Lenox High Names Valedictorian, Salutatorian for Class of 2026

10:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026Print Story | Email Story

LENOX, Mass. — Lenox Memorial High School has named Sai Sanjana Meesala as valedictorian and Chloe Parsenios as salutatorian for the graduating class of 2026.

Both students will speak at graduation exercises being held Sunday, June 14, at 1 p.m. at Tanglewood.

Meesala is the daughter of Muralidhar Meesala and Kalyan Madhuri Venna. During her time at Lenox Memorial, she served as president of the National Honor Society, captain and lead programmer of the robotics team, and organizer of an intergenerational book club with residents of Kimball Farms.

Outside of school, Meesala enjoys music and has taught Carnatic (Indian classical) music to children in her community. She was selected for the Western Massachusetts District Music Festival all four years of high school, and for the Massachusetts All-State Music Festival in her senior year. She also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Beaver Works Summer Institute, where she worked on autonomous drone technology.

Meesala will attend Harvard University in the fall, where she plans to study neuroscience and explore its applications in neurotechnology.

Parsenios lives in Lenox with her parents, Nicholas and Leslie. She has attended the Lenox Public Schools since kindergarten. She has received various academic awards, including the Cornell University Book Award, and is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society, and several other clubs.

She was a varsity player and co-captain of both the soccer and basketball teams and actively helped coach in the towns youth sports programs.

Parsenios will attend the University of Connecticut's honors program to study political science.

Tags: graduation 2026, Lenox Memorial, val & sal,

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Peace Officer Standards Commission Strips Former Pittsfield Cop of Certification

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, August 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A former Pittsfield Police officer was one of five statewide who recently had their licenses revoked by the POST Commission.

Last week, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission voted to strip five former officers of their licenses to work in law enforcement, including former PPD officer William Straub.

The commission had determined that these workers were unfit to carry a badge and gun in Massachusetts; so far, 92 state police officers have been decertified by the commission.

Records indicate that Straub faced charges tied to a 2024 incident, but details are redacted. On Oct. 31, 2024, the POST Commission suspended Straub's law enforcement certification, and he resigned from PPD in April.

"According to Pittsfield District Court records, Straub pleaded guilty in April to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery tied to a 2024 incident," MassLive wrote on Monday.

"Three other charges, including drunk driving and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, were continued without a finding. While that resolution allows the charges to be dismissed after a period of time if Straub abides by certain conditions, the commission treats them as a criminal conviction."

According to records, he was certified as a police officer in July of 2021, and recertified in July 2024.

"The Respondent's appointing agency, the Pittsfield Police Department ("PPD"), submitted a final report to the Commission finding that the Respondent had engaged in criminal conduct and conduct unbecoming [of] an officer," the Aug. 20 final decision to decertify reads.

"The Respondent resigned from PPD on April 9, 2026, prior to the imposition of any discipline."

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