BCC Welcomes Applicants for Para Educator Training

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is accepting applications for its Para Educator Training course. 
 
Classes are held four days per week from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. beginning Monday, Jan. 5 and concluding Thursday, Feb. 12.  
 
This is an entry-level course with no prerequisites. Registrants must be 18 years or older and have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent. To view more information, including specific course hours and days, and to fill out an interest form, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/paraeducator.  
 
Para educators play a vital role in supporting teachers in the classroom. The para educator certificate can also serve as an excellent first step toward a career in the field of education. 
 
The BCC Para Educator program covers areas such as instructional techniques, classroom management, child development, special education and effective communication strategies. Participants learn how to assist in the delivery of educational content, provide one-on-one or small group support to students and help manage classroom behavior. Upon completion, graduates earn the industry-recognized ParaPro credential and are prepared to work as effective, compassionate paraeducators, contributing to a positive and inclusive learning atmosphere. 
 
For questions, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu or call (413) 236-2115.  

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WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 
 
"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 
 
"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."
 
Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 
 
Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.
 
"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."
 
D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. 
 
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