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Hoosac Valley athletes donated their time last weekend to dig out fire hydrants after several storms buried them.

Hoosac Valley Athletes Dig Out Hydrants

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School athletes volunteered their time to shovel out fire hydrants throughout the community last weekend.
 
They took to the streets, shovels in hand, to dig out hydrants to ensure firefighters could get to them.
 
"With the large amount of snowfall that we had there was a tremendous amount of hydrants in town that were just not acceptable," Fire Chief Paul Goyette said. "I asked the athletic director to contact the coaches to see if we could get a few kids to help out the community." 
 
Goyette said the group mostly shoveled outside streets that often do not get attention.
 
"We are targeting certain areas where you have people that are elderly and they can't clean them out and a lot of people just don’t understand the importance of it," he said. "Not only for themselves but for their neighbors."
 
Goyette said if a hydrant is not shoveled out it could slow down the department’s response to a fire.
 
"It could potentially affect the outcome of a fire," he said. "If we had to shovel it out it could take some precious minutes and guys aren’t getting off the truck with shovels they are going to do it with bare hands."
 
Hoosac Valley basketball coach Mike Larabee said Hoosac Valley athletes are always ready to give back to their community. 
 
"It’s important for them to be out in the community; That’s what it’s all about as a small community," he said.
 

Tags: fire hydrants,   firefighters,   HVHS,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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