image description — Hoosac Valley senior Kimberly Mach is presented the Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents by Superintendent Aaron Dean on Monday.

Hoosac Senior Honored with Superintendent's Award

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:18AM / Tuesday, January 14, 2025Print Story | Email Story

CHESHIRE, Mass. — A Hoosac Valley High School senior was recognized for her excellence in the science lab and beyond.

Kimberly Mach, top student of the class of 2025, received the Superintendent's Award during Monday's School Committee meeting. Mach is an athlete, honors chemistry student, and advanced writer, and is even delving into dark matter in physics.

"I think it's fulfilling," she said about the award. "Because when I learned that it existed, I wanted it so I feel like it's a testament to my hard work."

The Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents was presented by Superintendent Aaron Dean. Only one student from each high school receives the award each year.

Dean congratulated Mach and noted that "this type of achievement doesn't come by accident," telling her parents he is sure that they are great role models.

Committee member Adam Emerson said he has been fortunate enough to see nine of these awards and it is always a pleasure to see the honorees' accomplishments.

"You and your family should be extremely proud of what you've accomplished," he said.

Principal Colleen Byrd shared endorsements from Mach's teachers.

One teacher first met the student when she a young child on the soccer field, commenting that Mach "wants to be the best at everything she does and works very hard to achieve that goal."

"Kim is fastidious when it comes to bringing an increased level of organization to the chemistry lab," another teacher wrote. "As an honors chemistry student last year, she left no equation unsolved, and was truly at the top of her class."

Mach was commended for her success in doing, communicating, and problem-solving in science during her time at Hoosac. As a senior, she is said to demonstrate "phenomenal skills in science writing on a regular basis."

This includes skills on the engineering team, where she is described as a great teammate. Mach was recognized for mastering Newtonian mechanics and delving into dark matter.

She was also deemed an "extraordinary student" with "exceptional" writing skills and work that is always insightful, detailed, and mature.

"Over the past years, I have witnessed her quiet wit and sense of humor along with the respect, kindness, and empathy she shows others," the teacher wrote. "She is a role model student and has a bright future ahead."

In other news, the Hoosac Valley Regional School Committee is seeking a representative from Cheshire to fill a term ending in May.

"They can kind of get a taste for it at the most exciting time, budget time," Emerson said.

"And then decide if they want to run again."

Those interested should send a letter of application and proof of voter registration to be filed with the district secretary to: Aaron Dean, Hoosac Valley Regional School District, 49 Park St., Adams, MA 01220.

Tags: academic award, HVHS,

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Letter: Progress Means Moving on Paper Mill Cleanup

Letter to the Editor05:00PM / Wednesday, February 11, 2026

To the Editor:

Our town is facing a clear choice: move a long-abandoned industrial site toward cleanup and productive use or allow it to remain a deteriorating symbol of inaction.

The Community Development team has applied for a $4 million EPA grant to remediate the former Curtis Mill property, a site that has sat idle for more than two decades. The purpose of this funding is straightforward: address environmental concerns and prepare the property for safe commercial redevelopment that can contribute to our tax base and economic vitality.

Yet opposition has emerged based on arguments that miss the point of what this project is designed to do. We are hearing that basement vats should be preserved, that demolition might create dust, and that the plan is somehow "unimaginative" because it prioritizes cleanup and feasibility over wishful reuse of a contaminated, aging structure.

These objections ignore both the environmental realities of the site and the strict federal requirements tied to this grant funding. Given the condition of most of the site's existing buildings, our engineering firm determined it was not cost-effective to renovate. Without cleanup, no private interest will risk investment in this site now or in the future.

This is not a blank check renovation project. It is an environmental remediation effort governed by safety standards, engineering assessments, and financial constraints. Adding speculative preservation ideas or delaying action risks derailing the very funding that makes cleanup possible in the first place. Without this grant, the likely outcome is not a charming restoration, it is continued vacancy, ongoing deterioration, and zero economic benefit.

For more than 20 years, the property has remained unused. Now, when real funding is within reach to finally address the problem, we should be rallying behind a practical path forward not creating obstacles based on narrow or unrealistic preferences.

I encourage residents to review the proposal materials and understand what is truly at stake. The Adams Board of Selectmen and Community Development staff have done the hard work to put our town in position for this opportunity. That effort deserves support.

Progress sometimes requires letting go of what a building used to be so that the community can gain what it needs to become.

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