Miss Hall's School Graduates 42

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Forty-two graduates, including nine students from Berkshire County, graduated on Sunday, May 31, during Miss Hall's School's 128th Commencement.

The ceremony took place under a large tent behind the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the School's Holmes Road campus and was broadcast worldwide via Zoom.

Hosted by Miss Hall's Head of School Julia Heaton, the ceremony included remarks from School President Idia Enoma, of Chester, N.Y.; Senior Class President Pimpisa Jongjaroonrungson, of Bangkok, Thailand; School Vice President Akshara Muthavarapu, of Pittsfield; and MHS Board of Trustees President Nancy Gustafson Ault, Miss Hall's School Class of 1973.

This year's Commencement Remarks were delivered by Her Excellency Madam Rulan Samara, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Republic of Kenya. Ambassador Samara was introduced by her niece, Class of 2026 graduate Noya Samara, of Amman, Jordan.

Local graduates in the class of 2026 are Eva Sopia Allen Vargas, of Richmond; Emersyn Bray, of Dalton; Madelyn Craig, of Williamstown; Beatrix Gilb, of Pittsfield; Fiona Gordon, of Lenox; Kara Kisselbrock, of Dalton; Simma Krantz, of Pittsfield; Akshara Muthavarapu, of Pittsfield; and Mea Richardson, of Cheshire.

The following awards were also bestowed on members of the Class of 2026:

• Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Akshara Muthavarapu, of Pittsfield

• Faculty Commendation Award: Rafi Hernandez Unger, of New York, N.Y.

• Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: Fabiana Romero, of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

• Meus Honor Stat Keys Awarded for MHS Core Competencies: 

  • Vision: Noya Samara, of Amman, Jordan
  • Voice: Idia Enoma, of Chester, N.Y.
  • Interpersonal Efficacy: Nguyen Yen Phuong, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Mea Richardson, of Cheshire
  • Gumption: Rebecca Kitonga, of Nairobi, Kenya

• Margaret Witherspoon Award: Xingru Chen, of Shanghai, China, and Hyeon Jung, of Seoul, South Korea

• Engineering and Technology Innovation Award: Jaimie Corpuz, of Stamford, Conn.

• Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Idia Enoma, of Chester, N.Y.

• Virginia Breene Wickwire '67 Reading Prize: Rafaela Romanini, of Campo Grande, Brazil

• Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Pimpisa Jongjaroonrungson, of Bangkok, Thailand

• Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: Isabella Aponte, of Bronx, N.Y.

• Susanna McCreath Music Prize: Trinity Ren, of Beijing, China

• Paul C. Cabot, Jr. History Prize: Mea Richardson, of Cheshire

• Horizons Award: Xinyue Ren, of Shanghai, China

• Monique Jalbert French Prize: Nefertiti Williiams-Jack, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

• Spanish Award: Kara Kisselbrock, of Dalton

• English for Speakers of Other Languages Award: Nguyen Yen Phuong, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Akshara Muthavarapu, of Pittsfield

• Iive Rouse Science Award: Xingru Chen, of Shanghai, China

• Sylvia "Rusty" Shethar Everdell '38 Prize: Simma Krantz, of Pittsfield

 


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North Adams Man Pleade Not Guilty to Father's Murder

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — David Louis Boucher, who is accused of killing his father, pleaded not guilty Monday in Berkshire Superior Court.

Boucher, 48, was indicted on one count of murder and two counts of larceny.

In May 2026, Boucher allegedly stabbed his father, 67-year-old David Allen Boucher, and left him for dead in his home at 256 Walnut St. The younger Boucher lived downstairs and his father upstairs in the multi-family home.

Boucher admitted to killing his father a week later, shortly before police located the body.

At the time of the arrest, a clear motive was not established, though the Berkshire District Attorney's office suggested it may have involved a gambling debt. Authorities noted there may have also been a mental health component.

Boucher is set to appear in court again in April.

Boucher is currently being held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction.

 

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