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Darrow School Names Top Students for Class of 2018

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NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — Darrow School has named Mira Sneirson, of Savannah, Ga., as valedictorian, and Samuel LaPell of East Nassau and Will Peltz Smalley of Albany, as co-salutatorians of the class of 2018. 
 
These students have earned Darrow's top academic honors, and will be recognized at the baccalaureate ceremony on Friday, June 1, and at the 86th commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 2.
 
"Mira, Sam, and Will represent the best of what students can accomplish at Darrow," said Head of School Simon Holzapfel in announcing the selections. "They are more than just proficient scholars, they are also exemplary artists, athletes, performers, and leaders. I'm incredibly proud of their efforts and achievements during their Darrow careers."
 
Sneirson is the daughter of Judd Sneirson and Elisabeth Mason of Savannah. She is also the granddaughter of William Duncan, Darrow School class of 1954. A commended scholar in the National Merit Scholarship Program, Sneirson has served in numerous leadership positions, including this year as a Core Leader and prefect for language and culture, the library, math, and theater. She also served as an American Sign Language mentor, editor of the Darrow School Literary Magazine, a member of the Writing Lab, and as president of the Mountainside Chapter of Rho Kappa, the National Social Studies Honor Society. She has performed with the Darrow Theater Workshop and played on the Varsity Softball team. 
 
"Daily I am impressed by Mira's dedicated achievements, ingenious insights, and congenial and kind manner," said her faculty adviser Nancy Dutton, chair of the English Department. "Her performance in my English class was the highest I have ever experienced, and as her adviser I hear the same from all of her teachers, in all subjects, and from all of her leadership supervisors." 
 
Sneirson plans to attend Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., in the fall.
 
LaPell is the son of Mary Jo Daly (Darrow's head librarian) and Robert LaPell of East Nassau. Including his role as co-Student Body president, LaPell has served in numerous leadership positions, including as a Core Leader and prefect in the kitchen, math, art, Writing Lab, and Support Study Hall. An accomplished visual artist, Sam is a two-time awardee in the Columbia-Greene Community College Juried Art Show. A co-captain on the varsity soccer and varsity lacrosse teams, he has also won Darrow's George Love Award, for his service in the school's Hands-to-Work program, and the Visual Arts Award. 
 
"Sam is one of the most exceptionally talented, poised, and caring students I have taught in the past 30 years," said his faculty adviser Joel Priest, math teacher. "His academic success has been a mix of skilled scholarship, fierce persistence, and genuine intellectual curiosity. I've lost count of the number of successive quarters that he earned high honors and straight A's. But Sam always seemed to be equally, if not more, motivated by intrinsic factors like community building, justice, logic, beauty, and wonder." LaPell plans to attend Alfred University in the fall.
 
Smalley is the son of Ruth Smalley and James Peltz, of Albany. He has been actively involved in numerous leadership positions at Darrow, including as a resident assistant and prefect for music, Advancement, and the 3D printer. A commended scholar in the National Merit Scholarship Program, Smalley is a gifted musician and a member of the first-violin section of the Empire State Youth Orchestra. He has also been active in the Darrow Theater Workshop as a writer and performer, and as a filmmaker and performer for the Narrative Film Festival. 
 
"Will is a remarkable student," said his faculty adviser Andy Wrba, music director. "His talents extend beyond his musical ability and his academic skills. He has been a fixture in the Performing Arts Department over the past four years, always on hand to assist other students, and he is incredibly bright, caring, and funny." 
 
Smalley plans to study music at Boston (Mass.) University in the fall.
 

Tags: graduation 2018,   val & sal,   

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Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Slight Increase to Proposed Assessments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to slightly increase the assessment to the district's member towns from the figures in the draft budget presented by the administration.
 
The School Committee opted to lower the use of Mount Greylock's reserve account by $70,000 and, instead, increase by that amount the share of the fiscal year 2025 operating budget shared proportionally by Lanesborough and Williamstown taxpayers.
 
The budget prepared by the administration and presented to the School Committee at its annual public hearing on Thursday included $665,000 from the district's Excess and Deficiency account, the equivalent of a municipal free cash balance, an accrual of lower-than-anticipated expenses and higher-than-anticipated revenue in any given year.
 
That represented a 90 percent jump from the $350,000 allocated from E&D for fiscal year 2024, which ends on June 30. And, coupled with more robust use of the district's tuition revenue account (7 percent more in FY25) and School Choice revenue (3 percent more), the draw down on E&D is seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate a spike in FY25 expenses and an unsustainable budgeting strategy long term, administrators say.
 
The budget passed by the School Committee on Thursday continues to rely more heavily on reserves than in years past, but to a lesser extent than originally proposed.
 
Specifically, the budget the panel approved includes a total assessment to Williamstown of $13,775,336 (including capital and operating costs) and a total assessment to Lanesborough of $6,425,373.
 
As a percentage increase from the FY24 assessments, that translates to a 3.90 percent increase to Williamstown and a 3.38 percent increase to Lanesborough.
 
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