Miss Hall’s School Graduates 46 Students

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Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield graduated 46 students on Sunday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Forty-six students, including nine local girls, graduated on Sunday during Miss Hall’s School’s 116th commencement.

Ceremonies took place under a large tent on the front lawn of the School’s Holmes Road campus. Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the co-founder and President of The School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), the first girls’ boarding school in Afghanistan, delivered this year’s address.

Among the Class of 2014 graduates were the following local students: Sara Ann Brennan, of Hinsdale; Rebecca Luisa Fasciano, of Hillsdale, N.Y.; Meagan Deanne Fraser, of Lee; Courtney Madison Gamache, of Lenox; Abigail Rita Guterman, of East Chatham, N.Y.; Harnoor Kaur Mann, of Dalton; Kelsey Anne Rich, of Pittsfield; Caroline Isabel Saltzman, of Williamstown; and Rebekah Ann Spence, of Pittsfield.

Additionally, nine students were recognized for their induction earlier this year into the Cum Laude Society, the national organization honoring scholastic achievement at secondary schools. This year’s MHS inductees are seniors Zoe Weinberg Borghard, of Shushan, N.Y.; Tianyi (Celeste) Ruan, of Shenzhen, China; Caroline Isabel Saltzman, of Williamstown; and Yitong (Sheryl) Shang, of Beijing, China; and juniors Julia Bianchi, of Cheshire; Emma Bullock, of North Bennington, Vt.; Anna Durning, of Newburyport, Mass.; Elizaveta Kravchenko, of Hinsdale; and Yizhou (Zoe) Zhang, of Beijing, China. They joined seniors Hyun Jung (Stella) Kim, of Seoul, South Korea, and Harnoor Kaur Mann, of Dalton, who were inducted in 2013.

The following awards were also bestowed during the commencement:

• Margaret Witherspoon Award: Seniors Harnoor Kaur Mann of Dalton and Seema Amin of Kunduz, Afghanistan

• Christine Fuller Holland ’33 Service Prize: Senior Meagan Deanne Fraser of Lee

• Sylvia “Rusty” Shethar Everdell ’38 Prize: Seniors Haleigh Elizabeth Quigg of Montrose, Pennsylvania, and Caroline Isabel Saltzman of Williamstown

• Andrea Becker ’79 Prize: Junior Xiaoyu (Dora) Chen of Shenzhen, China

• Faculty Commendation Prize: Senior Marina Yoshimura of Tokyo, Japan

• Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Senior Harnoor Kaur Mann of Dalton

• Meus Honor Stat Keys: Presented to seniors Seema Amin, Sophie Ellen Bellemare, Zoe Weinberg Borghard, Miller Young Fina, Meagan Deanne Fraser, Harnoor Kaur Mann, Kelsey Anne Rich, Tianyi (Celeste) Ruan, Caroline Isabel Saltzman, and Marina Yoshimura

• Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Senior Ky Hong Le of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• Ceramics Award: Senior Samantha Akariza Muhire of Kigali, Rwanda

• Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: Seniors Asata Levert Evans of Irvington, N.J., and Kelsey Anne Rich of Pittsfield

• Susanna McCreath Music Prize: Seniors Jeongmi Seo of Namyangju-si, South Korea and San-Yung Hung of Taipei, Taiwan

• Photography Award: Senior Qilin (Emily) Ren of Shanghai, China

• Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Seniors Zoe Weinberg Borghard of Shushan, N.Y., and Harnoor Kaur Mann of Dalton

• Virginia Breene Wickwire ’67 Reading Prize: Senior Rebecca Luisa Fasciano of Hillsdale, N.Y.



• Monique Jalbert French Prize: Senior Caroline Isabel Saltzman of Williamstown

• Mansfield E. Pickett Latin Prize: Junior Julia Bianchi of Cheshire

• Horizons Book Award: Senior Marina Yoshimura of Tokyo, Japan

• James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Senior Yitong (Sheryl) Shang of Beijing, China

• Iive Rouse Science Award: Senior Harnoor Kaur Mann of Dalton

• History Department Prize: Senior Asata Levert Evans of Irvington, N.J.

• Art Purchase Award for Studio Art: Sophomore Natalia Soborski of Dalton

• Art Purchase Award for Ceramics: Senior Evelyn Monroe of New York, N.Y.

• Art Purchase Award for Photography: Junior Anh (Abby) Truong of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• Art Purchase Award, Student Choice: Senior Haleigh Quigg of Montrose, Penn.

• Rising Distinction Award — English: Junior Jiahong (Jaycee) Yao of Shenzhen, China

• Rising Distinction Award — Expressive Arts: Junior Elizaveta Kravchenko of Hinsdale

• Rising Distinction Award — History: Junior Yizhou (Zoe) Zhang of Beijing, China

• Rising Distinction Award — Language: Junior Hanila Novak of Richmond

• Rising Distinction Award — Mathematics: Junior Siyu (Cathy) Yu of Nantong, China

• Rising Distinction Award — Science: Junior Emma Bullock of North Bennington, Vt.

• Rising Distinction Award — Horizons: Juniors Jae Hee (Chloe) Kim of Busan, South Korea, and Hanila Novak of Richmond

• Rising Distinction Award — Athletics: Junior Ifunanya Okeke of Hillside, N.J.

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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures. 
 
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).  
 
The Affordable Homes Act identified several communities to automatically receive the designation, including:   
  • All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;   
  • All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and   
  • All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County. 
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To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
 
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated. 
 
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season." 
 
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration. 
 
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:  
  • Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing 
  • Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live 
  • Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents 
  • Create year-round housing for artists 
  • Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment 
  • Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing 
  • Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots 
  • Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence 
 
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