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Miss Hall's School Graduates 48

• Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Willa Dowling-Paul, of Hinsdale
• Faculty Commendation Award: Julia Tocchio, of Brasilia, Brazil
• Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: Casey Grace Lai, of Singapore
• Meus Honor Stat Keys Awarded for MHS Core Competencies:
  • Vision: Ginamarie Bocchino, of Pittsfield, and Valentina Romero, of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
  • Voice: Bryanna Amankwah, of Pittsfield, and Willa Dowling-Paul, of Hinsdale
  • Interpersonal Efficacy: EA Peña, of Boston, and Ginger Warner, of Putney, Vt.
  • Gumption: Lila Boland, of Dalton, and Bibi Sahra Sidique, of Kabul, Afghanistan
• Margaret Witherspoon Award: Ivy Kay, of Lawrence, Mass.
• Engineering and Technology Innovation Award: Olivia Whitney, of Cheshire
• Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Inyene Bell, of Bridgeport, Conn.
• Virginia Breene Wickwire '67 Reading Prize: Valentina Romero, of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Bibi Sahra Sidique, of Kabul, Afghanistan
• Ceramics Award: Jayda Kimok, of Pittsfield
• Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: EA Peña, of Boston
• Susanna McCreath Music Prize: Kyana Chainani, of Singapore
• Photography Award: Manizha Nabizada, of Kabul, Afghanistan
• Paul C. Cabot, Jr. History Prize: Kady Gentleman, of Lenox
• Horizons Award: Genevieve Buker, of Lee
• Monique Jalbert French Prize: Ivy Kay, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Spanish Award: Ginamarie Bocchino, of Pittsfield
• Mansfield E. Pickett Latin Prize: Gabriella Hasperg, of Cheshire
• English for Speakers of Other Languages Award: Stella Le, of Binh Duong, Vietnam
• James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Chloe Muellers, of Monterey
• Iive Rouse Science Award: Haley Sacon, of West Stockbridge
• Sylvia "Rusty" Shethar Everdell '38 Prize: Anri Teraoka, of Tokyo, Japan

Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. 

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma. 

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024. 

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero. 

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. 

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.