Valedictorian Sadie Honig-Briggs tells the class everything they will need in the future is sitting right next to them. Salutatorian Reese Duchesne noted environmental problems in the area and implored classmates to keep ecology in mind as they make their way in the world. See more photos here.
LENOX, Mass. — The cheers and accolades inside Tanglewood's Shed on Sunday reached their crescendo as Monument Mountain Regional High School class of 2026 yelled "Go Spartans," turned their tassels and toss their caps.
The 105 graduates from Great Barrington were sent off to solve the world's problems, but not before hearing some words of wisdom from their teachers and classmates.
Valedictorian Sadie Honig-Briggs said the idea of giving them some wisdom made her deeply uncomfortable. What could she tell them that they had not already learned together?
"Instead, I am going to state the obvious," she said. "I am going to tell you about some things you might need after today as you go off into the world, and I'm going to tell you about the people who can help you get those things that you need."
Honig-Briggs had done some research on her peers' future aspirations and they were delighted and applauded as she called out who to go for medical care, child care, education, computers, automotive repair, therapy, legal and financial, energy and entertainment.
"You might catch the flu or break an arm, and when you get to the doctor's office or the hospital, you can look for nurses like Heidi or Ashley," she said. "You will need firefighters like Griffin Touponce, FBI agents like Dominic ... You might need people to help you with your finances, though. Let's hope you don't need that much help, but accountants Emily and David will be able to keep you on track."
And that was just a small fraction of the people in the class, Honig-Briggs said.
"All around you right now are people who will be able to help you with every possible thing you can imagine," she said. "Well, unless you need a dentist, I couldn't find any dentists."
Salutatorian Reese Duchesne had a pointed challenge for her classmates, imploring them to approach the world with an ecological mindset.
Originally from Rhode Island, she's seen the march of the rising tide and, now, the manganese contamination that has spoiled Housatonic's drinking water and "bore witness to the East Mountain wildfire that ravished local forests, threatened residences, and disrupted the region's ecology."
"Degrading land surfaces, polluting water resources, and emitting greenhouse gasses at an unprecedented rate, we severely damaged the environment of our local community," said Duchesne. "In my lifetime, I've witnessed a wonderful, a terrible decline. In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery."
She challenged them to be stewards of the natural resources an environment, starting by eschewing fast fashion and thinking twice before using ChatGPT.
"Carry this environmental message of protection and communicate it to those who might be less aware or less motivated," she said. "To the class of 2026 families, friends, and faculty, we have the power to reverse the ecological harm we have caused. We must take action now. This will be my primary focus at Duke University."
The scholars were led into the Shed by marshals Clay Steven and Lennox Tournas-Hardt. The band played several selections and the chorus performed "Run to You."
Principal Christopher Barnes and School Committee Chairman Stephen Bannon presented the diplomas.
"You should take comfort knowing that whatever path you chose, you have earned a quality education. This education will be the foundation for the rest of your life," said Bannon, who noted he'd crossed the same stage with the class of 1976. "I urge you to continue to strive to learn as much as you can every day, no matter where the future takes you. Build on what you have learned in our district, you're only at the beginning of what you are capable of accomplishing."
Barnes told the class how public education fits into the broader conception of common good, and how it is more than just math and reading but also "fairness, caring, self-respect, family commitment, and civic duty."
"I've worked in more than a few schools, and in some, you can feel the sense of community, the value of the community, the care for others, the connection, and the care for the community as a whole," he said. "And I assure you that this is alive and well at Monument Mountain Regional High School."
Berkshire Hills Regional Superintendent Peter Dillon said they were an exceptional class, earning more than $700,000 in community-based scholarships, helping get the district a new high school, conducting research, holding protests, and pushing their elders to support their growth in challenging and uncertain times.
"The resilience and determination you've all shown will continue to serve well," he said. "Thank you for being you, for being good to each other, and for all you contributed to Monument. Please keep the magic going, visit, inspire us, do good works, and Godspeed."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.
Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director.
Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.
The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.
"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.
Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.
"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."
One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.
Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.
"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.
They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.
"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.
The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.
Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.
"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said.
During his visit, Congressman Neal met with CATA artists and their families, including artists with disabilities from many of CATA's 65 program partners. click for more
Now, just steps from the original playground, a new ninja park is nearly complete to soon offer adults a unique opportunity to reconnect with that childhood sense of adventure.
click for more
Second- and third-grade students at St. Mary's turned their creativity into real-world advertising by designing ads for Meadow Farm Equipment — wrapping up our Junior Marketers Create an Ad series.
click for more
This season, Allen returned to the Berkshire Theatre Group's Unicorn Theatre in Abi Morgan's "LoveSong," a play about how love changes people over time. click for more