Wahconah Names Valedictorian and Salutatorian for 2025

03:10PM / Friday, May 30, 2025Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — Logan D. Kunde and Thomas A. Celentano have been named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the 2025 graduating class at Wahconah Regional High School.

Both students will speak at graduation ceremonies on Sunday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

Kunde is the son of Jeremiah and Amanda Kunde, both of Dalton. While at Wahconah, Logan's academic program included Honors and Advanced Placement coursework. He is active in Wahconah's athletic program, participating in the cross country running team and swim team, of which he was captain. He is a Boy Scout with Dalton's Troop 4 and a senior patrol leader. Through his work on multiple service projects, he earned the highest rank attainable — Eagle Scout — in 2025. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Quiz Team and the Cultural Connections Club, and plays percussionin the high school band.

He is a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Music Award, the John and Abigail Adams Award, and the Superintendent's Academic Excellence Award.

Kunde also received the Rensselaer Medal from the Rensselaer (N.Y.) Polytechnic Institute, which he plans to attend in the fall to study chemical engineering.

Celentano is the son of David and Anna Celentano, both of Dalton. He pursued an Honors and Advanced Placement curriculum at Wahconah and has been active in the many service projects sponsored by the National Honor Society. He is the Class of 2025 treasurer, a member of the Wahconah Student Council and Quiz Team and the Dalton Youth Advisory Board, and serves as a lector for St. Agnes' Parish.

He also is a member of Boy Scouts Troop 4, earning his Eagle Scout rank in 2025, and was selected as a student representative to attend the 2024 Massachusetts American Legion Boys State Conference.

Celentano received the Clarkson University High School Leadership Award and the Cornell Club of the Berkshires Outstanding Junior Award. He has been recognized with several schoolwide awards including AP Scholar designation, and is a John and Abigail Adams Award recipient.

Celentano will attend the University of Rochester (N.Y.) in the fall and plans to major in physics.

Tags: graduation 2025, val & sal, WRHS,

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Wahconah Park Grandstand Leveled, Close to Shovel-Ready

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Friday, October 23, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wahconah Park is expected to be shovel-ready next month, with just a couple of outstanding permits remaining.

The 75-plus-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022 and demolished at the end of the summer. Now, the space where the large structure stood has been leveled, though some accessory buildings, such as the dugouts, remain.

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported that the site, which "looks a lot different," will be shovel-ready in mid-November. From there, the city needs to do financial planning and sourcing.

"Again, I sound like a broken record, but it becomes a matter of identifying the funding strategy that will advance the project," McGrath told the Parks Commission on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the city hopes to return baseball to the site in 2027.

Planners determined that starting from square one is the best option with the grandstand; a $15 million design was last on the table.

McGrath reported that all but two permits approved through the Community Development Board and Zoning Board of Appeals remain. One relates to the use because stadiums are not zoned by-right in that area; Wahconah Park is considered "non-conforming" or "pre-existing," and a parking spot waiver.

He does not foresee the boards denying these permits.

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