"This is the most delightful of evenings that we have in our community meetings," said Northern Berkshire Vocational School District Superintendent James Brosnan at the committee's Thursday meeting, where he presented Pettit with the award. 

 

Pettit, a senior at McCann, is a straight-A student, plays for the school's lacrosse and hockey teams, and plans to major in pharmacy in college. Each of the state superintendents can choose one high school student to receive the award every school year. 

 

McCann Principal Justin Katz, who coached Pettit in lacrosse, spoke highly of his accomplishments on the team. 

 

"It was really nice to have someone like Tyler on the team to be able to help me and work with the kids," he said. "He's a positive kid, he's got a lot of energy. And he's a good lacrosse player too. He was a real anchor to our defense and just having him helped me navigate that season was very helpful." 

 

Additionally, Kratz shared several anonymous comments from teachers who taught and worked with Pettit. Many of them highlighted Pettit's work ethic and mindset for learning. 

 

"Tyler is great, hardworking and always has a positive attitude. He really takes the time to make sure he understands new concepts and asks the good questions. And he does this with a grace and maturity that is not common in a high school student," one teacher said. 

 

Kratz said he is confident that Pettit has a bright future ahead of him. 

 

"You've definitely done an incredible job here," he said. "We're very proud of you, and we're very proud of the reward, and we look forward to hearing really good stuff from you in the future." 

 

School Committee Chair Gary Rivers said he hopes Pettit does not forget about his time at McCann and uses his memories as inspiration and lessons for his future endeavors.

 

"We also want you to always remember McCann and the ethic work ethic that we've tried to instill within all of our students," he said. "So good luck to you. I know you're going to do well and you're going to be a success no matter what you do." 

 

Also at the meeting, Kratz shared the student passing rate for the end of the first quarter of the school year. As of the first quarter, 88 percent of students are passing all of their courses, compared to 75 percent in 2020-2021 and 90 percent in 2019-2020. 

 

Kratz said attributed last year's low rate to the shift to online learning during the pandemic, noting that other districts saw even more significant declines. He said he is happy to see that the numbers have nearly returned to their pre-pandemic level. 

 

"For us here at McCann, going to 75, that's uncharted territory," he said. "That was like 'Hit the panic button, this is not OK.' This year, we're almost right back up to where we worked out. There is still a little bit of residual effect from the pandemic and getting kids re-acclimated to the high school. But this, I think, just illustrates the importance of having the kids back. Having them here with us in the building every day."