image description — Miss Hall's School held its commencement on Sunday, graduating 56 students.

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Miss Hall's School Graduates 56 in Class of 2018

Community Submission
03:28PM / Monday, June 04, 2018Print Story | Email Story

The private girls' high school included 18 area students in this year's graduating class.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifty-six students, including 18 from Berkshire County and nearby communities, graduated on Sunday, June 3, during Miss Hall's School's 120th commencement.

Ceremonies took place under a large tent on the front lawn of the school's Holmes Road campus. Vanessa Stair, corporate relations officer for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and a member of the Miss Hall's School Class of 2006, delivered this year's commencement address.

Among the Class of 2018 graduates are the following local students: Cristina Aillon of Pittsfield; Madison Bellemare of Hoosick Falls, N.Y.; Kelsey Brown of Lee; Lillian Climo, of Great Barrington; Isabelle Currie of Dalton; Shae Daley of Pittsfield; Gabrielle Hinkley of Dalton; Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge; Anouk Jolly of Lenox; Olivia Kinne of Pittsfield; Michela Laurin of Pittsfield; Mariah Lewis of Williamstown; Jayme McGuigan of Pittsfield; Samantha Miriam Myers of Great Barrington; Shanti Nelson of Lenox; Tyra Price of Pittsfield; Katherine Sheridan of Stockbridge; and Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield.

Additionally, six students were recognized for their induction this year into the Cum Laude Society, the national organization honoring scholastic achievement at secondary schools.

This year's MHS inductees are seniors Lillian Climo of Great Barrington; Shae Daley of Pittsfield; Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge; Xinyue (Moon) Liang of Wuhan, China; Miriam Myers of Great Barrington; and Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield; and juniors Trudy Fadding of Glendale; Jiaying (Kelly) He of Shanghai; Zifeng (Christy) Liang of Harrison, N.J.; Ziyan (Charlotte) Rui of Nanjing, China; and Zhiyu (Catherine) Zhang of Nantong, China.

They joined seniors Kelsey Brown of Lee; Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China; Trang (Tiffany) Luu of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Kexin (Kristina) Wang of Beijing; and Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang, of Tangshan City, China, who were inducted in 2017.

The following awards were also bestowed during commencement and related recognition ceremonies (students are seniors unless otherwise noted):

Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Jayme McGuigan of Pittsfield

Margaret Witherspoon Award: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China

Meus Honor StatKeys Awarded for MHS Core Competencies:

Vision: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Voice: Izabella Nunes, of Glen Gardner, N.J.

Interpersonal Efficacy: Isabelle Currie of Dalton

Gumption: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: Shanti Nelson of Lenox

Faculty Commendation Prize: Michela Laurin of Pittsfield

Sylvia "Rusty" Shethar Everdell '38 Prize: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Andrea Becker '79 Prize: Trudy Fadding, Class of 2019, of Glendale

Paul C. Cabot Jr. History Prize: Izabella Nunes of Glen Gardner, N.J.

Department of Engineering and Technology Innovation Award: Cheng (Amy) Qian of Beijing

Live Rouse Science Award: Ngoc Tram Le Nguyen, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China, and Kexin (Kristina) Wang of Beijing

Horizons Book Award: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Mansfield E. Pickett Latin Prize: Katherine Sheridan of Stockbridge

Spanish Prize: Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield

Monique Jalbert French Prize: Shanti Nelson of Lenox

Virginia Breene Wickwire '67 Reading Prize: Olivia Kinne of Pittsfield

Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Photography Award: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Susanna McCreath Music Prize: Isabelle Currie of Dalton

Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: Olivia Kinne, Michela Laurin, and Jayme McGuigan, all of Pittsfield

Ceramics Award: Mariah Lewis of Williamstown

Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Lillian Climo of Great Barrington

Art Purchase Award: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China

Rising Distinction Awards for Juniors (all members of the Class of 2019):

Athletics: Merriam Lrhazi of Lee

Engineering and Technology Innovation: Charlotte Adelson of Lee

English: Faia Kronick of Pittsfield

English as a Second Language: Kieu Anh (Anna) Le of Hanoi, Vietnam

Expressive Arts: Trudy Fadding of Glendale

History: Ziyan (Charlotte) Rui of Nanjing, China

Horizons: Cely (Nikky) Abreu of Methuen

Language: Justyna Michalak of Mazowsze, Poland

Mathematics: Xiaotong (Vanessa) Li of Beijing

Science: Zifeng (Christy) Liang of Harrison, N.J.

Tags: graduation 2018, miss halls school,

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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.

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