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North Adams Schools Say Goodbye to Longtime Administrative Assistant

Ellen Sutherland, right, delivering homemade cupcakes in December for a Northern Berkshire United Way donation. She has been a driving force behind the district's donations and was honored last spring for her efforts. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee said goodbye to longtime administrative assistant Ellen Sutherland, who is to retire.

At the last regularly scheduled meeting of the school year Tuesday, officials gave Sutherland a proper send-off after almost 25 years of service to the district.

"It has really been my privilege to work here but it is time to go," Sutherland said.

Mayor and Chairman of the School Committee Thomas Bernard told Sutherland that she has made an impact on many in the district and community.

"Three School Committee chairs, two superintendents and I won't venture how many School Committee members, how many teachers, faculty, staff and students you have been a positive force for over time," he said.

Some of those former committee members were there. Larry Taft, and John Hockridge and Mark Moulton, who both left last year, attended the meeting to wish Sutherland their best.

"Your work ethic your skill set is second to none and it is not just what goes on in this office it is your heart that you give out to the community," Moulton said. "The entire community has benefited from having you in this position we are all going to miss you."

"You made us look good in spite of ourselves and kept us out of the news headlines by making sure we didn't violate any open meeting laws," Hockridge said. "You are extremely dedicated and extremely professional, and you did all of your work without the expectation of public acknowledgment and I am glad you are getting it tonight."

Committee Vice Chairwoman Heather Boulger recited a poem to Sutherland and noted how important she was to the district.

"We have big shoes to fill … and Ellen really goes above and beyond," she said. "She sends notes to those who may not be feeling well or battling something, she sends flowers, gift cards and she really has that personal touch. She is a face of the school district and she has been for so long."

Former Superintendent James Montepare also attended and said when Sutherland was first hired they were still using typewriters. He added that she held a very important position, especially to the superintendent, and noted that even in his retirement he misses her guidance.

"There are two job titles in the district that people need to know in order to survive: one is the custodian …and the other is the administrative assistant," he said. "Everything goes through this office and Ellen is that person, that buffer. It is a scary thing to have someone like Ellen leave who has done the job with such ease."

Current Superintendent Barbara Malkas emotionally relayed to Sutherland that she was critical in her transition to head administrator of the school district.   

"I thanked her for helping me successfully transition to the superintendent of this district," she said. "So thank you."

School Committee member and retired teacher James Holmes left Sutherland with a message from the other side.

"I can only say this, every day is Saturday," Holmes said.  

Malkas presented the School Committee with an updated job description and noted the position has already been posted.

Twenty applications have been submitted to date.

She asked for volunteers from the School Committee to help her sift through the applications and make recommendations for final interviews.

The goal is to have someone in the position for July 1. 

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.