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Miss Hall's School Graduates 42

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

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.