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Koperniak Hits for Cycle for Double A Cardinals

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AMARILLO, Texas -- Hoosac Valley High School graduate Matt Koperniak Tuesday hit for the cycle and drove in four runs in leading the Springfield Cardinals to an 11-9 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles in the Double A Texas League.
 
Hitting in the cleanup spot, Koperniak started his night with an RBI single in the top of the first inning.
 
In the third, he doubled with two out and scored one batter later to give Springfield a 5-0 lead.
 
In the fifth, Koperniak hit a two-run home run to left center field with two out to make it a 7-4 game.
 
After Amarillo rallied with five runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, 9-9, Koperniak helped Springfield pull ahead for good in the top of the ninth.
 
After his teammate Nick Dunn hit a two-out homer to center and Jordan Walker singled his way aboard, Koperniak tripled to center field to drive in Walker and give the Cardinals a two-run cushion.
 
"That was my first triple, so I definitely wasn't expecting to have a night like that," Koperniak told Tyler Maun of the website MiLB.com. "I was just trying to get the barrel on the ball, help the teammates out, help get the 'W.' "
 
Koperniak's home run in the fifth was his ninth of the season.
 
Koperniak, a 2016 Hoosac Valley graduate, is hitting .274 with 41 RBIs this season in 81 games with the Cardinals.
 
His summer also included a brief callup to the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, where he played two games, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.
 
Springfield is 49-54 this summer and in fourth place in the Texas League North. In the second half of the season, Koperniak's club is 18-16 and in second place in the division.
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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.
 
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