MCLA Alumna Annie Pecor Honored by Massachusetts State Universities

08:50AM / Saturday, May 09, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts alumna Annie Pecor, assistant superintendent of North Adams Public Schools, has been selected to receive the Massachusetts State Universities Educator Alumni Award.

Pecor was honored at the ceremony on Wednesday, April 29, in the Great Hall at the State House, alongside eight other educators from across the state's public university system.

The award, presented by the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, recognizes graduates of Massachusetts State Universities who have made outstanding contributions to the field of education.

"Annie's accomplishments are a testament to the transformative power of a Massachusetts State University education. We are incredibly proud of her dedication to students and communities across the Berkshires, and it is a privilege to see her recognized on a statewide stage," said MCLA President James F. Birge.

A Berkshire County educator for more than 15 years, Pecor began her career as a middle school English language arts teacher before rising through the ranks of educational leadership. This year, she was recognized by the MCLA Alumni Association with the Outstanding Educator Award. She earned both a master's degree in education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from MCLA, and is a proud graduate of the MCLA Leadership Academy. She also holds a bachelor's degree from Siena College and earned her doctorate in education from the University of New England in 2024.

Throughout her career, Pecor has demonstrated a consistent commitment to student success and community-centered leadership. As a North Adams middle school teacher, she launched a peer mentoring program and a 7th grade student council to cultivate student leadership. She later served as vice principal and then principal of Craneville Elementary School in Dalton, where she championed restorative practices, reduced behavior referrals, and guided the school community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most recently, as director of Northern Berkshire Adult Education and 21st Century Programming, Pecor led the program to exceed enrollment targets, launched a thriving English Speakers of Other Languages program, added tutoring services, secured local transportation funding, and forged a partnership with McCann Technical School for an adult Culinary Arts Program. Under her leadership, the program achieved a "proficient" rating from the state Department of Education.

Beyond her professional work, Pecor volunteers as vice chair of the Berkshire Leadership Program and serves on the boards of Berkshire County Suicide Prevention, the Berkshire Food Project, and the Northern Berkshire United Way.

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North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."

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