image description — Miss Hall's School held its commencement on Sunday, graduating 56 students.

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Miss Hall's School Graduates 56 in Class of 2018

Community Submission
03:28PM / Monday, June 04, 2018Print Story | Email Story

The private girls' high school included 18 area students in this year's graduating class.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifty-six students, including 18 from Berkshire County and nearby communities, graduated on Sunday, June 3, during Miss Hall's School's 120th commencement.

Ceremonies took place under a large tent on the front lawn of the school's Holmes Road campus. Vanessa Stair, corporate relations officer for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and a member of the Miss Hall's School Class of 2006, delivered this year's commencement address.

Among the Class of 2018 graduates are the following local students: Cristina Aillon of Pittsfield; Madison Bellemare of Hoosick Falls, N.Y.; Kelsey Brown of Lee; Lillian Climo, of Great Barrington; Isabelle Currie of Dalton; Shae Daley of Pittsfield; Gabrielle Hinkley of Dalton; Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge; Anouk Jolly of Lenox; Olivia Kinne of Pittsfield; Michela Laurin of Pittsfield; Mariah Lewis of Williamstown; Jayme McGuigan of Pittsfield; Samantha Miriam Myers of Great Barrington; Shanti Nelson of Lenox; Tyra Price of Pittsfield; Katherine Sheridan of Stockbridge; and Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield.

Additionally, six students were recognized for their induction this year into the Cum Laude Society, the national organization honoring scholastic achievement at secondary schools.

This year's MHS inductees are seniors Lillian Climo of Great Barrington; Shae Daley of Pittsfield; Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge; Xinyue (Moon) Liang of Wuhan, China; Miriam Myers of Great Barrington; and Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield; and juniors Trudy Fadding of Glendale; Jiaying (Kelly) He of Shanghai; Zifeng (Christy) Liang of Harrison, N.J.; Ziyan (Charlotte) Rui of Nanjing, China; and Zhiyu (Catherine) Zhang of Nantong, China.

They joined seniors Kelsey Brown of Lee; Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China; Trang (Tiffany) Luu of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Kexin (Kristina) Wang of Beijing; and Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang, of Tangshan City, China, who were inducted in 2017.

The following awards were also bestowed during commencement and related recognition ceremonies (students are seniors unless otherwise noted):

Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Jayme McGuigan of Pittsfield

Margaret Witherspoon Award: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China

Meus Honor StatKeys Awarded for MHS Core Competencies:

Vision: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Voice: Izabella Nunes, of Glen Gardner, N.J.

Interpersonal Efficacy: Isabelle Currie of Dalton

Gumption: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: Shanti Nelson of Lenox

Faculty Commendation Prize: Michela Laurin of Pittsfield

Sylvia "Rusty" Shethar Everdell '38 Prize: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Andrea Becker '79 Prize: Trudy Fadding, Class of 2019, of Glendale

Paul C. Cabot Jr. History Prize: Izabella Nunes of Glen Gardner, N.J.

Department of Engineering and Technology Innovation Award: Cheng (Amy) Qian of Beijing

Live Rouse Science Award: Ngoc Tram Le Nguyen, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

James K. Ervin Mathematics Prize: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China, and Kexin (Kristina) Wang of Beijing

Horizons Book Award: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Mansfield E. Pickett Latin Prize: Katherine Sheridan of Stockbridge

Spanish Prize: Elizabeth Tagliaferro of Pittsfield

Monique Jalbert French Prize: Shanti Nelson of Lenox

Virginia Breene Wickwire '67 Reading Prize: Olivia Kinne of Pittsfield

Doris E. Pitman English Prize: Emily Hunter of West Stockbridge

Photography Award: Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China

Susanna McCreath Music Prize: Isabelle Currie of Dalton

Angela Kalischer Theater Prize: Olivia Kinne, Michela Laurin, and Jayme McGuigan, all of Pittsfield

Ceramics Award: Mariah Lewis of Williamstown

Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Studio Art Prize: Lillian Climo of Great Barrington

Art Purchase Award: Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China

Rising Distinction Awards for Juniors (all members of the Class of 2019):

Athletics: Merriam Lrhazi of Lee

Engineering and Technology Innovation: Charlotte Adelson of Lee

English: Faia Kronick of Pittsfield

English as a Second Language: Kieu Anh (Anna) Le of Hanoi, Vietnam

Expressive Arts: Trudy Fadding of Glendale

History: Ziyan (Charlotte) Rui of Nanjing, China

Horizons: Cely (Nikky) Abreu of Methuen

Language: Justyna Michalak of Mazowsze, Poland

Mathematics: Xiaotong (Vanessa) Li of Beijing

Science: Zifeng (Christy) Liang of Harrison, N.J.

Tags: graduation 2018, miss halls school,

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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