS for two years. He was a student in the Sun Room. He played…read moreoutdoors in all kinds of weather, climbed trees, went sled riding, made "cement" in the sandbox, played make believe, and made many friends with similar interests and a real heartiness. Indoors, he baked bread, chopped vegetables, learned to finger knit, to sew, to paint with watercolor, etc. He still takes tremendous pride in the crafts that he made in kindergarten! It's a wonderful program with loving, wise teachers.

Both of my children attended this school, and now I have a grandson there. The teachers are…read morewonderful; the curriculum is amazing. The kids get a lot of time outside in nature on the beautiful campus; gardening and nature studies. The students get a well-rounded education with academics, art, music, movement/sports. My kids never wanted to miss a day of school and speak so highly of their teachers, even to this day! Go take a tour and you'll be able to see for yourself the amazing job they are doing.

St. Mary's school has been a great and nurturing school for our children, especially in the early…read moreyears of schooling. It has small class sizes, teachers who get to know and support your kids, and a positive upbeat culture (kid-wise), as well as a good group of parents.

To preface, I attended this school from grades 4-8 (2010-2014), so it may have changed since then,…read morehowever I still feel the need to disclose my experience to any potential students and parents. The education I received at this school was subpar at best. When I began attending a public high school, I was behind, especially in math. Many of the teachers at the school were cruel and short tempered, for example I remember the preschool teachers yelling at the toddlers when they grew impatient. The after school care program was under supervised and dangerous. I remember protecting young children from being hit in the head with flying basketballs, and keeping them out of the unsupervised trouble they would have gotten into. I remember in one instance a child around 4-5 fell and inverted his elbow. it took several minutes to attract the attention of the adult who was meant to be supervising him. Moving away from the negligence and back to the subpar education, the seventh and eighth grade teacher who taught at the school for many years was under qualified and should have been fired many, many times (to my knowledge she has recently retired). We were publicly embarrassed in front of the class for low grades on projects and essays, which lead to severe stress for my friends and me. I have not felt such severe stress doing anything as I did attending school every day for those last two years. Our grades did not depend on our skill level, but rather how much that teacher liked us. She frequently lashed out and screamed at students bringing them to the point of tears for trivial reasons. We were not "bad", nobody misbehaved because we were terrified of the embarrassment, it was always over something academic, which is ridiculous. You should not punish a kid for failing, you should teach them how to do better. Our lessons revolved heavily around religion most days, which may seem like a good thing to many religious folks out there, however, I feel that I was robbed of the education my parents payed thousands for. S

Canaan Kids Art Space is an amazing place for children to be their creative selves using recycled…read morematerials, guided projects, and space to be kids. The Mission: Canaan Kids Artspace (CKA) is on a mission to spark creativity, nurture community, and promote environmental stewardship. Through a mix of structured and open-ended activities centered around upcycled materials, we inspire young creators to think sustainably, connect with others, and express themselves joyfully. Last night I participated in an event for adults - Altered Books, Adult Collage Night. Breetel Graves, the owner/operator made the group feel welcome by having snacks, drinks, electric candles and even a mirrored ball! The space felt warm, inviting, and peaceful. Materials were provided and in the relaxed atmosphere we created art, shared stories and laughter. CKS certainly lived into its mission for the group last night We are fortunate to have such a wonderful resource in Canaan.

I cannot comment on the boarding school, though it's reputation is exceptional. My son spent two…read moreweeks here attending the Berkshire Summer Music camp in June, 2019. The campus is breathtakingly stunning! Beautiful buildings set against the backdrop of mountains. It's much like a small college campus, with several dorms, and buildings housing the different academic departments. Definitely an amazing setting for learning!

Explorations is where I went to High School. Looking back almost 10 years later, I treasure my…read moreexperiences there. Some background- Explorations is a charter school that focuses on non-traditional, experiential education. It's a public school that functions like a private school, but has the minuscule budget if a small public school. Kids from all over the state can go there, but a certain percentage of students have to be from the immediate area. When I was enrolled, we had classes four days a week, M-Th. Fridays were split into outdoor adventure and internships and students would alternate between the two every other Friday. I had two internships. One of them was at a doggie day care place. It's ironic where I worked as the owner resembled Michael Myers from the Halloween movies. Currently, he's in jail as police found a sex slave in his house. The other internship was at an automotive painting firm. Outdoor adventure is what we did the Fridays when we didn't have internships. As far as activities... I crawled into a bat cave in Salisbury-it was wet, muddy, full of bats and friggin awesome! I went hiking up CT's tallest peak I belayed and climbed rocks I shared secrets in a sweat lodge and ate freshly killed beef from a student's farm I shot my teachers with guns...paintball guns (don't get any funny ideas). I did that and soooo much more! Academically, compared to a normal high school, the homework load is lighter. You're on a first name basis with your teachers. They're approachable and easy to talk to. Besides a few social stereotypes like the stoners, punks, hippies and those soon to drop out, the school is pretty much devoid of typical stereotypical high school kids. Basically, you're free to be yourself without having to worry about how your perceived. There are no bullies either. When I went there, the school had taken over an old bank. That was our school. Classes were in the basement and the offices were in the vault. In the middle of winter, the landlord elected not to renew our lease. We had class in a park pavilion in the dead of winter in the northeast corner of CT. Somehow I got through it, but damn, it was cold. We were spared by NWCC who saw our plight and gave us an old building to use for the remainder the year. The next year we got our building, which is the current location of the school. My class had 16 people in it and when I was a student, the entire student body had 72 kids. I loved my non-stereotypical high school. I got to go rock climbing across from Mt. Washington, experience the cold and a douchbag landlord and the generosity of the local community college. I had amazing teachers- many of whim I still talk to outside of school. They truly made my experience great and I'd consider them friends. Also, I still talk to my classmates and try to stay in touch. I made friends who will hopefully last a lifetime. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. Explorations was a great experience and if you want a high school like no other, I encourage you to check it out. It's a one if a kind school :) Peace|

The most amazing school with a rock star principal and teachers that are truly incredible!! This…read moreschool is a private school that just HAPPENS to be free. Lucky us!!!

What fun! Located in an old church, Greenwood Glass Studio offers various items on display for…read moresale in the upstairs showroom. Downstairs you'll find the furnaces for shaping your project. Philip Greenwood goes over safety procedures and proper technique. He helps you every step of the way to assure you pull end up with a beautiful glass paperweight. You choose your colors, pick from a few designs and get busy. About 20 minutes later you're done. Then Peter takes the vet and properly cools the glass and polishes the base. Just understand you don't leave with the finished product. You need to come back the next day to pick up your masterpiece. I'm sure Peter will mail it to you if nece$$ary. Also note this is not a walk in experience. You need to call ahead and make a reservation. Peter has a couple of sweet dogs on the premises, so if you have a fear of dogs be forewarned. For about $48 you have a one of a kind experience and something you can be proud to display. Peter is kind. Patient. Friendly. And extremely gifted. If you can't tell, this is a highly recommended adventure!!

This review is long overdue. I came here months ago on a Sunday morning with my Fiancé, sister,…read morebrother-in-law, and best friend. The building itself is very cool (historic church) and the upper level displays various beautiful artworks of glass, metal and wood. I opted to make a glass flower, while my Fiancé made a paperweight. The process of creating our pieces was performed smoothly, as the owner Peter was super helpful and gave clear instructions - if there was any trouble or questions, he reacted promptly. In all, I really enjoyed my experience here and would love to revisit to create another piece to add to my decor.