On Saturday, May 19, more than 50 middle school students from across Berkshire County and their families gathered at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield to enter their model solar cars in the annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). The Center for Ecological Technology (CET), coordinator of the event, is pleased to announce that the top 12 teams advanced to the Northeast Junior Solar Sprint Championship to be held on June 10 at the Springfield Science Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Middle school students from the Berkshire region will join students from New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Washington DC. CET coordinated the JSS event with support from Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Gas Company, Energy Federation, Inc., Western Massachusetts Electric Company, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional contributors were Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, South Street Servicenter, Bob’s Elm Street Service, Bunnell Auto Parts and Haddad Motors.
The Junior Solar Sprint is a fun and educational competition for students in grades 5-8 who work in teams to build miniature vehicles powered by the sun and learn first-hand about non-polluting transportation. This year rain forced students indoors where they replaced solar panels with batteries to power their solar vehicles. “It was a great event, in spite of the rain,†said coordinator Cynthia Grippaldi. “Students had a lot of fun and learned firsthand that solar vehicles need battery back-up to run on cloudy days and at night.†Student cars were judged in four categories—innovative design, craftsmanship, technical merit, and performance (speed). The top three winners in each category are eligible to compete in the regional championship.
“We are thrilled by the creativity and enthusiasm of so many students, and excited that several now have the opportunity to participate in the regional event,†said Nancy Nylen of CET. “It’s great to see students and teachers working together on projects, and then to see their family and friends cheer them on at the solar sprint event. And we owe a big thanks to our generous sponsors for making this possible.â€
Students participating in the JSS came from Adams Memorial Middle School, Conte Middle School in North Adams, Clarksburg Elementary School, Herberg Middle School and Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, Monument Valley Middle School in Great Barrington, and Richmond Consolidated School.
Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint Results – 2007
Award - Car #, School, Name of Car, Students
Innovation
1st place: - #52 — Reid Middle School: "The Racing Piranhas"—John Krebs, Caroline Nadeau
2nd place: - #22 — Monument Valley Middle School: "322"—Bobby Teggi, Travis Wilton
3rd place: - #45 — Richmond: "Zoomer" - Kelsey Marzotto
(tie) - #10 — Clarksburg: “Candy Coated Turniquetteâ€â€”Brody Moran, Genavieve Twomey
Craftsmanship
1st place: - #33 — Herberg Middle School: "Fluffy Bunnies"—Leslie Martin, Emily Vigard
2nd place: - #30 — Herberg: "Spotted Lizard" —Nicole Chaves, Emily Murray
3rd place: - #70 — Adams Middle School: "Jive Turkey"—Greg Bosworth, Antonio Cardeno, Andrew Galisa
Technical Merit
1st place: - #23 — Monument Valley: "Brewstewcar"—Alfred Brewer, Louisa Carman, Annarose Stewart
2nd place: - #40 — Richmond: "The Lemon"—Megan Doerle, Sara Massery
3rd place: - #33 — Herberg: "Fluffy Bunnies"— Leslie Martin, Emily Vigard
Speed
1st place: - #54 — Reid: "Cricker"—Jordyn Biagiotti, Andrea Moreau, Diedre Lindsey
2nd place: - #60 — Conte Middle School: "Blue Streak"—Michael Reese
3rd place: - #52 — Reid: "The Racing Piranhas"—John Krebs, Caroline Nadeau
The Berkshire JSS is an annual event. For more information about the JSS or solar energy curriculum, contact Cynthia Grippaldi at CET, (413)-445-4556 ext. 25 or Nancy Nylen at nancyn@cetonline.org. CET is a 30-year-old community organization working with citizens and organizations to promote energy conservation and environmental education in western Massachusetts. CET is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
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Local Cheer Teams Celebrate Successful Season
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
The cheerleaders spoke of how their participation helped build their confidence and their focus on academics.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The gymnasium of the Boys and Girls Club was full of laughter, music, dancing, and cheer as multiple generations celebrated the hard work of 413 Cheer and Taconic High School cheerleaders with a fundraiser and showcase.
The fifth season for 413 Cheer was filled with achievements as the organization's teams — Codes Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple and Orange Fusion — had brought home awards from competitions across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Find each team's placements at the end of the article.
This year, Code Red received a wild card bid to the D2 Summit in Orlando, Fla., and Code Blue earned a bid to the Youth Summit in Tampa, Fla., but because of the cost and lack of funds, 413 Cheer will be doing its finals at Myrtle Beach, S.C., this season.
(Donations to cover fees, travel and equipment can be made by emailing 413Cheer@gmail.com.)
The showcase last Sunday was the largest since the organization's inception five years ago, featuring spirited performances from each of the teams, a dad dance off, and mom bow challenge, raffles, concessions, and more.
It also featured a performance by Taconic High School's varsity cheerleaders, coached by 413 Cheer's owner and founder Shavelle Boire.
Boire said the school hasn't had a cheer team in several years, but these new cheerleaders persevered, grew, and stole her heart.
Qwanell Bradley scored 33 points, and Adan Wicks added 29 as the Hoosac Valley boys basketball team won a Division 5 State Championship on Sunday. click for more
Adan Wicks scored 38 points, and the eighth-seeded Hoosac Valley basketball team Saturday rallied from a nine-point first-half deficit to earn a 76-67 win over top-seeded Drury in the Division 5 State Quarter-Finals. click for more
Caprese Conyers scored 22 points, and Kyana Summers had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go with eight assists as Pittsfield got back to the state semi-finals for the second year in a row. click for more