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Rita Clarke is presented a certificate of appreciation by Selectmen Joseph Nowak, left, Christine Hoyt, Chairman John Duval and Richard Blanchard for her 24 years of service to the town.

Adams Selectmen Thank Longtime Council on Aging Van Driver

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Cemetery Commissioner Bruce Shepley and Roger Eurbin, left, who leads a North Adams cemetery restoration group, speak to the board about restoring Maple Street Cemetery.
ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen on Wednesday night thanked Council on Aging van driver Rita Clarke for her 24 years of service. 
 
"We are happy for Rita and sad for us after 24 years she is retiring," Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco told officials. "We just want to say thank you for all of your years of service."
 
The board also blessed the Maple Street Cemetery restoration project.
 
"I certainly think it is a good idea anytime we can get people interested in doing something for the betterment of the community I am all for it," Selectman Joseph Nowak said.
 
"So many graves are covered in brush and a life [can be] lost but if it's lost in a tangle of weeds, that is something different," Nowak said. "This brings alive, in some respect, people who have died."
 
Cemetery Commissioner Bruce Shepley said commissioners during a walk through a few months ago thought it would be advantageous to start a volunteer group to help clean up the disheveled Maple Street Cemetery.
 
"We started this conversation about stones we saw that were falling over or in disrepair at Maple Street and then our conversation turned into getting a volunteer group together if there was an interest in it," Shepley said.   
 
He reached out to Roger Eurbin and Larry Burdick, who have lead an effort to clean up Hill Side Cemetery in North Adams, to help them get the group started. Over the last several years, the group has righted, repaired and cleaned nearly 700 stones in the city's oldest cemetery and Burdick has recently taken on a similar effort at the smaller Blackinton Cemetery.
 
Shepley said there seems to be a small group of volunteers in Adams that have shown interest and currently he is sorting out logistics but does not have a funding source.
 
Eurbin, who attended the meeting with Burdick, said he would help train anyone interested.
 
"We will be willing to help train anybody and show them what we do and how we do it," Eurbin said. "There is a safe way to do this because some of these big stones are tough."  
 
Chairman John Duval thanked Eurbin and Burdick for helping the town.
 
"Thank you gentlemen, and it is good to see cooperation between the two communities and hopefully we can have more of that," he said.  
 
The Selectmen also met with the solid waste advisory committee to go over some of the logistics of the proposed transfer station.
 
Mazzucco said a $75 permit will be needed beginning Sept. 1 to use the recycling center when it will start accepting solid waste.
 
"It will take some stress off the general fund," he said. "Hopefully, it will generate some revenue that will allow us to do more clean up in the town or add more up there."
 
Residents will also have to purchase either 33-gallon bags or bag stickers (that hasn't been decided yet) that will be available throughout town.
 
The bags or stickers will be free for the first year of the program. After that, they will cost a dollar. Senior citizens ages 70 and up will  get 12 free bags or stickers starting July 18.
 
There will be a mobile food bank through the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for residents at the Visitors Center on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 11 to noon. There is no cost and no income guidelines. 

Tags: cemetery commission,   restoration,   retirement,   transfer station,   

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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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