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State troopers line up outside Paciorek Funeral Home on Hoosac Street.
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Adams, First-Responders Honor Late State Trooper

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Kleiner's family is given an honor guard as they exit St. Stan's Church on Saturday.

ADAMS, Mass. — First-responders turned out in force on Saturday to bid farewell to retired State Trooper Michael Kleiner.

Dozens of state police vehicles with lights flashing, local police cruisers, ambulances and fire trucks lined Hoosac Street for his funeral on Saturday for four hours. At least 100 state troopers and other emergency personnel attended calling hours at Paciorek Funeral Home and then marched to St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, led by State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin.

Kleiner, 47, was remembered as a "gentle giant" with a penchant for small, fast cars. An officer of the law dedicated to serving and protecting. A great friend focused on improving his community. And a man who spent his final months exploring his faith and searching for answers as he battled cancer.

"Mike wasn't a great trooper because the state police trained him, Mike was a great trooper because he was born to be a trooper," said Gene Baker, a retired state trooper who'd first met Kleiner when he was delivering pizzas and Baker was an Adams patrol officer. "He was everything a trooper should be."

Kleiner would eventually work Baker's beat on the Adams Police force and then follow his career path into the state police. A career-ending injury on the job in 2016 forced him into retirement after 16 years as a trooper. But instead of having the opportunity to do what he wanted in his retirement, he would turn his investigative skills in trying to fight cancer and searching for answers.

The Rev. Steven Montesanti, pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, who with the Rev. A. Peter Gregory, pastor emeritus, of St. Charles Church in Pittsfield, officiated the service, recalled how Kleiner had come to him with questions, approaching his faith, like his disease, by looking at outcomes like a detective.

"I was impressed by Michael's profoundly inquisitive mind," he said. "Michael wanted to know about the whole God thing ... he wanted to know how it operates."

Montesanti spoke of how the more than 6-foot-tall Kleiner had impressed him: he was a "big guy," he said, with a just-the-facts attitude and a straight-shooter who, if he'd stopped Montesanti, the pastor joked, "I wouldn't have a prayer of getting out of a ticket."


Michael Kleiner

State Trooper Glenn Lagerwall, who was in the 75th Recruit Training Troop with Kleiner, remembered how his friend had had one of those tough weeks when the instructors seemed to pick him out.



"I don't let that stuff bother me anymore," he had told Lagerwall because at 6-foot-7 he was used to standing out in a crowd. "If I wanted to laugh it off and be the gentle giant, I had to make that decision long ago."

Lagerwall said his friend at first had had difficulty in aligning the lessons he'd learned growing up about not judging people to the performance-based data of the state police.

"He was struggling because he was trying to figure out his identity as a Mass state trooper. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be a state trooper, he loved putting on the uniform and he loved aspects of the job," he said. "He focused on the community and about helping those like him ... Mike was always there. It didn't matter who you were."

Kleiner was raised in southeastern Massachusetts and came to the area after high school, attending Berkshire Community College and graduating from what was then North Adams State College. He was the son of Emil J. Kleiner Jr. and Sandra D. Galley Kleiner, and the stepson of Richard Kleiner, the town's emergency management director, and Barbara Kleiner.

He worked as a deliverer for Domino's Pizza in Adams, as an armed security officer at the Yankee Rowe Atomic Energy Plant and did an internship with the North Adams Police Department. He was a communicant of St. Stan's and loved cars.

His colleagues said his legacy could be seen in St. Stan's that very day: a nave filled with state police, local police, firefighters, ambulance personnel, government officials, family, friends, community members.

"I look out and I see Mike brought us all together, unified as one, is proof that Mike the gentle giant touched every one of us in some way," said Lagerwall.


Tags: funeral,   state police,   

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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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