Keynote speaker Pittsfield Police Officer Darren Derby speaks of his own struggles in life and urges the graduates to meet people with kindness. See more photos here. Right, Brother Jackson is the class speaker.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mildred Elley School presented certificates to 66 graduates on Thursday at the Holiday Inn and Suites.
The Pittsfield campus of the New York institution offers courses ranging from cosmetology to business technologies.
Campus Director Belinda Green commended the graduates on their academic achievement that they were able to share with faculty, family, and staff.
"Graduation is one of the greatest times in our life. Our graduation ceremony gives you the opportunity to celebrate the accumulation of all your efforts and truly absorb your new status and then start a new chapter in your life," Green said.
"This is also a special opportunity for those who have touched your life through this journey to celebrate you, and you should feel rewarded. As you move forward, we really hope that you will keep in touch with us and share all of your amazing accomplishments."
As the Jordan Sparks' recording of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" played on a boombox, financial aid representative Veronica Warren softly sang as she sat with this year's graduates. They encouraged her to sing louder and soon enough her voice filled the room and others to join in camaraderie.
Green brought President John McGrath's greetings and congratulations because he was unable to attend to give the presidential address.
Student speaker Brother Jackson had graduated from cosmetology program and is now graduating from the business technologies program. He thanked the staff for their support and told the graduates to keep moving forward when times are tough and to turn obstacles into motivation.
Jackson was also the recipient of the President's Award, given to students of high academic achievement and who have made outstanding contributions to the school.
Keynote speaker Pittsfield Police Officer Darren Derby said he expected that all of them had come to this day dealing with a struggle of some kind, perhaps one that they didn't want to share. But he wanted to share with them some of the experience of living with a mother who suffered from a number of mental health issues, including dissociative disorder, and that he had had to work through school with undiagnosed attention deficit disorder.
"If I had known then that I had ADHD, I probably would have been a little bit more successful in high school," Derby said. "I struggled most of my childhood education ...
"I can happily say that next month I am graduating from BCC with an associate's degree in criminal justice. Took me 22 years to get there. And I am graduating with high honors."
He spoke of how it was easy to become jaded, especially in his profession, but that he hoped they would remember that everyone has struggles and "that you keep that empathy with you and treat others as though you wish you would want to be treated."
There was one graduate who couldn't be there. The school gave an honorary business technology certificate to Jeric Black, who passed away earlier this year with only one more course left to complete the certificate.
"I did not have the pleasure of knowing or meeting this individual. However, all faculty and staff has spoke very highly of his drive and his determination to finish this certificate," Green said.
As Black's name was called, his mother, Melinda, came up on stage to accept the certificate, hugging Green and Chairman of board Chair Faith Takes.
The Excellence in Teaching Award was given to instructors Kelly Milne and Linda Vroon. They were selected by the students and staff. The Distinguished Service Award, presented to a member of the administration students felt was most helpful to them, was given to Amy Beverly and Matt Martin.
Academic Achievement Awards were presented to one student in each of the six disciplines.
At the end, the graduates turned their tassels the room filled with applause and cheers.
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State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well.
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
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