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Jay Green addresses the Selectmen and public on Wednesday night. He will take over as town administrator on March 25.

New Town Administrator Green Signs Contract With Adams

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The town of Adams got two good-news items on Wednesday: it's getting both a supermarket and a town administrator by the end of the month.
 
The Selectmen on Wednesday unanimously voted to enter into a three-year contract with Jay Green, an Amtrak manager, after a series of executive session meetings over the past few weeks. 
 
"I am excited and I am ready to participate and help move the town forward and represent the people of the town of Adams," Green said. "This community and the whole Northern Berkshire community is near and dear to my heart so I am ready to go."
 
Late last month, the Selectmen voted to hire Green, an attorney and former administrative officer for the city of North Adams, as the new town administrator. Although there was a clear consensus among the board, Green still had to accept the job and execute a contract with the town. 
 
Green will be paid a base salary of $90,000. Each year he would be eligible for up to a 5 percent raise of his base salary that would be based on a performance review. 
 
This decision came after the departure of Tony Mazzucco in late 2017. The town hired Community Paradigm Associates to help administrate the process after the original search yielded few results.
 
The Selectmen also voted to waive the residency requirement.
 
"I think because of your proximity to Adams and with the technology, we have to be able to communicate back and forth to react to anything I will go along with the waiver," Selectman Joseph Nowak said.
 
The town's charter allows the Selectmen to determine if the town administrator must live in town. Green is a resident of Pittsfield.  
 
Green will start in his new post on March 25.
 
"I am grateful to be here. My door will always be open and please be patient with me," he said. "I am rusty from eight years in not being in municipal government but I am looking forward to getting the rust off and digging in"
 
In other business, the town also ratified the hiring of Pittsfield's building commissioner Gerald Garner.
 
"I think he brings a lot of experience and we had a number conversations about customer service and being able to respond to people applying for permits," interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan said. "I think we are kindred spirits in liking to have a high level of customer service so I am excited."
 
Garner had been the town's interim commissioner and took over after Don Torrico left in 2018.
 
He will start at a $75,284 salary.
 
"It is is very difficult to find a building inspector and we have been through this process quite a bit and we have had building commissioners come and go," Nowak said. "In order to have someone come on board, you have to offer a good salary."
 
The Selectmen also ratified the hiring of Kevin Towle as senior planner. Before this Towle, was executive assistant to the town administrator.

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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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