Mount Everett's Top Students Announced for 2025

02:44PM / Friday, June 06, 2025Print Story | Email Story

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Mount Everett Regional School has announced that Catherine Makuc has been named valedictorian, and Sage Marchione has been named salutatorian of the class of 2025.

Makuc and Marchione will graduate on Saturday, June 7, with ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m. at Tanglewood in Lenox.

The following information was provided by the school district:

Makuc is a distinguished senior who has challenged herself academically during her years at Mount Everett and throughout her time in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District. She has completed her high school career with an impressive array of courses that includes eleven Honors classes, two AP English courses, and five early college courses.

"Catherine has been an outstanding student during her four years at Mount Everett," said Principal Jesse Carpenter. "She has been an academic role model for our students."

In addition to her rigorous academic course schedule, she is active in the Mount Everett community as a valued member of the following organizations: Rotary Interact Club, National Honor Society, school chorus, and the band, in which she plays the clarinet.

Makuc's intellect, quiet leadership, and positive nature have been an inspiration to staff and students alike. She plans to attend Syracuse (N.Y.) University in the fall.

Marchione has also distinguished herself with her rigorous academic course schedule. Sage has completed 12 Honors classes, two AP courses (English Language and Composition and Spanish Language and Culture), as well as five early college courses. She earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish to complement her academic achievements.

"Sage has worked diligently in her years at Mount Everett," said Carpenter. "Her dedication to her studies and her academic drive has been impressive."

In addition to her scholarly endeavors, she is also integral to the operations of the Rotary Interact Club, National Honor Society, the school chorus, and the band, in which she plays the flute. A talented gymnast, sheworks with children on the weekend to hone their gymnastic skills. A quiet leader in her own right with a gentle and kind demeanor, Marchione not only inspires the youths with whom she works but also the Mount Everett community as well.

Marchione plans to attend the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in the fall.

Please join the Southern Berkshire Regional School District in congratulating these two wonderful scholars on their achievements.

Tags: graduation 2025, val & sal,

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Berkshire Art Center Announces Fall 2026 Classes & Workshops

07:51AM / Saturday, August 29, 2026

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Art Center (BAC) invites artists of all ages and experience levels to participate in lineup of Fall 2026 classes and workshops.

With programs offered at Citizens' Hall in Stockbridge as well as partner locations including Berkshire Music School, WANDER Berkshires, and the Mass Audubon's Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, BAC's fall season celebrates creativity through ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, photography, and more.

Ceramics students will find opportunities to develop their skills this fall. Faculty Artist Paula Shalan returns with Tableware: Creating with Soft Slabs, where students create functional pottery such as mugs, tumblers, and bowls, as well as Cut, Add, and Stretch: Creating with Soft Slabs, which explores more contemporary approaches to handbuilding. Jess Cropper-Alt teaches Timeless & Tactile: Handbuilding Traditions, while Donna Bernstein leads Wheel Throwing for All, an all-levels course featuring demonstrations, individualized instruction, and ample studio time.

For those looking to try clay for the first time, Lorimer Burns offers Try Your Hand at the Pottery Wheel, a welcoming two-hour introduction to wheel throwing. BAC also offers fun, social workshops including Wall Pocket Party, perfect for beginners, friends, couples, and families with children ages 10 and up, and Pottery Night: Beer Stein Social, an evening of creativity and community where participants craft their own handmade ceramic beer stein.

Mixed media and printmaking enthusiasts will find an inspiring variety of offerings throughout the season. Jody King Camarra teaches Color Theory Through Collage, Print Lab: Collagraph, Drypoint & Relief, Working in a Series: Creating Cohesive Collages, Monoprint Magic, and concludes the season with the festive workshop Handmade Holidays: Winter Layers in Gel Plate Printmaking.

Additional printmaking opportunities include Eco-Printing: Basics and Beyond with Mallorey Caron, where students create beautiful botanical prints using real flowers and leaves, Gelatin Plate Printmaking with Johanna Merfeld, an introduction to playful experimentation with layering, texture, stencils, and image transfers, and Image Transfers & Mixed Media, where Diane Firtell shares versatile techniques that can stand alone or enhance existing artwork.

Photographers can celebrate autumn alongside Thad Kubis, whose seasonal workshops include Photography of Daniel Chester French's Studio at Chesterwood in Stockbridge and Photographing Fall Colors in the Berkshires at Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield.

Painters and drawing enthusiasts will discover classes ranging from foundational techniques to expressive exploration. Jill McLean returns with Watercolor Foundations and Watercolor Landscapes at Berkshire Music School, along with shorter, 1-day workshops including Berkshire Polaroids in Watercolor and Handmade Holidays: Watercolor Bookmarks.

Wednesday Nelena Sorokin offers Creative Writing & Abstraction, where students use stream-of-consciousness writing to inspire expressive abstract paintings, along with Painting Basics, Two-Dimensional Composition Workshop, and the popular Abstract Painting: Color, Design and Spirit. Artists looking for a relaxed, supportive studio environment can also enjoy the return of Friday Painting Studio, featuring a new and more accessible tuition rate and experienced facilitators who provide encouragement, feedback, and creative community while participants work on independent projects.

BAC's monthly workshop series at WANDER Berkshires in Pittsfield also continues this fall. Held on the second Saturday of each month, these welcoming two-hour sessions invite participants to sketch, paint, journal, and experiment in a relaxed community setting—no long-term commitment required. The series begins September 12 with Commonplace Visual Journaling led by Kaily Ritz, followed by Mini Nature Assemblage Boxes with Johanna Merfeld on October 10, Indoor Urban Sketching with Jill McLean on November 14, and concludes December 12 with Watercolor Reset for the New Year, led by BAC Executive Director Laura Thompson.

For a complete schedule of classes and workshops or to register, visit www.berkshireartcenter.org/classes.

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