LENOX, Mass. — Lenox Memorial High School has named Samuel Geller as valedictorian and Stefan Zygawski as the salutatorian for the graduating class of 2025.
Graduation ceremonies will be held on Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m. at Tanglewood.
The following information was provided by the school:
Geller is the son of a Thai immigrant and has found Lenox to be a motivating and academically challenging environment for him to grow. Outside the classroom, he has committed himself to various meaningful extracurricular and athletic activities.
His academic interests are wide ranging — he enjoys both the sciences and the humanities, with a particular focus on language studies. He speaks both English and Thai at home, and took AP Latin and Spanish. He has earned his Seal of Biliteracy in Latin, which he is quite proud of. The most life-changing extracurricular he has participated in is cross country running. As a member of the 2022 State Championship team and the 2023 Western Mass Championship team, he has enjoyed his share of success on the field. However, the most meaningful part of his athletic career was his time with his teammates and coach Al Najimy, who have helped him grow in so many ways.
Beyond his athletic involvements, Geller was part of a school writing club and has volunteered at Volunteers in Medicine in Great Barrington, where he was able to put his Spanish to use at the front desk. He has also played the clarinet in the school band and learns guitar on his own time.
Although he does not have a completely clear vision for his future, Geller is headed to Williams College in Williamstown in the fall with an undecided major. He plans to take a pre-med track but wants to further explore his interests in the humanities as well.
He is grateful for the support and opportunities he has received at Lenox Memorial and wishes his classmates all the best as they embark on their respective journeys.
Zygawski is a remarkable student and dedicated community member, the son of immigrants, and has distinguished himself through his academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and commitment to service. His academic excellence is evidenced by his induction into the National Honor Society and his recognition as an AP Scholar.
Beyond the classroom, he was an active and influential participant in various school clubs and competitions. A former member of the Robotics Club, he also served as the president of Mock Trial, demonstrating his leadership and critical
thinking skills. His passion for mathematics shone through as a competitor in the WPI Math Competition.
Outside of his academic pursuits, Zygawski dedicated his time to volunteering, making a tangible impact on his community. He also nurtured a unique blend of interests, including astronomy, hockey, and playing guitar.
Zygawski plans to pursue a career in medicine. He has been accepted into an accelerated medical program at Lake Erie (Pa.) College of Osteopathic Medicine, a testament to his ambition and the strong foundation he built at Lenox Memorial.
Lenox Memorial High School community congratulates Stefan on this outstanding achievement and wishes him the very best as he embarks on his journey to become a medical professional.
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.
Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business.
"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality."
Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.
"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."
After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.
Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.
"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."
The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.
"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."
Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.
"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.
Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.
"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.
The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.
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