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The Selectmen are still working on a job description for the town administrator.
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Selectman Joseph Nowak said a town administrator had to be a jack of all trades.

Adams Selectmen Confident of Search Committee Ability

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Chairman Arthur 'Skip' Harrington, left, and Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian said they had confidence in the Town Administrator Search Committee.

ADAMS, Mass. — Five applicants have already applied for the town administrator position.

The Selectmen, meanwhile, are still reviewing the criteria and attributes for the search committee in charge of finding a new town administrator to replace Jonathan Butler, who will head the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.

The search committee will eventually narrow all applicants down to three.

Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian said he is confident that the three finalists the committee chooses will be the best candidates.

"I have all the confidence with them and when they pick three people, no questions asked, they will be the three people," Snoonian said. "I have 100 percent confidence that those will be the best three people for the job, no doubt in my mind."

The search committee had asked for feedback from the selectmen with the compiled list of attributes and criteria, however, the selectmen felt as though the list they came up with was fine as is.

"They are coming along very well, and they are moving forward," Chairman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said. "They are dealing with a lot of minutia, and they are very detailed and very careful."

The criteria list is organized into five sections: Business and management, budgeting and finance, communication qualities, relationship qualities, and personal qualities.

Selectman Richard Blanchard was confident with the search committee's work, but asked that it make one small addition to the communication section.

He asked that they add whether solicited or not, the town administrator will keep the Board of Selectmen informed on all pertinent information regarding the town.



The Selectmen wrote in the suggestion.

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he liked the list as is and felt too much alteration would only complicate things.

"I think you can analyze and put things together until you are blue in the face, but it can't be perfect," Nowak said. "Looking at all the criteria here, I think it gets more cumbersome when you mix more things into the mix; it's just difficult because there is no standard ... in this job, in some respect, you have to be a jack of all trades."

With Butler's last day approaching in late August, Community Development Director Donna Cesan will fill in as the interim town administrator.

Although the town will have an active town administrator, the Selectmen would like to get the process moving as soon as possible.

"I am anxious to get these people going, and the sooner they get disconnected from us ... the better," Snoonian said. "We have a great search committee, and I have all the trust in them in the world."

Next, the Selectmen must overhaul the town administrator job description and update it by request of the search committee.

Harrington said this will be done on a later date within the month.

"There is plenty to do between now and then, and they have plenty to do without these documents, but they will have this for their next meeting," he said.


Tags: search committee,   town administrator,   

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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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