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Adams Cemetery Commission Discuss Stone Ornaments

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The Cemetery Commission has asked the Department of Public Works to keep a closer eye on the accumulation of trash at the cemeteries.
 
A concerned resident last Thursday asked the commission about the appropriateness of items placed on graves and maintenance. 
 
"If you ride around the cemetery and look at the stones, it is not the stones that we looked at 50 or 60 years ago," Chairman Bruce Shepley said. "What you will find is little figurines, little statues, non-religious. You might have a can of beer cemented onto the stone and that is what is going on."
 
Shepley said the commission does not have regulations dictating what can and what cannot be placed on a gravestone and said he would not be in favor of making any. 
 
He said the cultural is changing and people are memorializing the dead differently and that is OK. 
 
"I don't want to be a test case in a court that states something can't be on a stone because it is distasteful in the eyes of someone else," he said. "I don't want to place a definition on what is acceptable and what is not because a lot of this is freedom of speech."
 
Adams native Milan Markovic, who made the initial complaint, agreed with Shepley and said he was OK with people placing whatever they wanted near the stones. He said his issue was the "overabundance and non-care."
 
"This is not based on religion for me ... this is simply to me a mild maintenance issue and I think just letting people know that some things are unacceptable," he said. "When you go up there with pinwheels and lights it looks like a circus and people are careless they just dump it toward the side and now there is trash blowing all over."
 
Markovic said he thought as long as people maintained stones and properly removed decorations when they become weathered and unstable there shouldn't be an issue.   
 
Shepley said he did speak to the DPW crew and they pledged to keep an eye on unkempt stones and what is placed on them.
 
Markovic said he did not think this should be the town's responsibility and that people should respect other families.
 
"I don't believe it is all the grounds people's responsibility," he said. "We all need to contribute to this and maintain it and not just say let the town take care of it."
 
Shepley agreed and said it seems to be a matter of educating people and making sure they know it's a problem. 
 
He added that he was hesitant to place trash cans on the grounds because people tend to just throw household trash in them.
 
Commissioner Jim Taylor said anything left on the grave plot after the interment must be removed and noted the DPW could be more strict about this regulation.
 
In other business, Shepley the Bellevue Cemetery garage renovation project is scheduled to go out to bid at the end of the month.
 
"There is some material that resembles asbestos and they have to talk to a company about it," he said. "It is around the seals in the windows so they expected it to go out to bid at the end of this month."
 
Taylor also said the cemeteries are looking better this season.
 
"I was up there yesterday and it looked very nice I walked around and I drove around the whole perimeter," he said. "I was very much impressed it looks like they got some good seasonals."

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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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