Lee Graduates Wished Well in 'Stranger, More Confusing' World

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LENOX Mass. — Lee High School's class of 2025 was commended for their achievements in a "stranger, more confusing" world.

Fifty-one graduates crossed the stage at Tanglewood on Saturday as rain poured over the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Salutatorian Sophia Puntin said, "We've really been through a rollercoaster over the years, especially in middle and high school."

"Starting our post-elementary school career with a 'two-week break' in 7th grade for a small virus called COVID-19 was certainly an interesting beginning. I remember the exact moment we were told that we were going to take a short break from school because a 'small sickness' had started to spread a bit too much. I was sitting in the library with my friends on Friday, March 13th, 2020, when they told us over the announcements that for the next two weeks, we weren't going to have to do any schoolwork. Everyone I talked to was so excited," she explained.

"It was the best two weeks of my life. I was able to sleep in, didn't have any homework, and could call my friends and family all I wanted, but then the two weeks were past, and COVID had gotten worse, and actually, we weren't going to be returning to school for the rest of the year."

At this time, students were told that they would be attending school over an app called Zoom, couldn't leave their homes, and if they did, they had to stay six feet apart from people they didn't live with.

"That was fun," Puntin said jokingly, explaining that years later, the virus still isn't gone and "probably won't ever be," but as stressful as that time was, it made the class of 2025 stronger.

"I've thought long this week about what my final message and the final lesson of your high school career should be. It was tougher than most years, because the world we live in is a stranger, more confusing one than it ever has been," Principal Gregg Brighenti said.

"Here we are, sending you off to formally begin your adult lives, and all around you, there is chaos and entropy. Extreme weather events are multiplying, the forests keep burning, there's information overload everywhere you look, voices of doom and gloom and retribution seem to be all around us. Conflict seems to be breaking out around the world. It's hard sometimes to tell who the good guys are. We are influenced to be pitted against each other based upon our beliefs. Much of this was made possible because of the pace of technological change, which has been extraordinary."

He sat on this stage 35 years ago, almost to the day, before the internet became a part of everyday life and artificial intelligence was only in movies and "always ended up killing us all." His message to students is to ignore the chaos around them and keep moving forward.

"I hope we have given you some tools to cut through the noise and chaos that surrounds us all," Brighenti told the class.

"Live lives of purpose and grace. Get out there, Wildcats, and make us all proud."

Valedictorian Kelly Molino assured her classmates that "even if you don't feel ready, our time here at Lee has prepared us for the next step in our lives."

"We are prepared to go to college, trade school, the military, or enter the workforce. We can go out into the world and face it because of the skills Lee has taught us," she said.

"As we dive into what is next, take what you have learned with you. I am not talking about math or English, although you should remember that too, but the skills from outside of class, such as how to advocate for yourself and ask for help or maintain confidence in new situations."

When navigating the future, Molino emphasized the importance of self-agency.

"You don't have to plan it all out, but don't let life pass you by. Start by taking a step in any direction that interests you. For me, this means pursuing mechanical engineering as I have always been interested in working with my hands and designing things for a better future. It's better to try and fail than not try at all, so I encourage you all to simply at least try," she said.

"Take control over your life and allow yourself some fun. Find a balance that works for you. It might be different than the person next to you, and that's okay. We are each on our own paths in life. Each of us brings something unique to this class and to the world."

Superintendent Michael Richard encouraged the Wildcats to walk on the "wild side," which means taking risks for the right reasons, stepping outside of your comfort zone even when it's easier to stay still, standing up for your beliefs, and not fearing failure.

"Walking on the wild side means asking questions when others are silent. It means pursuing a passion that may not fit neatly into a box, choosing a path not for its popularity but for its purpose. It means taking the road less traveled and sometimes, forging one where none existed," he said.

"Whether you're headed to college, the workforce, the military, or any number of next steps, I urge you to carry the Wildcat spirit with you. That boldness, that curiosity, that readiness to pounce on opportunity and make the most of it, but let's also be clear: walking on the wild side doesn't mean walking alone."

Richard encouraged the graduates to embrace their circles and build new communities that lift them, "and don't forget to look back every now and then. Lee will always be a part of you, and we'll always be rooting for you."

The traditional ivy oration was done by graduate Ava Lopez, Omari Smith led the Pledge of Allegiance, and the ceremony included performances from the Lee High School band chorus. 

Scholarships and award for the class of 2025 can be found here.

Lee High School Class of 2025

Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:17AM / Friday, August 21, 2026

 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said.