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Veterans and family members arrive at Hoosac Valley High School for a Veterans Day event.
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The Hoosac Valley High School Band welcome the veterans to the building by playing music before they entered.
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Hoosac Valley Middle and High School Celebrates Veterans

By Brian RhodesiBerkshires Staff
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Students and teachers from every grade level welcomed the veterans, carrying flags and signs honoring their service.

ADAMS, Mass. — Students at Hoosac Valley Middle and High School filled the halls Thursday afternoon to welcome local veterans to a Halls of Honor event to mark Veterans Day.

Erica Girgenti, the school's family and community engagement coordinator, said more than 30 veterans from the community registered for the event. The event was held on Thursday rather than Friday, as the school is closed for the holiday.

The students decorated the walls of the building with paper chain links, on which they wrote the names of veterans and active service members who they know.

"I'm so proud of them," Girgenti said of the students as the veterans walked the halls of the school. "They were all so excited to do this."


The high school band welcomed the veterans by playing music before they entered. From there, the guests walked through the school, where school administrators, students and teachers from every grade level welcomed them, carrying flags and signs honoring their service.

Girgenti said this is the first time they have done an event like this, but she is hopeful it won't be the last. In addition to the event at the middle and high school, she said students at Hoosac Valley Elementary School also got involved in the holiday.

"At the elementary level, several of our classes are making handmade cards to give to our local veterans through the senior center's meal programs," Girgenti said.


Tags: veterans,   veterans day,   

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Adams OKs Parking Fix for Stalled Jordan St. Culvert Repairs

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Jordan Street residents displaced by a years-old culvert collapse have a place to park this winter, but town officials remain in the dark regarding when the culvert will actually be fixed.
 
The Select Board on Wednesday approved a traffic commission recommendation to allow permitted on-street parking for specific residents during the winter parking ban.
 
Interim Town Administrator Holli Jayko explained that the collapse, which occurred behind a Jordan Street apartment building several years ago, effectively eliminated off-street parking for several households.
 
"This collapse eliminated parking for some residents which creates challenges during the winter parking-ban period," Jayko said.
 
While most residents on the narrow, one-way street have access to private parking, a select few were left with no legal options during the winter months. Those affected can now apply for a town permit, provided they can prove their parking loss is a direct result of the collapse.
 
Selectman Joseph Nowak noted the culvert has been "down for years" and questioned if there were any immediate plans for repair.
 
Community Development Director Donna Cesan said the town has been working with the Massachusetts and Federal Emergency Management agencies through the Hazard Mitigation Program, but the project is currently stalled at the federal level. Cesan noted that MEMA will not enter into a formal agreement until funding is fully secured.
 
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