Pittsfield High School Names 45 AP Scholars

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield High School's Advanced Placement (AP) program has 45 students being recognized by the College Board for their achievements.  

During the 2019 exam administration, 219 students took 392 exams in 21 different subject areas.  PHS has the largest AP program in Berkshire County and is also the only local high school offering the College Board's AP Capstone Program.

"We are very proud of our AP program at Pittsfield High School - not only of our AP scholars but also that our courses are open to all students," said Pittsfield High School Principal Henry Duval.

"We've been steadily expanding our course offerings and are particularly excited that this year we added Art History and Music Theory," said Vice Principal of Teaching and Learning Brendan Sheran, who serves as the school’s AP coordinator. "In times when schools often cut the arts, PHS is expanding them."

Named as an AP Scholar with Distinction from the Class of 2019 was Jacob Jamros, now attending Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. AP Scholars with Distinction from the upcoming Class of 2020 are Madeline Coco, Mary Hines, Jena Kaddoura, Logan Kroboth, Brian Lavinio, Cole Masiero, Emily Mazzeo, Sierra Murray, Emelyn Theriault and Hailey Widdison. The AP Scholar with Distinction designation means that students earned an average score of 3.5 or more on all AP exams and scores of 3 or better on five or more exams.



Jamros also earned the College Board's AP Capstone Diploma. His research focused on audience reactions to theatrical performances. This honor is given for students achieving a score of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research courses, as well as four other AP exams.

Named as AP Scholar with Honor from the Class of 2019 are Hannah Berkel, now attending Quinnipiac University, and Katherine Dumigan, now attending Northeastern University. An AP Scholar with Honor award is earned with an average score of 3.25 on their AP exams and scores of 3 or better on four or more tests.

PHS 2019 graduates named AP Scholars are Aiden Chalfonte, now attending Sarah Lawrence University; Ava Cherry, now attending The University of Rhode Island; Vanessa Clark, now attending Smith College; Abigail Cohan, now attending Monmouth University; Jaden Coscia, now attending UMass Amherst; Joseph Cracolici, now attending Holy Cross; Trista Dearstyne, now attending UMass Amherst; Collin Frinks, now attending the University of Tampa; Carolyn Guachione, now attending UMass Amherst; Jonathan Halse, now attending UMass Amherst, Grace Heimann, now attending The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Olivia Kriedeman-Hubbard, now attending Northeastern University; Chenyang Lin, now attending The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT); Ethan Magner, now attending Berkshire Community College; Aubree McClure, now attending University of New England; Caroline Ngo, now attending Penn State; and Thomas Rindfuss now attending UMass Amherst.  The designation of AP Scholar is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or better on 3 or more AP Exams.

Named as AP Scholars from the upcoming class of 2020 are George Bissell, Benjamin Brooks, Gabrielle Cohan Allison Henderson, Stella Kimball-Dembitzer, Lucien Lamoureaux, Elliot Loverin, Kyle Pullaro-Clark and Samantha Scoco. Named as AP Scholars from the upcoming class of 2021 are Gabrielle Cohan, Meredith McCandless, Ryan Muller and Briana Palmieri.

 


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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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