Two BCC Students Receive National Recognition

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) students Mariangel Dus and William Garrity have received national recognition for academic excellence. 
 
Both are members of Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society for associate degree–seeking students. 
 
Mariangel Dus won a spot on the 2024 All-USA Academic Team. The team, sponsored by education technology provider Cengage in collaboration with Phi Theta Kappa, recognizes students for intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement. She is one of only 20 college students named to the team and was selected from more than 2,200 nominees. Dus will receive a $5,000 scholarship and will be recognized at the American Association of Community Colleges' annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky in April. 
 
Dus has also been named a 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship. New Century Transfer Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. More than 2,200 students from more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide were nominated, and only one New Century Transfer Scholar is selected from each state. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges.  
 
William Garrity was selected as a Bronze Scholar on Coca-Cola's 2024 Academic Team and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. 
 
His selection was based on the score he earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which more than 2,200 applications were received. The program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. 

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Dalton Green Committee Recommends Consultant for Action Plan

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee overwhelmingly recommended having Blue Strike Environmental as the town's consultant for its Climate Action Plan during its meeting on Monday. 
 
The town issued a request for proposals on March 27 and received two responses: one from Blue Strike Environmental, a Monterey, Calif., company, and the other from Capsus, an international firm based in Mexico. 
 
The committee wants to develop a climate action plan to achieve net zero by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease the town's dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 
 
The plan should be detailed enough, so the town knows what it needs to do and the timing to complete each subproject on time, the request for proposals said. 
 
During the meeting, committee members numerically rated the consulting firms based on the following categories: relevant experience, staffing plan and methodology, ability to complete projects on time, and proposed plan evaluation. Bluestrike's rating was four times higher across all criteria. 
 
Now that the committee has rated the second part of the bidding process, the bidders will submit the estimated cost of the project. 
 
The contract will be awarded to the firm offering the most "advantageous proposal" that takes into consideration all evaluation criteria and price. 
 
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