PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The senior class at Pittsfield High School has elected Helen Makdisi and Caroline Sherman to speak at graduation this Sunday, June 8, at 4 p.m. The ceremony will be held on the grounds of Tanglewood. 

 

Makdisi and Sherman will represent the voice of this year's senior class, who have worked diligently through their four years.

 

Pittsfield High School recognizes students who have achieved the top 10 cumulative grade-point averages in the senior class. The PHS 2025 Top Ten, in alphabetical order, are Ayla Irene Better, Laura Reagan Bronson, Lisa Chen, Connor Devine, Jack Harvey Farkas, Kyren Alexander Hanson, Olivia Michele Holcomb, Helen Makdisi, Andrea Ofori Safo, and Caroline Elizabeth Sherman.

 

Academic departments also give awards to honor the most outstanding students in their respective disciplines. The following are this year's outstanding students:

 

Art: Kendall Davis

Band: Dominic Ott

Jazz band: Aiden Hyatt

Business: Aiden Ferris

Computer: Oleksii Kotofan

CVTE: Connor Mack

Drama: Isabella Brown

Engineering: Caroline Sherman

English (Edward J. McKenna Award): Lisa Chen

Multilingual: Yahanely Espinal Liriano

Mathematics: Andrew Tullock

Orchestra: Lisa Chen

Physical education: Zoe Ruth-Brizan

Science (John P. Leahy Memorial Award): Joey Roccabruna

Social studies: Emma Goetze

Unified sports: Rosajulia De Jesus

Vocal: Dennis Hermanski

World languages: Aiden Hyatt

 

The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes graduates who speak, read, listen, and write proficiently in another language in addition to English with a seal on their high school diploma. The Seal of Biliteracy movement has the goal of promoting long-term foreign, native, and heritage language study, documenting achievement in biliteracy, and producing a biliterate, multicultural workforce. 

 

Pittsfield High School is proud to be one of the first schools in Berkshire County to recognize our seniors for this achievement. The students who received this distinction are:

 

Spanish: Ayla Better, Samara Chaires, Kenny Davis, Kevin Esquivel, Victoria Monsalve, Dania Villanuevo Portillo

Spanish and Portuguese: Gustavo de Oliviera

Portuguese: Leonardo Kirian

Russian: Oleksii Kotofan

 

This year, Pittsfield High School continues to offer rigorous courses for Pathway graduates. Davis Albayeros has successfully completed a rigorous course schedule in his chosen pathway of performing arts.

 

The AP Seminar and Research Diploma is granted to students who earn scores of three or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research and four additional AP Exams. 

 

Helen Makdisi successfully completed the diploma in her junior year and Joyce Makdisi and Mia McCluskey completed the AP Seminar and Research Certificate for earning scores of three or better on both exams. This year, multiple candidates for this certificate have pending scores from tests taken in the spring.