Hoosac Valley, North Adams to Share Athletic Director

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
Jeff Puleri
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley Regional School District has entered into a shared services agreement with North Adams Public Schools for an athletic director, hiring Jeff Puleri for the position. 
 
"New, uncharted territory. But I think very necessary in terms of both districts looking to provide the best athletic opportunities for our students," said Superintendent Aaron Dean on the agreement at Monday's school committee meeting. 
 
Puleri is the assistant athletic director at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and will replace Molly Meczywor at Hoosac Valley and David Racette in North Adams. The Lee native had been at MCLA since 1999 and holds a degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master of business from MCLA. 
 
Dean said the agreement should benefit both districts and their athletic programming. 
 
"The time was just kind of ripe for us to enter into this and really look at this as an opportunity to help both and have kind of a win-win," he said. 
 
Committee Chair Michael Mucci said there was an extensive athletic director search, which ultimately led to them hiring Puleri. Dean said Puleri seemed to be the best match for background and experience. 
 
"It really is exciting for both school systems. I think it's going to be a great benefit," he said. "We got our guy." 
 
Mucci said minor things will likely need to be worked out between the two districts regarding specific policy. Dean said none of these should be significant hurdles, but it is likely something will come up
 
"This is something that a lot of people are going to be talking about," Mucci said. "And we'll be talking about this a lot more in the days to come." 
 
The committee also approved minor revisions to the high school's phone policy. Dean said the changes should help enforcement and prevent phones from distracting students during instruction. 
 
"One thing that's become abundantly clear from our walkthrough data and other pieces is that we need to renew our enforcement of cell phones and when they're used and when they're not used," he said. 
 
The update allows students to use their phones when not in the classroom or study hall, such as at lunch and other transition periods. 
 
"Phones won't be out during instruction," he said. "I talked to other superintendents about what they do for policies and this seems to be kind of the most successful model. I happened to be on a school committee once that adopted something very similar. I think it gives students the ability to use them but also gives us the ability to set boundaries." 
 
The school, Dean said, will work out any edge cases or minor issues that arise. Something the school already did is purchase new calculators for every math teacher in the high school, as some students were using their phones as calculators. 
 
Committee member Mike Henault said the policy would likely be more effective if the adults had to follow it as well. Dean said this is something the district is looking at. 
 
"I think it would go a long way for the community and for students, to have buy-in, if they knew if the adults in the building were doing the same thing during instruction," he said.

Tags: athletic director,   HVRSD,   NAPS,   shared services,   

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

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.
 
View Full Story

More Adams Stories