BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), announced the launch of the sixth annual Safe Routes to School Crossing Guard Appreciation Campaign, recognizing the role crossing guards play in keeping students and families safe across Massachusetts.
The campaign begins with a Crossing Guard of the Year nomination period, followed by Crossing Guard Appreciation Day on March 25, and will culminate with the announcement of the 2026 Crossing Guard of the Year award winners. Award recipients will be recognized at the Annual Safe Routes to School Awards Ceremony in June.
"All crossing guards play a vital role in keeping students and families safe across the Commonwealth, and while this contest provides an opportunity for the public to recognize those who serve their own communities with dedication every day, know that all are invaluable and we thank them for their service," said Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. "Under the Healey-Driscoll Administration, safety remains everyone's top priority, and we encourage the public to nominate the crossing guards who continue to make a difference in the lives of students and families. Thank you to everyone who helps keep our children safe on their way to and from school."
Last year, the Safe Routes to School (STRS) program received an overwhelming number of nominations, resulting in multiple honorees at the 2025 annual awards ceremony. Jill Boyd (Braintree) Soleil Hanger (Pittsfield) and Lie-Mei Ho (Newton) received the Crossing Guard Champion Award. Bridget and Gerry Buckley (Boston) received the Honorable Mention Award, and Gina Hayes (Malden) was named Crossing Guard of the Year.
The nomination period opened on Sunday, March 1, closes at 5:00 p.m. on Crossing Guard Appreciation Day, Wednesday, March 25. On that day, schools and students are encouraged to recognize the crossing guards in their community in ways that are meaningful to them.
The nomination form, a printable thank-you cards, and promotional flyers are available on the SRTS website in the Engagement section. Schools must be SRTS partners in order for their Crossing Guards to be eligible. Previous award recipients are not eligible. The number of nominations received does not impact a crossing guard's chances of selection, and communities are encouraged to collaborate on thoughtful submissions.
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Remembering the 'Forgotten War' in Pittsfield
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
The bell is rung as the name of each local casualty of the war is read.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A small group gathered at City Hall's "Forgotten War" monument on Saturday to honor those who had served.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 448 held its annual ceremony at the Korean War Monument to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that saw the fighting end in Korea. The 2002 monument names 20 Pittsfield residents who were killed in action.
"Today, on behalf of the brave men to which their names appear on this monument, and to 36,516 that lost their lives in the Korean conflict, and the 1,243 that lost their lives thereafter, often referred to as the Second Forgotten War, or the DMZ Wars, and to many others that have served their countries without recognition, and to those still serving, we wish to honor them all in appreciation of their sacrifice and contributions towards the preservation of our freedoms and values of the United States of America and its allies," said post Cmdr. Arnie Perras, saying there are still many people unaware of what happened in that overseas war.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea after border conflicts and insurrections in the south. Hostile action ended unofficially on July 27, 1953, in a truce. During the war, more than 23,000 American troops were killed in action, and 100,000 were injured. South Korea lost more than 200,000 soldiers, more than 13,000 other allied troops were killed, and nearly 3 million civilian and military lives were lost on both sides.
A peace treaty was never signed and a demilitarized zone has separated the two nations since.
An armistice was signed, but Perras reminded attendees that this didn't end the war, relaying thousands of reported military engagements inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone between 1954 and 1999.
Perras outlined actions that occurred during the ceasefire, such as the DMZ Wars, especially active in the 1960s, when many U.S. and Korean soldiers were killed in ambushes, firefights, and minefields. In 2010, North Korea torpedoed a South Korean corvette submarine, killing 46 people.
Today, the United States has about 28,500 troops deployed in South Korea, mostly at the Army station at Camp Humphreys.
"Although it has been decades since major hostilities, U.S. troops remain as a deterrent to the nuclear-armed and often belligerent North Korea."
The monument — dedicated on Veterans Day in 2002 — honors the 20 servicemen who were killed during the war with a time capsule buried beneath, including dog tags, a small P38 military can opener, military patches, and a DVD from a one-hour fundraiser televised on Pittsfield Community Television.
A bell was sounded after each name was read aloud.
Perras is the last living member of the Korean War Monument Committee and closed the event with a wish for new members to continue the veteran organizations' charge.
"I'm the last man standing, and I can barely do that. We really need our younger veterans to help us out by joining soon to carry our torch forward. As a huge incentive, the VFW Post 448 is still offering a five-year free membership to new members. Otherwise, you'll no longer be seeing these type of ceremonies, unfortunately," he said.
Mayor Peter MArchetti along with City Councilor Pete White were also in attendance to honor the fallen.
"I think it's important to be here today. We remember the brave men and women who served in the war, and every service member that sacrificed their life for this It's our job to make sure that they're not forgotten and that they're honored for defending our nation and protecting our freedoms, they went to war, protecting people that they never met and never knew. It's important for us to remember them, not just for that war, but for all wars," Marchetti said.
The names of Pittsfield residents who were killed in the war:
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