image description — Morgan Goodell, Michael Jordan, Mitchell Maselli and Ranen Rothman with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre, right, and Deputy Chief Robert Patenaude.

North Adams Swears in Four New Firefighters

Staff Reports05:02AM / Monday, November 14, 2022Print Story | Email Story

Morgan Goodell, a Clarksburg firefighter, is the first woman to join the North Adams department.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire Department last week welcomed its newest firefighters, including its first woman.

Morgan Goodell, Michael Jordan, Mitchell Maselli and Ranen Rothman were sworn in at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

They recently graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy's 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program, all earning certifications in Firefighter 1 and 2.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey asked that they would always have a concern for others and have the strength to bear whatever burdens placed upon them.

"And that you have the strength of mind and body to deliver safety to all of the residents of the city of North Adams," she said.

Macksey introduced each firefighter before they were sworn in by City Clerk Joshua Vallieres and pinned by Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre.

Goodell, of Clarksburg, has an associate's degree in fire science and is a member of the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department, following in the steps of her late father, Robert.

Maselli is a North Adams resident who attended Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; Rothman is a Navy veteran from Rockland and Jordan is originally from Taunton and has most recently been with the Vernon (Conn.) Fire Department.

"I have to say this group has been fantastic. I feel like I went to the academy with all of you," said Macksey. "We had our weekly little chat groups on Sunday evening. I don't know if you miss them or not, but I do.

"I'm very proud of you."

Tags: fire department, recruitment,

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MCLA Shows Off Mark Hopkins' Needs to Lieutenant Governor

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:26PM / Saturday, November 15, 2025

MCLA professor Maggie Clark says the outdated classrooms with their chalkboards aren't providing the technical support aspiring teachers need.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The outdated lockers are painted over, large air conditioners are in the windows, and professors are still using chalkboards and projectors in the classrooms.

The last significant work on Mark Hopkins was done in the 1980s, and its last "sprucing up" was years ago.

"The building has great bones," President Jamie Birge told Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, as they stood in a third-floor classroom on Friday afternoon. "The envelope needs to be worked on, sure, but it's stable, so it's usable — but it just isn't usable in this form."

The "new" Mark Hopkins School opened in 1940 on Church Street and later became a campus school for what was then North Adams State Teachers College. There haven't been children in the building in years: it's been used for office space and for classrooms since about 1990.

"I live in this building. Yeah, I teach the history of American education," said education professor Maggie Clark, joining officials as they laughed that the classroom was historical.

"Projecting forward, we're talking about assistive technology, working with students with disabilities to have this facility as our emblem for what our foundation is, is a challenge."

Board of Trustees Chair Buffy Lord said the classroom hadn't changed since she attended classes there in the 1990s.

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