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Hoosac Valley Names Valedictorian & Salutatorian for Class of 2024

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CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School has named Talia Rehill and David Scholz as the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the class of 2024. 
 
They will speak at graduation ceremonies on Friday, June 7, at 6 p.m. in the high school gym. 
 
Rehill, daughter of Alisha Hampton of Cheshire, has been involved in numerous student activities during her four years at the school. This includes president of the Student Council, the Adams-Cheshire Leo Club, the class of 2024, and the National Honor Society. She also was a student representative on the Athletic Leadership Council and the Rainbow Alliance, a peer leader for World of Difference and pride mentor of the Boomerang Project. She also was editor of the yearbook and founder of the Hoosac Valley chapter of the 84th Movement, a non-smoking initiative. Also active in sports, she was captain of the varsity soccer and track and field teams. 
 
She participated in the 2023 production of "Annie," raised money for childhood cancer as a princess with the AYJ Fund, and built a social networking platform for individuals suffering from homelessness. Her awards include the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Award, National Honor Society's Student of the Year for Massachusetts, the College Board Big Future's award for rural and small-town recognition, and the American Legion Auxiliary's Girls State Award. 
 
Rehill is the second Hoosac graduate to be admitted to Harvard University, where she plans to study government on the pre-law track. 
 
Scholz, the son of Erik and Laura Scholz of Adams, has been vice president of the class of 2024 and a member of the Student Council, a student representative on the Athletic Leadership Council, and a member of the National Honor Society. He also was a member of the concert and marching band.
 
Active in sports, he was first team All-Western Mass for soccer in his senior year and Nordic skiing as a junior. He was captain of the varsity soccer team and a member of the school's ski and track and field teams. He also was a volunteer coach with the Adams-Cheshire-Savoy Youth Soccer League and a member of the Downhill Ski Club since Grade 8. 
 
Scholz plans to attend the University of New Hampshire and major in electrical engineering. 

Tags: graduation 2024,   HVHS,   val & sal,   

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Adams Applies for CDBG Grant to Address Blight

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The town continues its efforts to address blight in the community by applying for funds through the Community Development Block Grant, as it has done years prior.  
 
The Select Board recently approved the grant application requesting $950,000 to fund the highly anticipated Winter Street reconstruction and the town's Adams Housing Rehabilitation Program. 
 
CDBG is a federally funded competitive grant program administered by the state. It can be used for activities that address blight, housing, beautification, demolition and economic development.
 
The need for these funds is substantial as towns work to balance addressing high-cost infrastructure repairs with limited state and federal funding, such as Chapter 90, said Donna Cesan, community development director. 
 
"Adams is one of the poor communities in the commonwealth.  Here in the Northern Berkshires, we're still recovering from the '60s and the loss of our manufacturing base, so it's been a slow recovery," she said. 
 
Cesan has been working with the town for more than 20 years and during that time has seen improvements but there are still setbacks, including the rising costs to address the communities needs. 
 
"To continue to work on projects like this to improve the community. So, I think Adams is very deserving of this. I think the community needs this," she said. 
 
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