Letter: Greylock School Project Worthy of Support

To the Editor:

Although I no longer reside in North Adams, after moving to eastern Massachusetts a few years ago to be closer to family, my roots in North Adams run deep. As a native of North Adams, a Drury High School graduate, a 16-year member of the North Adams School Committee, and a father of children who greatly benefited from their education in North Adams schools, I will always care about the future of North Adams and its children.

I have long been an advocate for a K-8 grade school configuration. However, the current infrastructure of North Adams schools cannot support this approach. You would need significant investment in a much larger facility, at a substantially higher cost to taxpayers, and without the backing of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The proposed new configuration — a preK-2 school at Greylock, a Grades 3-6 school at Colgrove Park, and a Grades 7-12 high school at Drury — is the right fit for North Adams.

I am disappointed that renovating Brayton Elementary School is not a viable option to building a new school. But without MSBA support, North Adams taxpayers would have a much larger cost to absorb to bring Brayton up to 21st-century standards.

John Hockridge
Stoughton, Mass.

North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, May 22, 2026

Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.

 

More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.

 

"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."

 

The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass. 

 

"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."

 

Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.

 

Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.