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Maria Ziemba looks to bring her experience to the top position in the Registry of Deeds.

Ziemba Looks To Bring Her Experience To Northern Berkshire Register Of Deeds Job

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire Register of Deeds candidate Maria Ziemba wants to be the reliable, experienced face of the Registry. 
 
"It’s my next logical step and I have been in the registry for over 20 years and I have plenty more to go," the Adams native said. "This is what I do, this is who I am, this is what I love, this is my passion and I am dedicated to it."
 
Ziemba, who is running as a Democrat, will vie against a single opponent, Deborah Moran, in the November election for the position soon to be vacated by longtime Register Frances Brooks who plans to retire.
 
Ziemba is a Bay Path University graduate and before coming to the Registry of Deeds in 1997, she worked for a local attorney for ten years as a real estate paralegal which gave her the knowledge she uses every day at the Registry of Deeds. 
 
"That was a great move and now I am on the other side of the fence where I am taking in all of these legal documents and processing them," she said. "It just went from there. I love my job, I love what I do, and I want to see myself there."
 
Ziemba said as the register she would like to move forward with digitalizing as many records as possible to make the Registry of Deeds even more accessible.
 
"There are so projects that we are working on to help bring that information out to people so they can process it without having to come to the Registry," she said. " I may never see the end of some of these projects in my time, but I want to keep them moving."
 
She said currently they have digitalized documents as far back as 1950 and she would like to keep going further. 
 
She added that she wants up to date technology in the office but still be user-friendly for those who may not be as computer savvy.
 
She added public education is important to her and as register, she would help make Northern Berkshire residents more aware of the great public resource that is the Registry of Deeds.
 
"People don’t know about the Registry of Deeds unless they are in the real estate field, a lawyer or someone in the title field," she said. "People come in and they have no idea what they need to do. The bank hands them a piece of paper and tells them to go record it at the Registry and they go to the registry of motor vehicles."
 
Ziemba said it is important to her to be a guide who can help residents navigate the registry and get what they need to be done. 
 
"I want people to walk through the door comfortable and have a good experience, maybe even learn a few things," she said. "When people come through the door and start looking around at all the books they start asking questions and get really interested."
 
As for the running of the office, Ziemba said she would like to hold regular meetings with lawyers and real-estate firms as well as hold open houses and invite the public in.
 
Ziemba said she wants to work more closely with Northern Berkshire accessors and cross-train within the office to make everything run more smoothly.   
 
Ziemba said if elected she will be a reliable Register Northern Berkshire residents can expect to be a resource for years to come.
 
"I was born and raised in Adams I raised my family here…and people can rely on me to do what I am there to do," she said. "I have been there for 20 years and I am ready for 20 more…I have got the passion and I want to be the face of the Registry for many years to come."
 
Ziemba will be on the Sept. 4 Democratic primary ballot unopposed and will be on the November 4 general election ballot with Moran. 

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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