McCann Students Complete North Adams Public Safety Projects

Carpentry students Johnny Leal and Matthew Meranti and North Adams Fire Director Stephen Meranti with the new cabinet the McCann students built for the fire command vehicle.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's public safety departments were on the receiving end of some McCann Technical School projects this past spring.

Students from carpentry and electrical Shops completed the two projects for the end of the 2012-2013 school year, saving the city several thousands of dollars and enhancing its emergency response capabilities.

The first project was a command cabinet for the rear of the fire director's Car 1. The cabinet was built with compartments for equipment, important documents, maps, tools and radio communications. The cabinet will be used as a mobile platform to assist command staff in immediate response to emergencies.

Director of Fire Services Stephen Meranti said he was extremely proud of the work done by the students, and that the cost of similar units would have been around $3,000. The finished cabinet by the McCann students came in at $500.

MCLA Graduates Told to Make the World Worthy of Them

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:27PM / Saturday, May 16, 2026

Keynote speaker Michael Bobbitt was awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts. He told the graduates to make the world worthy of them. See more photos here.  

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Amsler Campus Center gym erupted in cheers on Saturday as 193 members of class of 2026 turned their tassels.

 

The graduates of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' 127th commencement were sent off with the charge of "don't stop now" to make the world a better place.  

 

You are Trailblazers, keynote speaker Michael Bobbitt reminded them, and a "trailblazer is not simply someone who walks a path. A trailblazer makes one, but blazing a trail does not happen alone. Every trailblazer is carrying tools made by somebody else. Every trailblazer is guided by stars they did not create. Every trailblazer stands on grounds shaped by ancestors, teachers, workers, neighbors, friends, and strangers."

 

Trailblazing takes communal courage, he said, and they needed to love people, build with people, argue with people, and find the people who make them braver and kinder at the same time.

 

"The future will not be saved by isolated geniuses, it will be saved by networks of people willing to practice courage together. The future belongs not to the loudest, not to the richest, not to the most certain, but to the most adaptive, the most creative, the most courageous, the most willing to learn."

 

Bobbitt was recently named CEO of Opera American after nearly five years leading the Massachusetts Cultural Council. He stressed the importance of art to the graduates, and noted that opera is not the only art form facing challenges in this world. 

 

"Every field is asking, who are we for now? What do we, what value do we create?" he said. "What do we stop pretending is fine. This is not just an arts question, that is a healthcare question, a climate question, a technology question, a community question, a higher education question, a democracy question, a life question. ...