BCC Invites Community to Participate in Baking Contest

07:44AM / Monday, July 28, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) invites all amateur bakers to participate in the sixth annual Burke's Baking Contest, a community-wide bakeoff judged by "celebrity judges" from around Berkshire County.

The event will be held in conjunction with BCC's Community Fest on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on BCC's main campus, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. The bakeoff begins at noon on the first floor of the Susan B. Anthony Center.

Entries may be submitted in a number of sweet or savory categories, from cakes, cupcakes and cookies to breads, donuts and muffins. Each person may enter in up to two categories. To submit an entry and view a complete list of categories and rules, visit https://www.berkshirecc.edu/communityfest. Entries must be submitted by Friday, Aug. 8.

The top winner in each category will receive a $25 King Arthur Flour gift certificate. Grand Prize winners will receive a trivet created by BCC's STEM department.

Burke's Baking Contest is the culmination of a series of baking events BCC has held over the past year. Recipes gathered from all contests will be compiled into a cookbook, and proceeds will support the Campus Cupboard, which supports students, faculty and staff in need.

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Teacher of the Month: Nickole Halvorsen

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:21PM / Monday, August 31, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For many students, kindergarten is their first experience in a school setting and the beginning of ongoing growth and change throughout their lives.

Kindergarten teacher Nickole Halvorsen strives to instill in her students the foundational academic and social-emotional skills they need to succeed not only in her classroom, but throughout their educational journey and beyond.

It is this dedication, along with the fun, safe and welcoming environment that students describe her as cultivating, that has earned her the iBerkshires.com Teacher of the Month designation.

The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, features distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here.

The end of the year was bittersweet for Halvorsen and her students as they said goodbye to Morningside Community School, which closed its doors for the final time in May.

"Now at the end of the year, it gets sad and a little more emotional, especially this year because this is our last year at Morningside," she said during her interview in May.

So, really focusing on coming in, being here, being present [and] consistent for them matters the most for me, and they make me want to be here. I want to have fun with them. I want to enjoy every last bit we can of being in the school building."

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