Hoosac Valley Class of 2012 Mourns Loss of Two Classmates
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Hoosac Valley High School class of 2012 was left reeling last week when it lost two classmates within days of each other.
Friends of Ethan Piaggi-Cornell and Mary E. Wilk remembered them both as fun-loving, adventurous and kind people, who left their mark on the high school community.
Wilk, 22 of Cheshire, valedictorian of the class and a University of Vermont graduate, was struck by a vehicle while riding a bike along Route 1 in South Kingstown, R.I., on July 26 and died four days later.
A friend and classmate of Wilk, Emily Rodowicz, said Wilk was an adventurous person who always "lived life to the fullest."
Rodowicz recalled one particular adventure with Wilk when the two were out kayaking on Onota Lake in Pittsfield. They enjoyed a peaceful lunch and after taking a photo noticed a storm roaring in.
"We kayaked back to the car in the pouring rain and attempted to get the kayaks up on her Subaru as quick as possible, by then we were soaked and laughing hysterically," she said. "Her laugh was memorable, whenever she laughed you couldn't help but join in without even knowing what was funny."
Rodowicz said Wilk was close to her family and enjoyed going to Foxwoods and Saratoga, not to gamble, but to just to be around the people she loved. She added Wilk extended this love to everyone and appreciated all for their unique qualities.
Friend and fellow graduate Jessica Gale said Wilk was always full of joy, adventures and happy to be around those she loved.
"Mary was a bright young lady with a bubbly personality and a contagious smile. She was very family oriented and had a love for the great outdoors," Gale said. "She lived life to the fullest, never turning down a good adventure."
Gale said she has many fond memories of Wilk, but the ones that really stick out in her mind were simple moments – like just catching up when they were back home on college break. She said it was hard to say goodbye because they could not stop laughing and telling each other stories.
College friend Kate Skakel said Wilk was "a beacon of light and joy" who "touched everyone with her "vibrant spirit."
She added that this was sometimes a challenge when traveling the campus.
"Walking across campus with her took three times longer than usual because so many people would stop her to say hi," Skakel said. "She was an amazing confidant, dance partner, joke teller, and so much more."
Skakel said they took a road trip down south during spring break of their junior year. She said Wilk organized the trip and packed it with site seeing. She said Wilk's favorite sites were the Louisville Slugger Museum, and Churchill Downs.
"We spent every waking moment together and talking about anything under the sun," she said." She's quite possibly the only person that I would ever consider spending so much time with, and I loved every second."
Piaggi-Cornell of Pittsfield, 23, was killed after hitting a stopped flatbed tow truck on Howland Avenue in his car in Adams on July 28.
Friend and classmate Johnnie Harris Jr. said Ethan was "a really good kid and full of life."
"He would always crack a joke about something," Harris said. "He was the type of guy you could just go to and talk about anything and he wouldn't judge you, he would just tell you the right thing to do."
Harris, a fellow football player who nicknamed Piaggi-Cornell "can of corn," said he remembers nights just hanging out with Ethan and friends.
"I remember the nights we would all hang out down at the Vistors Center in Adams and just talk and listen to music," he said. "I remember one time we piled in like 12 kids into Ethan's car and drove around the Vistors Center parking lot just to see if how many of us could fit into his car."
Harris recalled one time they tried to bring Piaggi-Cornell's car off-roading. It didn't go so well.
"[He] got his car stuck up by the greenhouse in Adams and my buddy Jon Zappone and I had to pull him out," Harris said. "It took us like two hours just to get him out."
Harris said after calling hours Thursday night (from 5 to 8 at Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels), Hoosac students are invited to a get-together at the Visitors Center.
"I'm doing a get together for all the Hoosac kids down at the visitor center in Adams," he said. "Just to hang out and reminisce about Ethan after the calling hours."
Former Principal Henry Duval, now at Pittsfield High, said he remembered Wilk as the dream student heavily involved both in school and in the community and Piaggi-Cornell as a well-liked and very bright student who was very involved in Hoosac Valley athletics.
"It's horrible," he said. "It is just tragic. Both of these young lives had bright futures ahead of them."
Duval said the 109 students of the class of 2012 were close and even those who were only acquaintances with Wilk or Piaggi-Cornell are affected by the loss.
He said they have a special bond as their senior year spent during the high school's reconstruction. They were the first class to graduate from the completed school.
"They spent their senior year at Adams Memorial, and I think the effect of that brought them closer together because they lost the high school senior year," Duval said. "They were a nice group of kids."
He said because of the unique building situation, the class of 2012 was allowed an open campus lunch and could walk downtown together and eat.
Duval added that they also were the force behind the great beach party of 2012, when sand was trucked in and the whole school enjoyed "a day at the beach" with fake palm trees and even a tiki bar that served Hawaiian Punch.
He noted that a lot of students changed their profile picture on Facebook to the class picture taken during the beach party.
He added that a loss in the community always hits hard because the Adams-Cheshire communities are tight-knit.
"They grow up together, they play sports together, they are in different clubs together and they go to the same churches so it does make for a small for a community," Duval said. "Even if they were not the closest they do know each other ... they really were a close group who went through a lot together and through it all they remained optimistic."
Harris agreed.
"Not everyone was best friends, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty, everyone had everyone's back," Harris said. "Everyone cared for everyone. Plus, so many people got along with Ethan and Mary. I just know a lot of people that went to Hoosac or go there are feeling the loss and sorrow. They were just downright great people."
Gale shared the same sentiment.
"While we may not have all been best friends outside of school, within Hoosac we all came together as one," Gale said. "The loss of our classmates and friends is devastating but it reinforces the importance of taking advantage of every day we are given. As a class, we will come together and support one another through this tragedy."
A fund to honor Wilk's memory has been established by her friends from the University of Vermont Outing Club. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made here or through Paciorek Funeral Home, 13 Hoosac St., Adams, MA 01220.
Memorial donations for Piaggi-Cornell may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield Youth Group, the Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts, the Hoosac Valley Football or Track Booster Clubs or the Cheshire Little League through the Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams, MA 01247.
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