Letter: Thrill for Taconic to Play State Championship at Wahconah

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To the Editor:

As a high school coach, I cannot begin to describe the emotion and excitement that my players and coaches experienced on Monday during the MIAA D-III state championship at Wahconah Park. The thrill of being able to play the final game in our hometown, on the city-owned historic park, was amazing. To look up at the stands as they began to fill, and to see the faces of people of all ages painted along the fence and deep into the field, resonated with me throughout the day.

It is no small task to get to the state game, but it was an even greater task to perform the way that we did in front of our family, friends, teachers, neighbors, and residents. Truth be told, it was your cheers and clapping, chanting, and demonstration of love and support that rallied our players in the dugout and on the field. Given the many obstacles and challenges that everyone has faced for the past year and a half, it was a great day of baseball and a great day for Pittsfield.


There are many thoughts racing through my mind the day after a state championship, but for now, I will say "thank you." Thank you to the school department for protecting our season, the city for allowing us to play on “their” field, the parents for supporting your sons each and every day, the players for their endless dedication to the sport, the coaches for their tireless work, and finally, the fans, for your love of baseball.

"In baseball as in life, all the important things happen at HOME." In closing, and on behalf of the Taconic High School baseball team, my players, and my full coaching staff, thank you! Go Braves!

Sincerely,

Kevin Stannard
Taconic High School
varsity baseball coach 

Pittsfield, Mass.

 

 

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Pittsfield Schools Won't Release PHS Report

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the threat of legal action from staff members, the School Committee has voted not to release the redacted PHS investigative reports and instead re-release the executive summary. 

On Wednesday, elected school officials rescinded a January vote to release the reports with required redactions by Feb. 18, a deadline that was never met, and voted to re-release the executive summary.   

When it came time to vote on releasing the redacted May 2025 Pittsfield High School investigative report, only Ciara Batory and Carolyn Barry were in favor. 

"This is a year of PR that we've been getting on the Pittsfield High report. This has been going on for over a year, nonstop, every other month, something about the PHS report. It has not gone away for a reason, and the reason it did not go away is because people want to know what happened," Batory said. 

"These are people's children. I was reluctant to send my kids to school after reading this. Had I not trusted the schools that my kids go to and have relationships with the front office, I would have pulled all three of my children out of these schools after reading the comments that I read online, and again, as a parent, the only reason I wanted to read this is again because I didn't want to find out information from Facebook." 

Three administrators and two teachers, past and present, were investigated by Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas LLP for a range of allegations that surfaced or re-surfaced at the end of 2024 after Pittsfield High's former dean of students was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.

Some committee members said the January vote to "release the report in a redacted form by Feb. 18 and have it reviewed by the School Committee before its release to ensure there is enough to present" was confusing.

Batory and Barry thought the motion would release the report, which found allegations of misconduct "unsubstantiated." Batory said unsubstantiated does not mean wrongdoing, and it doesn't mean right doing.

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