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The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) promotes intercultural understanding and diverse communities by providing high-quality language instruction and teacher training.

You are here: Home / News / 10 Reasons to Love a Massachusetts Summer!

August 18, 2020

10 Reasons to Love a Massachusetts Summer!

10 Reasons to Love a Massachusetts Summer!

New England is a truly majestic place. From the lush outdoors to the truly exquisite arts and entertainment experiences, it’s no wonder why so many folks have found their homes here or have chosen to travel here for their education. In distanced times, it’s easy to lose sight of what makes any area special. The International Language Institute of Massachusetts is proud to call New England  home. We wanted to share some of our favorite summer activities that can still be enjoyed even during a Pandemic! Take a break from your Language courses and refresh your mind with the magic that can be found all around you in this area.

1. Mt. Tom (Holyoke/Easthampton)

Hiking Mt. Tom is a right of passage for a local. Considered a moderate hike, it’s an ideal outdoor activity to get your blood pumping with the ultimate payoff of being able to take in the gorgeous view of the valley once you reach the top. Did you know that Dr. Seuss based The Grinch Who Stole Christmas on Mt.Tom and Easthampton?  Whoville is a fictionalized version of Easthampton and Mt.Tom is the mountain that The Grinch’s home was based on! While this mountain is a thrill to hike up, it’s hard to imagine lugging a Christmas tree and a town’s entire sack of gifts up it!

(Photo: Springfield Museums/Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, Credit: WBUR)

2. Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA)

Speaking of Dr.Seuss, visit his home city of Springfield, MA and grab a day pass and visit all FIVE museums as well as the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden! The museums include the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, and the Springfield Science Museum. Adults pay $25 for a day pass and college students (with a college ID) pay only $16.50! Visit Springfield Museums to make your time reservation, the museums are doing their part to keep guests safe and distanced during the pandemic.

(Photo:Green River Festival, Credit: Amherst Bulliten)

3. LIVE MUSIC

Missing live music and the chance to gather over a shared love for the arts? Recently, local entertainment organizations have been getting creative with how they can produce quality concert experiences while honoring the safety of their guests. Organizations like Signature Sounds have been bringing renowned musicians to Black Birch Vineyard on Tuesday evenings for socially distanced, extremely limited ticketed events. On the weekends, head up to Greenfield for a Roll On In show, similar to a drive in movie but with LIVE MUSIC. Feeling unsure about large scale gatherings? Check out Signature Sounds, Quarantunes, Watermelon Wednesdays, or BOM on Facebook for some of their upcoming livestream events that can be viewed from that safety of your own home!

(Photo:Valley Bikes, Credit: UMASS.edu)

4. Rent a ValleyBike and hit the trails!
If you are in the area temporarily for your studies, you may not have a personal bike available to you. The Massachusetts bike trails are calling for you and you have the ability to answer! There are countless ways to experience the beautiful scenery that surrounds you, but there is something special about riding through intimate trails on a bike. You might end up right next to a farm and just feet away from wildlife, biking along a beautiful river, or in a boundless field on a glorious hilltop that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise! If you’re looking to stay somewhat local and travel between Northampton, Easthampton, and Amherst rent a ValleyBike and get moving! A day pass will cost you $6 and a month pass is only $20!

(Photo: Deerfield River, Credit: https://www.greatoutdoors-deerfieldriver.com/)

5. Tubing down the Deerfield River

Need to cool down? Grab a tube and some friends and float on down the Deerfield River. It’s no problem to keep your distance from land-folks while you’re immersed in the elements of New England this way. The most popular part of the river to float is from the Fife Brook Dam in Florida, MA to the Shunpike Parking Area in Charlemont.  This is just downstream of where Rt. crosses the Deerfield River. Click HERE  to learn more about the different sections of the river and which spots are recommended for safe travel.

6. Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA 

As previously mentioned, while Massachusetts is rich with cultural diversity and loaded history, it is also home of eclectic and immersive arts experiences. Mass MoCA has been called “One of the most hopeful things” by The Boston Globe- and as you enter under trees growing upside down above you, it’s no secret why! Their website boasts, “MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification.” Take the winding roads to North Adams and see for yourself why this is one of our absolute favorite things to do in New England.

7. Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams

Marked by a natural bridge of white marble, the ONLY arch of its kind in North America, this site has attracted hikers and tourists for years- including Nathanial Hawtorne! Located on McAuley Road in North Adams, this is one of MANY gorgeous state parks and natural wonders to be discovered in the outdoors of New England. According to mass.gov’s listing of Natural Bridge State Park, “the park’s namesake natural bridge, made of 550 million year-old bedrock marble, was carved into its iconic arch by the forces of glacial melt water over 13,000 years ago. Today, the bridge spans the bubbling Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot gorge–one of the best demonstrations of glacial erosion in New England.”

8. The Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA

Part history museum, part hall of fame; take a trip to the city where basketball was born- Springfield, MA! The Basketball Hall of Fame’s website names itself as an, “independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history.” The giant basketball shaped space is more than just your average encyclopedia of the sport- it also houses interactive exhibits that bring an understanding of the game to the next level.Another fun piece of trivia is that Holyoke, MA is the birthplace of volleyball! You can round out your weekend full of sports history by checking out the International Volleyball Hall of Fame located on Dwight Street in Holyoke. 

9. Salem, MA – home of The Salem Witch Trials!

Though their yearly “Haunted Happenings” programming won’t be taking place this year due to the pandemic, Salem, MA is full of history and spooky tales at every turn. Salem was one of the most important seaports in all of American history, but it is generally remembered for a different reason. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 laid the foundation for much of the associations people have when discussing this coastal city. The city has reclaimed this history, and now proudly adorns itself with witch-themed logos, team names, and activities. Though many of the expo-sized events won’t be kicking off this fall- you can still walk through one of the oldest cemeteries in US history- The Burying Point. Judge John Hathorne, who you may remember from ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller, is buried here. You can also walk down to the coast, or go off on an adventure to find the filming locations from the movie “Hocus Pocus”. While much of this city’s history is wrapped up in unfair tragedies, it remains a beautiful place that has filled itself with joy in the time since.

10. Hike Mt. Sugarloaf (Deerfield, MA)
The arkose sandstone cliffs of Mount Sugarloaf (or Sugarloaf Mountain) are recognizable for miles surrounding the mountain. The mountain, which resides on Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation in Deerfield, MA is known for its two summits. The North Sugarloaf Mountain summit stands at 791 ft. and the South Sugarloaf Mountain stands at 652 ft. The views of Mt. Sugarloaf can be enjoyed by hike, but there are also roads accessed by car open seasonally that climb parts of the mountain. Pack up your favorite granola bar and be sure to make a stop at the small seasonal observation tower located on the South Sugarloaf summit.

If you are still looking for GREAT entertainment and activities happening in Northampton and Western Mass, be sure to follow Northampton DNA and The Northampton Chamber. We hope to see you out there- from a distance!

Article by ILI Staff / News

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Celebrating the last day of September’s program Celebrating the last day of September’s program with an amazing potluck. Congratulations to Frank for a very successful program. He will be starting a new job at the @uconn on Monday. And happy moon festival, everyone! 🌕
It's a new school year! Here are some highlights o It's a new school year! Here are some highlights of some of the exciting things happening at ILI! ⭐️

•We doubled the number of sections—from 5 to 10—in the free English program for immigrants and refugees. 

•144 students from 29 countries now study online and in-person in standard evening classes and in a new, intensive morning course—all to help them reach their education and career goals! 

•French, German, Italian and Spanish classes are underway with 120 students from across New England learning mostly in person and also online.

•27 International students from 18 countries are spending one to three months or more in our intensive English course. Many stay with host families in the area and are mutually sharing cultural traditions.

•21 employees at Baystate Health, one of ILI’s business partners, are improving their English through our workplace language training program. We tailor the curricula to suit each business, in this case the needs of healthcare workers.

•Students from New Hampshire, Northampton, Pennsylvania and Vermont are enrolled in our online teacher training program, gaining skills that will enable them to teach English to speakers of other languages right here at home or around the world!

•ILI is getting a makeover, thanks in part to a grant from the City of Northampton’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and in collaboration with our landlord, Emerald City Partners. Looking forward to larger classrooms, improved airflow and other renovations, all in compliance with post-COVID recommendations, to better serve students and western Massachusetts communities.

The support from our community helps to make these things possible through donations + investments in ILI’s IMPACT Fund. Visit ili.edu to learn more.
Free English classes expand and so does ILI’s te Free English classes expand and so does ILI’s teacher corps! Meet Greg Kerstetter, another new teacher on the Free English Program Team! 

Greg started teaching elementary school in 2001, switching to teaching from a 10-year stint writing for local newspapers. After nearly 20 years of teaching fourth and fifth grade, he left elementary school teaching to write full-time, both poetry and essays. Greg graduated from ILI’s intensive TESOL program in the fall of 2022.

Learn more about our Free English Program at ili.edu ⭐️

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #englishprogram #staffspotlight
Unlock your potential! 🔓 With a TESOL Certifica Unlock your potential! 🔓 With a TESOL Certificate, you are qualified to teach English language learners anywhere in the world. 🌏 The International Language Institute of Massachusetts's next Intensive TESOL Certificate Online Course is coming up October 16th-November 10th!

Whether you’re a new or experienced ESL/EFL/ESOL instructor, our World Learning SIT Graduate Institute TESOL intensive course provides practical skills to become a more successful teacher and make a greater impact on the lives of your students.

The SIT TESOL Certificate course is a 180-hour English teacher training program in which you will experiment with and reflect on key teaching frameworks, core TESOL concepts, and multiple language acquisition tools. 

SIT-certified TESOL trainers guide you through a comprehensive curriculum with the following modules: learning, teaching, speaking, pronunciation, structure, listening, reading, writing, and culture.

Learn more and sign up today ili.edu/programs/tesol-certificate ✨ For more information email macey@ili.edu
ILI is looking for local families, living within w ILI is looking for local families, living within walking distance of ILI in downtown Northampton or on a bus route, to host adult international students enrolled in the school's intensive English courses. Currently we have students from 17 different countries studying at the school. It’s a wonderful way to welcome very interested and interesting people as they work on their English skills. And it’s a terrific opportunity for you to broaden your cultural experiences, sharing your family’s traditions with the students as they share theirs with you. 

Hosts receive a weekly stipend to cover their costs ($150 a week for a private room without meals; $250 a week for a private room with meals). The length of stay can vary with the minimum stay of one month. Students attend intensive English classes at ILI Mondays-Thursdays 9-2:30 and Fridays 9-noon.  Visit ili.edu for more information.

And for a first-hand experience about hosting, read Greg Kerstetter's article, Hosting international students is rewarding. Greg teaches in our free English program- read his article in the Daily Hampshire Gazette here: https://www.gazettenet.com/Guest-Columnist-Kerstetter-51945600

Photo by @vagabundodeltiempo 
#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #internationalstudents #hostfamily #northampton
Free English classes expand and so does ILI’s te Free English classes expand and so does ILI’s teacher corps! 

And speaking of the 2023-2024 school year, we have expanded the number of “seats” in the free English program by 72% over the past few years, starting this month! How did this come about? Last December, we received news from our partner, the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, that they accepted our proposal to expand the program, including the addition of a new intensive morning class.

 And that brought about a need to grow our teaching corps. Over the next few days we'll spotlight some of the new teachers in the free English program team.

Meet Calebb Louis
Calebb holds a B.A. in literature and political science from Rutgers University, an M.A. in applied linguistics and a TESOL graduate certificate from Texas A&M University. He is working on an MFA in creative writing at Drexel University.

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #staffspotlight #englishprogram #ialc
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