UNICO Awards Scholarships to Berkshire County Students

Print Story | Email Story

The Pittsfield Chapter of UNICO National and its Scholarship Committee awarded  $14,000 in scholarships to local high school graduates who are continuing their post secondary education.

The students are:

* Sarah Aitken of Pittsfield High School received the Francis Sanginetti Scholarship. Sarah will be attending the University of Massachusetts, where she will study nursing.  She is the daughter of Daniel and Tammy Aitken of Pittsfield.

* Timothy Clayton of Wahconah Regional High School received the Brian Piccolo Scholarship.  He will be attending Endicott College. He is the son of Steven and Kimberly Clayton of Dalton.

* Joseph Cracolici of Pittsfield High School received a Baseball Hall of Fame scholarship.  Joseph will  attend Holy Cross College and will study psychology and music. He is the son of Anthony and Tammy Cracolici of Pittsfield.

* Mitchell Decelles of Taconic High School received a Baseball Hall of Fame Scholarship.  Mitchell will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute and will study civil engineering.  He is the son of Edward and Nancy Decelles of Pittsfield.

* Victoria Ann Gamberoni of Wahconah High School received the Gloria Powers Scholarship.  This scholarship is funded by Bobby Powers in memory of his mother, Gloria, who was a member of UNICO before passing away. Victoria will be attending The University of Massachusetts  and will  study chemical engineering. She is the daughter of Anthony and Patrice Gamberoni of Dalton.

* Carolyn Guachione of Pittsfield High School received the Hon. Rudy Sacco Scholarship. This scholarship is in "honor" of Judge Sacco, who is a charter member of the Pittsfield Chapter of UNICO. Carolyn was a member of the UNICO ACES, a group of young volunteers working with UNICO to raise money for several area nonprofits. Carolyn will be attending Sacred Heart College and will pursue a nursing degree.

* Katrina Hould of Pittsfield High School received the Ido Merlini Scholarship. Katrina will be attending St. Michael's College and will study psychology and political science. She is the daughter of Jennifer and Todd Hould of Pittsfield.

* Yvonne Koperek of Drury High School received the James DiSimoni Scholarship. Jim was a member of UNICO and the scholarship committee for many years. Yvonne will be attending St. Michael’s College  where she will study business management. She is the daughter of Timothy and Suzanne Koperek of North Adams.

* Olivia Kriedeman-Hubbard of Pittsfield High School received the Edward DiAngelo Scholarship. She will be attending Northeastern University and will pursue a degree in psychiatry. She is the daughter of Alan and Sandi Hubbard of Pittsfield.

* Haley Mazzeo of Pittsfield High School received the John Marchetto Scholarship. She will attend Siena College and pursue a degree in nursing anesthesiology. She is the daughter of Stephanie Mazzeo of Pittsfield and Vinnie Mazzeo of Savannah, Ga.

* Holden Nelson of Wahconah Regional High School received the Francis Fazio Scholarship.  Fran was a past member of the Scholarship Committee. Holden will attend Westfield State College and will study to become a chemistry teacher.  He is the son of Michael Nelson and Angela Cantoni of Pittsfield.

* Meredith Powell of Monument Mountain Regional High School received the Joseph Columbari Scholarship.  She will be attending Framingham State University in the fall and plans to become a Registered Dietician.  She is the daughter of Michael and June Powell of Housatonic.

* Magdalena Sorrentino of Lenox Memorial High School received the Robert Quattrochi Memorial Scholarship. She will be attending the University of Vermont and will be studying for a career in teaching. She is the daughter of Samuel and Mary Sorrentino of Lee.

* Joseph Traversa of Pittsfield High School received the Wayne Montagna Scholarship. He will be attending Springfield College where he will be studying athletic training. He is the son of Brian and Christine Traversa of Pittsfield.

* Aiden Walker of Taconic High School received the first John J. Pignatelli Scholarship. This scholarship is funded by the Pignatelli family in memory of their father. Aiden was chosen for this scholarship because he will be attending Lincoln Tech in Connecticut, where he will pursue a vocational degree in welding technology.  The Pignatelli family legacy was built in the electrical trades and will continue to support vocational students in the future.


Tags: scholarships,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories