To First Grader April, "Compassion is when I made a card for Maggie and Audrianna."

For First Grader cameron, "Compassion is when someone looks sad I ask them, are you okay?"

Egremont Elementary School is focusing on COMPASSIONth is year. This project is a joint effort of the Egremont students, staff, PTO and our business partner, Berkshire Bank. The inspiration behind the project came from Dr. Kevin Tobin, Clinical Psychologist for Pittsfield Public Schools. Dr. Tobin referred various studies to the Egremont School Climate Team, including the work of Richard Davidson, Ph.D., a University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology and psychiatry professor and brain researcher who has scientifically found that those who practice compassion have measurably healthier brains, and generally, a happier outlook on life. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the School Climate Team, as well as the support of the entire Egremont Staff, we have been able to weave compassion instruction throughout the year with grade level book studies, assemblies, bulletin boards, specific classroom projects, and much more. The Compassion Project began with a baseline "assessment" where each student drew their vision of compassion on a six inch by six inch piece of paper. The Compassion Project will culminate in an exhibit where the students, parents/guardians and the community will be able to enjoy the collective view of how students visualize compassion. The final visions will be drawn on actual tiles. The Egremont Compassion project is based on the LaCrosse Wisconsin Compassion Project.