Updated July 22, 2015 09:44AM

Coaching Legend Russo to Coach Hoosac Boys

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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Retired Williams soccer coach Mike Russo, seen in this 2011 file photo, is moving to high school boys soccer at Hoosac Valley this fall.
CHESHIRE, Mass. -- Mike Russo says he is looking forward this fall to coaching soccer ... and just coaching soccer.
 
"The recruiting is gone, and I don't miss that at all," Russo said Wednesday about taking over the boys team at Hoosac Valley Middle and High School. "It gives me an opportunity to teach and coach."
 
Russo did a great job at both -- and recruiting, too -- for 36 years at Williams College, where he retired after the 2014 season.
 
Through colleague Blair Dils, the head boys coach at Mount Greylock, Russo became aware of an opening at Hoosac Valley and decided to look into it.
 
"I guess I could play golf every day, but I have no interest in that," he said.
 
"They've been very nice there. They've more than welcomed me."
 
Russo brings a resume you don't often see in first-time high school coaches.
 
At Williams, he took the Ephs to a national championship (1995) and five NCAA Division III Final Fours, most recently in 2012. He compiled a record of 438-116-60 (.762) and coached four players who went on to play for their national teams, including two who played for Team USA.
 
At Hoosac Valley, player development will be Russo's top priority at Hoosac (2-8-8 last fall).
 
"I like to see players improve in any sport," he said. "It gives me satisifaction. The focus will be on player development more than winning.
 
"Hopefully, that results in a few more wins, too."
 
Russo is familiar with the local high school soccer team through his efforts to promote and teach the beautiful game at the youth level. In the 1990s, he founded the Berkshire Ajax Soccer Club, which draws players from three states to receive instruction from Ajax coaches, a group who includes Williams and MCLA and Southern Vermont College assistant coaches.
 
When Russo was recognized at June's Williams College Commencement exercises, Williams President Adam Falk commented on the retiring coach's impact on the larger community.
 
"You have also been the godfather of soccer regionally," Falk said. :No one has done more to promote youth soccer in the area, and there is not a youth player, boy or girl, within miles of here who has not benefited directly or indirectly from your devotion.
 
"All in all, this is quite a legacy."
 
Russo said he recognizes that at Hoosac, he will not always be dealing with the highly motivated, soccer-centric student-athletes that one finds at a top collegiate program. He is aware that some players will be playing soccer in the fall because basketball is only offered in the winter or baseball is only offered in the spring.
 
And he is OK with that.
 
"If it's done properly, one can turn kids on to the sport of soccer," Russo said. "There are a lot of intricacies of the game people don't understand. If taught properly and coached properly in a positive manner, we can turn more people on to the game."
 
And Russo knows there are some returning Hurricanes who are committed to soccer. Rising juniors Steve Crouch and Colin Rousseau both played in the Ajax program in the spring, he said.
 
"Colin Rousseau is also a point guard on a very good basketball team," Russo said. "He came to soccer camp and worked as an instructor.
 
"Soccer and basketball, especially, complement each other very well because of the natures of the sports."

Tags: ACRSD,   coaches,   Hoosac Valley,   soccer,   Williams College,   

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Hoosac Valley Regional School District to Undergo Tiered Focused Monitoring Review

CHESHIRE, Mass. — During the week of Jan. 6, 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring
Review of the Hoosac Valley Regional School District. 
 
This review is part of DESE's ongoing efforts to monitor and ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations concerning English Learner Education (ELE) programs.
 
The Tiered Focused Monitoring Review is a comprehensive process that examines various aspects of a district's ELE program. The review will focus on areas such as:
 
  • Student assessments for English learners
  • Identification and placement of English learners
  • Parent and community involvement
  • Curriculum and instructional practices
  • Student support services
  • Faculty, staff, and administration licensure requirements
  • Program planning, evaluation, and recordkeeping
 
The review is conducted every six years for each district and charter school to assess their adherence to relevant laws and ensure continuous improvement in serving English learners.
 
In addition to the onsite review, parent outreach is a critical component of the process. The Hoosac Valley Regional School District will distribute a survey to parents of students whose records will be
examined. The survey seeks feedback on key aspects of their child's English learner education program. Survey results will be reviewed by OLA and included in the final monitoring report.
 
Parents or community members who wish to participate further can request a telephone interview with the Review Chairperson, Samantha Kodak, by contacting her at Samantha.k.kodak@mass.gov.
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