BCC to Hold Celebration for Honors Scholars

08:09AM / Monday, May 29, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will hold a celebration of students, faculty and staff involved in the Berkshire Honors Scholar Program, with special recognition of students who are graduating, on Thursday, June 1 from 2-3 pm on the main campus and on Zoom.

Following opening remarks delivered by Vice President for Academic Affairs Laurie Gordy, Honors Scholar Program alum Keira Codey will be the featured speaker.

After graduating from BCC in fall 2020, Codey attended Southern New Hampshire University. She graduated summa cum laude in August 2022 with a bachelor's degree in history. She now works as the Youth Liberal Arts Coordinator at the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires, where she has introduced new arts programming to the organization's extensive offerings.

Students in the Berkshire Honors Scholar Program contribute to a diverse community of learning at BCC. The program provides a creative and challenging student-driven experience, designed for highly motivated students who want to realize their full potential by pursuing the highest level of academic achievement possible at BCC. Eligible members must take at least nine credits of honors courses and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher.

This year's Honors Scholar graduates, who completed nine credit hours of honors courses, are:

Ashton Bird, Valedictorian (Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts)
William Caseletto (Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts)
Connor Diehl (Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts)
Loretta Francoeur (Associate in Science, Human Services)
Olivia Millis (Associate in Arts, Business Administration)
Austin Rock (Associate in Science, Computer Information Systems)

Graduates who completed at least one honors course are:

Kymani Chapman (Associate in Science, Criminal Justice)
Gabrielle Harding (Associate in Science, Criminal Justice)
Crystal Harrington (Associate in Science, Physical Therapist Assistant)
Michela Laurin (Associate in Arts, Fine Arts)
Sinaia Smith (Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts)

In addition, two current Berkshire Honors Scholars are slated to receive awards on Awards Night, which will be held later the same evening at 6 pm. Audrey Bartzsch will receive the Berkshire Honors Scholar Award, and Renee LeClair will receive the Berkshire Honors Scholarship.

The Berkshire Honors Scholar Award was established to recognize an outstanding member of the Berkshire Honors Scholar Program. The scholarship is funded by the Berkshire Community College Foundation. The Berkshire Honors Scholarship is presented to a student currently in the Berkshire Honors Scholar Program who successfully completed or is currently enrolled in an honors course at Berkshire Community College. The scholarship is funded by friends of the Berkshire Honors Scholar Program.

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Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Friday, October 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.