NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A change in career, a chance to do something interesting, a desire to follow a passion.
The 14 graduates of McCann Technical School's postsecondary program had a variety of reasons for entering the nearly yearlong program. And at Monday night pinning, they celebrated their successful completion in the fields of cosmetology, dental assisting, medical assisting and surgical assisting.
"I like working with people. I worked at the nursing home for eight years now. I really enjoyed it so I wanted to pursue something a little bit more involved," Kathleen Lyon of North Adams said. "So I chose to come in and do medical assisting."
She enjoyed the course but acknowledged it was easy.
"It was a lot of hard work, but I did it," she smiled.
Lyon is taking a couple weeks off but but Kenzie Oblisk of Pittsfield already has a job lined up next week with Dr. Natalya Yantovsky.
"I'm excited to start working for real," Oblisk said.
"I guess I always was interested in dental hygiene, but this is a much more local program for me," she continued. "One year was more doable when you have a little one."
Superintendent James Brosnan described the graduates as the "most persevering people that are know."
Monday was also a time to thank the family members, he said, because without them, the graduates could not have succeeded.
"There is no program out there that is condensed, is as difficult in a short period as ours," he said of the courses that run from September to June.
Gary Rivers, chairman of the McCann School Committee and the school's former principal, recalled during his college years how they'd ask each other how many "older" students were in their evening classes.
"We were talking about nontraditional students," he said. "And it was always the more nontraditional students that were taking evening classes at the university, then the tougher the course was, because you guys always threw the curve right up to the top, so that we had to be more attentive to our studies."
The people who continue their pursuit of knowledge later in life, Rivers continued, "are extremely motivated and focused."
"They have life experience and now know what they want in life," he said. "So I'm not surprised your sitting here tonight. ...
"Because of your drive and determination, you have succeeded and are now ready to reap the rewards of your hard work."
The graduates are:
Cosmetology
Joelle Peterson of North Adams
Dental Assisting
Julia Cornwell of Dalton
Megan Cote of North Adams
Dominique Crews of Pittsfield
Alexandra Kowalczyk of Windsor
Kenzie Oblisk of Pittsfield
Medical Assisting
Anthony Carvalho of Williamstown
Kathleen Lyon of North Adams
Erica Prevey of North Adams
Jocelynne Smith of North Adams
Surgical Technology
Elizabeth Addington of Chester
Jessica Boulais of Pittsfield
Marley Brown of Adams
Stephanie Shatford of Adams
Skills USA State Leadership and Skills Conference Awards
Silver Medal Winner
Dental Assisting: Dominique Crews Gold Medal Winners
Dental Assisting: Kenzie Oblisk
Job Interview: Stephanie Shatford
Dominique Crews will be attending the annual Skills USA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Louisville, Ky., later this month.
Scholarships and Awards
Berkshire District Dental Assistants Association Scholarship: Kenzie Oblisk
Sharon Ferguson Memorial Scholarship: Megan Cote
Jamie Sacchetti Drennan Memorial Scholarship: Stephanie Shatford
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North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
Cheryl Coppens put out a call for someone to take over the jewelry business she began last spring — jewelry maker Alexandra Padilla answered the call.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Artful Jeweler has a new owner who is looking to expand its offerings.
Cheryl Coppens opened the jewelry store in May, showcasing local artists, offering fine jewelry, and jewelry repair.
But a new grandson in Texas, and the difficulties in flying back and forth to see him, had her looking to move closer to him.
Last month, she posted on the business's Facebook that she wanted someone to take over the space and continue the venture. Alexandra Padilla reached out to her and Coppens said she met all her criteria she was looking for in anew owner.
"You have to really want to be in retail. You have to want to be in this community, priced where people can afford it. Alex is native to North Adams. Her husband, she's got two great kids, so it just felt like they would be able to continue the store," Coppens said. "So the criteria really was somebody that would work the store, not somebody that would just come in and hire employees. I didn't want that."
Padilla started taking over the store in the beginning of December. She has been selling jewelry for about three years, and has an online shop, and has worked in wholesale jewelry for about 15 years.
"I always wanted to have my own thing on it, and I wanted to bring something new, and I want to involve my family, my kids do something, and I want to be independent," she said.
Now Padilla showcases her jewelry in the Ashland Street store and plans to keep some of the local artists' items, like stained glass made by Coppens' mother.
Padilla customizes jewelry and tailors pieces to her customers.
She plans to work around her job at Berkshire County Head Start so she can open store for more hours.
She also plans to redesign the store a little bit and bring in a couple more lines, like more rings and pearls.
The store is open on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 9 to 2, Fridays 9 to 6, and Sundays 9 to 3. The store has also been open on Mondays 10 to 5 and Tuesdays 10 to 3 for the holidays.
Padilla thanks Coppens for trusting her and hopes customers continue to support the Artful Jeweler.
"Thank you for trusting me. I'm going to try and do my best and work hard to make it happen," she said. "This is our first time selling retail, so we hope the community supports us in here."
Coppens will be helping Padilla until she is comfortable operating the store on her own. She said it will continue to be a space of community support.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more
The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation. click for more
The Water Department has been responding to multiple water line breaks throughout the city since Friday, causing temporary loss of water in some areas. click for more
