Summit News

Amherst-Pelham Regional School District is proud to celebrate Crystal Cartwright, Transition Specialist for Amherst Regional Public Schools, who has received the Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Education (MAIPSE) School Partner Excellence for Inclusive Higher Education Award.

Cartwright was honored at the 2026 Emerging Trends Conference, where she was recognized for her outstanding leadership and commitment to expanding inclusive higher education opportunities for students with disabilities.

The award is particularly noteworthy because Cartwright was nominated by all three of ARPS’s partner MAIPSE programs: Westfield State University, UMass Amherst, and Greenfield Community College. The statewide recognition highlights her exceptional work supporting students and families as they navigate transitions to higher education, employment, and community life.

Students in the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District’s Latin program have once again demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, earning impressive results on the 2026 National Latin Exam and outperforming national benchmarks.

The National Latin Exam is an internationally administered assessment that measures students' understanding of the Latin language, literature, vocabulary, mythology, and Roman culture. Each year, students from across the United States and around the world participate in the exam, making it one of the most respected assessments in classical language education.

This year, 60 ARPS students participated in the examination. Of those students, 42 scored at or above the national average; an impressive 70 percent of all district participants.

 

Three Amherst Regional High School educators have been recognized for their dedication, compassion, and commitment to student success as recipients of the 2026 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Jennifer Chylack, Krista Larsen, and Gerardo Zelaya were honored this spring through the prestigious regional program, which annually celebrates outstanding educators across Western Massachusetts. The awards, established by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, recognize teachers “who strive for excellence in the classroom and beyond.”

The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards were created in 2003 to acknowledge educators who make a meaningful impact in their schools and communities. Since its inception, more than 2,000 teachers throughout Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties have been recognized for their work supporting students at every stage of their educational journeys.

Students at the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District had the opportunity to experience something more than a guest speaker visit: the early promise of a new district-wide initiative designed to strengthen relationships, expand opportunity, and build trust across each school within the three districts.

 

On Thursday, February 12, the Honorable Judge Bruce S. Melikian visited both Summit Academy and Amherst Regional Middle School as part of the new ARPS CONNECT District Mentoring Program. CONNECT, which stands for Creating Opportunities through Nurturing Networking, Engagement, Care, and Trust, was established this year to provide meaningful and positive mentoring experiences for students. The initiative focuses on building caring relationships that nurture individual strengths, expand positive peer and adult networks, engage families and the broader community, and cultivate trust.

In February 2026, the Amherst, Pelham, and Amherst-Pelham Regional School Districts came together to honor Black History Month with a series of thoughtful, dynamic, and deeply engaging experiences for students across all grade levels. What unfolded throughout the month was not a single program or event, but a districtwide commitment to honoring Black voices, examining history with honesty, and celebrating the ongoing influence of Black leaders, artists, scholars, and changemakers.