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
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Pittsfield School Committee to Again Vote on PHS Report Release
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee will again discuss releasing a redacted version of the PHS report after confusion over a March vote.
On Wednesday, member Ciara Batory, who has been vocal about releasing last year’s investigation into allegations of staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School, demanded a date for its release to the public. It was indicated that the item can be put on the next meeting's agenda.
"I am done playing the game. The public wants a date of when the redacted PHS report will be released, and I will not stop until I get a date," she said before a five-minute recess was called on the meeting.
Last school year, five past and present PHS staff members were investigated for alleged misconduct, and allegations were found to be "unsupported," according to executive summaries released by the last term's committee.
The School Committee agenda for its March 25 meeting included a "request by Ciara Batory to release the May 2025 Pittsfield High report with required redactions." It was reported that there were threats of legal action if the redacted report were released.
Batory on Wednesday said she did not request that agenda item, and that the motion had already passed. Mayor Peter Marchetti, also chair, said they voted in January to review the redacted version, not to release it.
"I move the committee vote to release a PHS investigation report in a redacted form by February 18, 2026, and I'd like to add to that the School Committee reviews it before its release to the public, to make sure that there is enough to present to the public."
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