Letter: St. Stan's Had Superior Curriculum Fair

To the Editor:

Kudos to the tremendous educators, staff and students at St. Stanislaus Kostka School as the community was treated to their amazing curriculum fair on Sunday, Jan. 26.

It was evident that the students knew their topics and were eager to share their knowledge with everyone that passed through the classrooms. Not only were students eager to share but teachers and administrators were so welcoming to everyone entering the school.

Thank you all for providing such a wonderful, informative event for the public. Keep up the great work.

James Holmes
North Adams, Mass. 

Holmes is a member of the St. Stanislaus School school board.

Berkshire Arts & Tech Grads 'Grateful to Be Weird'

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
06:30PM / Saturday, June 06, 2026

Class speaker Liliana Choque says she was thankful to be 'weird with all of you.' See more photos here. 

ADAMS, Mass. — Among the things that Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School senior Lilianna Choque was thankful for on Saturday was the fact that she knows all her classmates.

 

"In preparation for today, I have read and watched a lot of other graduation speeches," Choque said during her "senior reflection" at the school's graduation exercises. "All of them, without fail, had some version of the same throwaway line: 'Although I don't know all of my classmates,' or, 'Some of you may not know me.'

 

"But the beautiful thing about a graduating class of 32 is that that doesn't apply. I do know all of you … quite well."

 

And, Choque said, she likes what she knows.

 

"Maybe the rumors are true, and we are the weird kids," she said. "But — and you have to forgive me, because I'm going to invoke the right I've been given as a BArT student to be a little cringe here — I'm so grateful to be weird with all of you."

 

Choque was not the only one to extoll the virtues of what she called her "32-ring circle of friends," and she was not the only one to talk about the kindness exhibited by the Class of '26.

 

Head of School Jonathan Igoe set that tone in his opening remarks.