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Leon and MaryAnn King take to the dance floor at Drury's Senior Prom.

Drury Class Bridges Generations with Annual Senior Prom

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The event was held at the American Legion. Students in Patrick Boulger's class made the plans and decorated the hall. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury High School's Game of Life students hosted a Senior Citizen Prom on Wednesday night at the North Adams American Legion. The event was designed to align with the class curriculum, focusing on civics and fostering community connections.
 
The prom, an annual tradition for the school, made its return last year after a hiatus during the pandemic.
 
"I'll say, a seven-year vacation," teacher Patrick Boulger said. "Obviously COVID was part of that and the curriculum we offered didn't really fit this type of event."
 
Approximately 25 students from the Game of Life class were involved in organizing the event. The class is overseen by Boulger and School Resource Officer Stephanie Mirante.
 
This initiative aligns with the high school's "Portrait of a Graduate" program, which emphasizes instilling lifelong learning among its students.
 
"This is a class that's based on community connection. Students do everything from learning various life skills based on the Portrait of a Graduate," Boulger said. "They go out into the community to see what it  is all about, trying to get them more involved in the community."
 
Mirante also emphasized the importance of the event.
 
"I think it is important for the students to do something for someone else in the community, especially for an age group of people where there's really not a crazy amount of things to do … all ages are important in this community."
 
Within the Game of Life curriculum, students learn skills such as CPR and first aid. They also participate in community service efforts including assisting veterans and the homeless, visiting elementary schools to interact with younger students, and learning about community issues.
 
The students managed to plan and execute the prom in a two-week timeframe, with decorations completed in approximately one hour prior to the event, Boulger said.
 
The dance had a quiet start until one senior rushed the dance floor once "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles began playing. Other seniors joined him, and students then followed and learned another important civics lesson: how to properly do the twist.
 
"They will sit with the seniors and engage and continue to break down those stereotypes," Boulger said. "It is fascinating to watch."
 
Looking ahead, Boulger said the class has discussed expanding the event in the future, potentially transforming it into a broader community prom open to all residents.
 
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Main & Mill: A Vibrant New Restaurant on Main Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — You can now enjoy another eatery on Main Street by well-known restaurant siblings Colleen and Sean Taylor.

Their restaurant Main & Mill opened for the first time Tuesday, bringing their vision of creating something vibrant and new to downtown North Adams.

"We have created Main & Mill to be part of our day. It's very seasonal ingredients, thoughtful cooking, beauty, beautiful presentation and dishes. And we really wanted to be part of the community, the downtown area, and start a vibrant area on this end, which has been shuttered for a while," said Colleen.

The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry of Latent.

The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. Plans for the property unveiled three years ago envisioned a restaurant, retail, a park and rooftop bar. 

Colleen saw potential and said she initially wanted the building when it first went up for sale. Being good friends with Rothstein and Perry, she helped them design the kitchen and the bar before learning in March that she could lease it as a restaurant space, something she told them would be a great idea.

She said one of the most important things about the restaurant was the collaboration between Rothstein, Perry, and the Wadsworths, who put a lot of time and energy into the building.

"If Sean and I had done it, we would not be able to do what the collaboration supported. The collaboration of the three of us being able to really have that kind of money to put in down here. The design that the architecture firm that Carla and Sal own is stunning," she said. "The time and effort, everyone came together to do this in a really trusting manner."

The two wanted the restaurant to be an all-day venture, so people could eat at any point throughout the day, all week long.

"We wanted it to be open for coffee and socialization in the morning where people can meet, have their cup of coffee, have a quiche, a vegetarian quiche, or croissant or yogurt. Something intentional with their coffee," she said. "Then move into a lunchtime for the downtown business or anybody, and then go into supper, dinner, with drinks later into the evening. So have it really be open all day long, so that there wasn't a void on any particular day."

They also wanted to do something different than the other restaurants they owned.

"We didn't want to mimic any other restaurant in town. We wanted to bring something that was inspiring, something that had some familiar things that people would see, and other things that we would bring to them for them to experience," she said.

As a woman business owner, Colleen said she wanted to bring a female chef into the kitchen. 

Colleen brought on Chef Anna DeRose, who she said puts twists on a lot of her dishes.

"So we have a creme brulee, but our creme brulee is topped with marshmallow," she said. "Our creme brulee is like almost two desserts in one. It's a s'mores creme brulee. So you could have a s'mores, and you could have a creme brulee - but when you put both of them together, fireworks go off."

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