BArT Seniors Recognized with John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

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ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts & Technology (BArT) Charter Public School is proud to announce that 13 of the 35 members of the BArT Class of 2026 have been awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, a  merit-based scholarship that recognizes academic achievement on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam.
 
This year's recipients are:
  • Joy Bristol
  • Bishop Casey
  • Lilianna Choque
  • Dareen Hage
  • Nyx Hall
  • Tucker Legrand
  • Raif Madole
  • Emerson Maloney
  • Brooke Mckeon
  • Vincent Miksic
  • Zachary Tetreault
  • Kaden Toomey
  • Madison Walker
"We are incredibly proud of these students for their hard work, persistence, and academic excellence," said Director of Counseling Stephanie Maselli.
 
The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship provides a tuition credit for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at any Massachusetts state college or university. Scholarship eligibility is determined by MCAS performance, recognizing students who score in the Advanced category on at least one high school MCAS test, score Proficient or Advanced on the remaining tests, and rank in the top 25 percent of their school district based on combined scores.
 
The scholarship's purpose is threefold:
  • To reward and inspire academic excellence;
  • To encourage high-performing students to pursue higher education within Massachusetts; and
  • To provide financial support to college-bound families.
"This recognition reflects the deep commitment our students and teachers share to rigorous learning and achievement," said Dr. Joe Huston, Principal
 
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Adams Applies for CDBG Grant to Address Blight

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The town continues its efforts to address blight in the community by applying for funds through the Community Development Block Grant, as it has done years prior.  
 
The Select Board recently approved the grant application requesting $950,000 to fund the highly anticipated Winter Street reconstruction and the town's Adams Housing Rehabilitation Program. 
 
CDBG is a federally funded competitive grant program administered by the state. It can be used for activities that address blight, housing, beautification, demolition and economic development.
 
The need for these funds is substantial as towns work to balance addressing high-cost infrastructure repairs with limited state and federal funding, such as Chapter 90, said Donna Cesan, community development director. 
 
"Adams is one of the poor communities in the commonwealth.  Here in the Northern Berkshires, we're still recovering from the '60s and the loss of our manufacturing base, so it's been a slow recovery," she said. 
 
Cesan has been working with the town for more than 20 years and during that time has seen improvements but there are still setbacks, including the rising costs to address the communities needs. 
 
"To continue to work on projects like this to improve the community. So, I think Adams is very deserving of this. I think the community needs this," she said. 
 
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