Day: May 24, 2019

SPRINGFIELD — Bulkley Richardson announced that Ethan McNiff will spend the next several months at the firm as a summer associate. During his 10-week assignment, he will have the opportunity to assist with work from all practice areas.

McNiff is currently attending Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago with an expected graduation date of May 2021. He is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where he received a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in finance and legal studies in 2014. Since his undergraduate studies, he has worked as an investment operations representative and treasury analyst.

“Ethan is a bright young man with a career in law ahead of him,” said Kevin Maynard, chair of the firm’s hiring committee. “Bulkley Richardson is a great place for him to experience the inner workings of a law firm. He will have the opportunity to be mentored by seasoned attorneys, get exposure to both traditional and emerging practice areas, and gain experience through working on real-life legal matters.”

Added Dan Finnegan, managing partner, “as one of the largest law firms in Western Mass., hiring exceptional talent is essential to the success of the firm. They are our future, and we place a great deal of importance on training and retaining up-and-coming lawyers.”

Bulkley Richardson continues to accept résumés for summer associates, recent law-school graduates, and lateral attorneys. Visit bulkley.com/careers for more information.

BOSTON — American Student Assistance (ASA), a national nonprofit, announced it has awarded grants totaling $647,000 to seven Massachusetts school districts, including two in Western Mass., to fund career and interest exploration programs for middle-school students. The school communities, which will receive their funding over the course of three years, will begin implementing the programs in the 2019-20 school year.

“All of us at ASA firmly believe that, if students have the opportunity to explore a range of courses and career options at an early age, they will be better prepared to find their unique paths and develop plans for after high school,” said Jean Eddy, president and CEO. “Schools in Massachusetts are doing some incredibly innovative things, and we are confident these grants will help energize and inspire young students to begin to set a course for their futures.”

In Western Mass., Monson Public Schools will launch the Careers in the Middle program, providing students in grades 6 to 8 with classroom lessons, field trips, and events that will expose them to career-awareness opportunities.

“Monson is thrilled to be chosen by ASA to partner to provide additional resources that focus on our middle grades,” said Robert Bardwell, director of School Counseling and School-to-Career coordinator. “This grant will give us the opportunity to do more for our middle-level students and collect data that tells us which activities are best to facilitate and encourage career development early on.”

Meanwhile, Springfield STEM Academy will enhance and expand the Tech/Engineering Exploration program to expose students to new fields such as bioengineering, solar and wind engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

“Exposing students to biological, solar, wind, electrical, and mechanical engineering at a young age is a potential game changer for their rest of their lives,” Superintendent Daniel Warwick said. “It allows them to think about the wide array of STEM careers in real ways and opens the door to unlimited possibilities in this burgeoning field. We are extremely grateful that this ASA grant will help us provide this opportunity for our students.”

GRANBY — On June 11, 1768, the tiny settlement of Granby received its charter, and the town was officially incorporated. Zoom ahead 251 years, and the town of Granby is still celebrating.

Granby Charter Days, slated for June 14-16, is an annual, three-day community fair marking the 251st birthday of Granby. This year, Alden Credit Union will light the candles on Granby’s cake as the presenting sponsor.

“Alden Credit Union is very proud to be the presenting sponsor at the 2019 Granby Charter Days,” said Adam Corcoran, present and CEO of Alden Credit Union. “What is important to us is honoring and celebrating our communities. We get to serve many Granby families on a day-to-day basis, and when we had the opportunity to sponsor this historic celebration, we didn’t think twice. We congratulate Granby on 251 years, and we look forward to many more years ahead.”

Granby Charter Days takes place at Dufresne Park Recreation Area on Route 202 in Granby and will feature live bands such as Trailer Trash, King Kountry, Moose & the High Tops, and the Side Effects. Events include tractor, truck, and oxen pulls; food, including the Granby Police Department’s pancake breakfast; a fishing derby; a volunteer militia living-history encampment; an American Legion beer tent; helicopter rides; amusement rides; exhibits; and fireworks.

SPRINGFIELD — For the second consecutive year, Springfield College School of Social Work Professor Karen Clark-Hoey is leading a short-term study-abroad program in Romania, where she had lived and worked under Peace Corps and Fulbright from 1994 to 1997.

Clark-Hoey will travel with 17 social work students from the Springfield and Worcester campuses for experiential learning on the study of social work in Romania more than 25 years after inception.

“Bringing 17 students abroad is no small undertaking, but Romania is like a second home country to me, having lived and worked there for three years,” Clark-Hoey said. “Students will have a deeply enriching academic, cultural, and personal experience made possible through a close collaboration with my colleagues at Babes-Bolyai University, a well-respected institution for higher learning known throughout Europe and ranked number one in Romania. This trip is an opportunity for our students to learn firsthand from the social-work educators who first launched the profession in the early years following Romania’s 50 years of communism, and for them to gain an understanding of what it took to build systems of care for vulnerable populations across the practice spectrum where none had existed before.”

The visitors will be working with the Department of Social Work at Babes-Bolyai University, where they will receive instruction from faculty, meet and share experiences with Romanian social work students, and make site visits to various agencies.

Along with the experiential learning opportunities, the group will enjoy cultural experiences, including a visit to forests and castles deep in the region of Transylvania, a visit to Bridal Veil Falls, and participation with Outward Bound Romania, a nonprofit organization specializing in outdoor activities, both educational and recreational, that was founded in 1993 as an independent member of the internationally recognized Outward Bound International.