LEE - Asa F. Stone and Cindy Ni have been named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of Lee Middle and High School s Class of 2021. Commencement ceremonies will take place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at the John J. Consolati Field at the school.
Stone is the daughter of Pamela Morehouse and David Stone of Lee. She is a member of the National Honor Society, band and student government, and served as the student representative to the Lee School Committee. Stone also was a member of the co-op swim team hosted by Monument Mountain Regional High School.
She is a recipient of the Rensselaer Medal and the George Eastman Young Leaders Award. Stone will be attending Middlebury College, majoring in environmental science.
If the town’s proposed FY22 budget gets a green light at the Annual Town Meeting, town property will see the lowest property tax increase since 2014.
The meeting is set for Monday, Jun. 7 and, if necessary, Jun. 10, at 6 p.m. both nights, at Monument Mountain Regional High School. This is a drive-in, socially distanced meeting similar to last year’s outdoor event. If voters come to the meeting well prepared and familiar with the town meeting warrant, as they have in the past, we could complete our business meeting in one night, said Selectboard Chair Stephen Bannon. We had good public participation this year in budget hearings and look forward to an efficient town meeting.
Vocalis Youth Choir, a new choir being formed under the leadership of Artistic Director Julie Bickford, will be comprised of three treble ensembles â Training Choir, ages 8-11; Senior Choir, ages 11-15; and Encore, for 14-18-year-olds. Bickford is also choir director at Monument Mountain Regional High School.
The choir was created with the mission to educate young people in the art of choral music as well as to provide opportunities for personal and creative growth, youth leadership, and community engagement.
Auditions for Encore and Senior Choir will take place during the first two weeks of June, while Training Choir enrollment will take place later this year. More information can be found at vocalisyouthchoir.org.
Kindergarteners at Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School in Great Barrington. The Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts are making progress toward a variety of scenarios to merge districts. EAGLE FILE PHOTO
STOCKBRIDGE â Merger talks between the Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts have come a long way, and still have a long way to go.
Yet, there is progress this month with a $125,000 grant from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for consultants to drill down into financial and educational scenarios for consolidating the districts. Its goal is to complete this work by summer 2022.
Brien Center To Share in $4.9 Million Grant
The Baker-Polito Administration today announced $4.9 million in grants awarded to six agencies, including hospitals and treatment and behavioral health centers, for the creation of evidence-based and data-driven co-occurring substance use disorder/mental health response teams embedded in high schools in ten communities to offer intervention and treatment services, and provide alternatives to school suspension for substance use. The Brien Center, here in the Berkshires, is among the recipients.
According to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the six agencies were selected for grant funding based on their ability to provide access to these crucial services, both in school and in the community, as well as virtually due to instances of remote and hybrid learning.