Miss Hall's School Graduates 48

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Miss Hall's graduated 48 students, including fifteen students from Berkshire County and nearby communities, Sunday, June 5, during Miss Hall's School's (MHS) 124th Commencement.
 
This year's in-person ceremony, the first in three years, took place under a large tent behind the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the School's campus and was shared worldwide via Facebook Live.
 
Hosted by Miss Hall's Head of School Julia Heaton, the ceremony included remarks from Senior Class President Keely O'Gorman, of Lee; School President Cailyn Tetteh, of Rosenberg, Texas; School Vice President Truc Hoang, of Hanoi Vietnam, and Board of Trustees President Nancy Gustafson Ault, Miss Hall's Class of 1973.
 
This year's Commencement Address was delivered by Belinda Enoma, a New York-based data privacy and cybersecurity leader, a global empowerment speaker, and a parent of MHS Class of 2022 graduate Osayuki Enoma.
 
Among this year's graduates are the following local students: Emma Adelson, of Lee; Kathryn Barrett, of Sandisfield; Aurora Benson, of Pittsfield; Maggie Bullock, of North Bennington, Vt.; Symaira Elliott, of Pittsfield; Remi Engel, of Housatonic; Montgomery Erickson, of Bennington, Vt.; Sundara Hesse, of Ghent, N.Y.; Olivia Kick-Nalepa, of Dalton; Ruby McDonald, of Valatie, N.Y.; Hava Methe, of Lee; Keely O'Gorman, of Lee; Abigail Putnam, of East Otis; Samantha Taxter, of West Stockbridge; and Sienna Trask, of West Stockbridge.
 
The following awards were also bestowed on members of the Class of 2022:
 
Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Emily Lombardi, of Litchfield, Conn.
Margaret Witherspoon Award: Cailyn Tetteh, of Rosenberg, Texas
Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: Truc Hoang, of Hanoi, Vietnam
Faculty Commendation Award: Samantha Dean, of Barre, Vt.
 
Meus Honor Stat Keys Awarded for MHS Core Competencies: 
Vision: Keely O'Gorman, of Lee
Voice: Emma Adelson, of Lee
Interpersonal Efficacy: Sophia Sandoval, of Methuen, Mass.
Gumption: Maggie Bullock, of North Bennington, Vt.
 
Sylvia "Rusty" Shethar Everdell '38 Prize: Emily Lombardi, of Litchfield, Conn.
Paul C. Cabot, Jr. History Prize: Ruby McDonald, of Valatie, N.Y.
Senior Prize in Engineering and Tech Innovation: Tuong Nguyen Dinh Cat, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Iive Rouse Science Award: Liuyi Zheng, of Nanjing, China
James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Thuyen Pham, of Bien Hoa City, Vietnam
Horizons Prize: Emma Adelson, of Lee
English for Speakers of Other Langauges Award: An Ho, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Mansfield E. Pickett Latin Prize: Symaira Elliott, of Pittsfield
Spanish Prize: Cailyn Tetteh, of Rosenberg, Texas
Monique Jalbert French Prize: Remi Engel, of Housatonic
Virginia Breene Wickwire '67 Reading Prize: Emily Gerstein, of New York, N.Y.
Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Rebecca Dontje, of Cranston, R.I.
Photography Award: Ziyu Zhou, of Shenyang, China 
Susanna McCreath Music Prize: An Ho, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: Keely O'Gorman, of Lee
Ceramics Award: Kathryn Barrett, of Sandisfield
Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Osayuki Enoma, of Chester, N.Y.
 
 
 
 

Tags: graduation,   miss halls school,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Housing Project Adds 37 Supportive Units and Collective Hope

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A new chapter in local efforts to combat housing insecurity officially began as community leaders and residents gathered at The First on to celebrate a major expansion of supportive housing in the city.

The ribbon was cut on Thursday Dec. 19, on nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at The First, located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street.  The Housing Resource Center, funded by Pittsfield's American Rescue Plan Act dollars, hosted a celebration for a project that is named for its rarity: The First. 

"What got us here today is the power of community working in partnership and with a shared purpose," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said. 

In addition to the 28 studio units at 111 West Housatonic Street and nine units in the rear of the church building, the Housing Resource Center will be open seven days a week with two lounges, a classroom, a laundry room, a bathroom, and lockers. 

Erin Forbush, ServiceNet's director of shelter and housing, challenged attendees to transform the space in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church into a community center.  It is planned to operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round.

"I get calls from folks that want to help out, and our shelters just aren't the right spaces to be able to do that. The First will be that space that we can all come together and work for the betterment of our community," Forbush said. 

"…I am a true believer that things evolve, and things here will evolve with the people that are utilizing it." 

Earlier that day, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus joined Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her team in Housatonic to announce $33.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, $5.45 million to Berkshire County. 

He said it was ambitious to take on these two projects at once, but it will move the needle.  The EOHLC contributed more than $7.8 million in subsidies and $3.4 million in low-income housing tax credit equity for the West Housatonic Street build, and $1.6 million in ARPA funds for the First Street apartments.

"We're trying to get people out of shelter and off the streets, but we know there are a lot of people who are couch surfing, who are living in their cars, who are one paycheck away from being homeless themselves," Augustus said. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories