Like the others, Mead was used to the long way around. In a series of individual graduation ceremonies throughout the day inside the William Stickney Pittsfield Adult Learning Center on North Street, each graduate solemnly was honored with their very own ceremony calibrated to these tender first days after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. In room number one, each was invited to listen in and watch recorded speeches from mentors, politicians and other civic leaders. In room number two, more recorded speeches, the usual stuff â âWell doneâ and âVery special dayâ and âA step along the journeyâ â all of it heartfelt, all of it taken to heart.