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Town Administrator Jay Green, left, and Feigenbaum Foundation President Emil George watch as Library Director Holli Jayko cuts the ribbon on the newly refurbished stairs at the 124-year-old library.
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Library Director Holli Jayko gives some background on the library.
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The large double L-shaped staircase leads from the library proper to the GAR Hall on the second floor.
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The smaller staircase.
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Trustees, friends of the library and town officials gather for refreshments afterward.

Adams Free Library Celebrates Refinished Staircases

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The oak and maple staircases had darkened over the years from use and age, and the treads were worn. 
ADAMS, Mass. — Attorney Emil George was sitting in the conference room at Adams Community Bank last year looking out the window at the Free Library, where he'd once studied as a student.
 
He thought to himself, "I'm gonna go across the street and just see if they need anything." And so he did. 
 
The result was the restoration of the elaborate twin staircases in the historic building that hadn't had more than a cleaning in the last 124 years. 
 
"This library's beautiful stairways have seen much foot traffic over the last century and it was time to see them restored," said Library Director Holli Jayko at Saturday morning's ribbon cutting of the refurbished steps. "We are very thankful for benevolent donors and talented people."
 
Wood long darkened by age and use is now golden in color and gleaming. It took an intensive two weeks for Dupee Floor Sanding to sand and refinish the treads, risers, rails, posts, landings and hallway floors.
 
The work was made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Feigenbaum Foundation, of which George is president.  
 
George joked that he'd walked into the library that day to introduce himself to Jayko and, after he'd convinced her he was serious ("she gave me this look"), they walked around the 1899 building. 
 
"It was Holli who really identified this staircase, both of them, and said they really need to be restored otherwise we're going to lose them permanently," he said. "So I said, well, let's do it."
 
The maple and oak staircases — the double L-shaped one on the left side of the building and a smaller 90 winder one to the right of the entrance — both lead to the second-floor meeting rooms of George E. Sayles Post 126 of the Grand Army of the Republic. Adams has one of the few GAR halls still in existence; the organization for Union Army veterans was dissolved when the last member died in 1956. 
 
The cornerstone of the building was laid by President William McKinley, whose monument stands in the street outside; it was also built as a Civil War monument and as a free library to serve the town's residents.
 
"Their hall remains in its original condition, with the chairs once occupied by Civil War veterans," said Jayko. "Today, the GAR Memorial Hall serves as a location for special events and program as well as display space for Adams Historical Society."
 
George said brothers Armand and Donald Feigenbaum had left everything they owned, everything they earned to create the foundation to support the community. The Feigenbaums, during their lifetimes, supported such organizations as the Berkshire Museum, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' new science building, and the Colonial Theatre, and established several scholarships. 
 
Their philanthropy has continued through the foundation, said George. 
 
"We're stewards of that. Sometimes the word doesn't get out enough about who we are and what we're here for to the other surrounding towns. Believe me, Great Barrington, Sheffield, Lenox, they all know about us," he laughed. "We get inundated with requests from organizations from those towns, and rarely do we see anything from North County. ...
 
"That's what made me just take the initiative and come over to the library to see what we could do. So don't be shy. Not that you're going to get everything you ask for, but we're there and what we can do."
 
The foundation previously provided donations toward the Susan B. Anthony monument on the town common. 
 
Town Administrator Jay Green said the event was not only a celebration of the building but of the generosity of the foundation and the philanthropy out in the community. 
 
"Adams is a very rich community — it's rich in spirit and it's rich in giving. And to have the Feigenbaum Foundation come up and to donate such funds to take care of something such as this. We're really humbled by it," he said. "We're proud ... to have such historic buildings ... there is responsibility for that. A moral responsibility to take care of these buildings. It's hard."
 
The Feigenbaums were pioneers in science, technology and process improvement, Green noted, and there was a lot of industrial pioneering in Adams that created wealth that made the library possible. 
 
"I really find it fitting that some of that foundation spirit is in this building," he said. "It isn't just a library. It's a symbol of our community."

Tags: Adams Free Library,   Feigenbaum,   

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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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