Some families stopped for a quick photo as the assembly fled the light rain that started as soon as the graduation.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School graduated 110 seniors on Wednesday night on the football field with the dramatic background of the mountains and a sea of umbrellas before them.
The gray skies let loose a steady rain that had the graduates eager to move things along — they applauded Superintendent James Brosnan for clipping his address and let go their party poppers a whole speech too early.
But Principal Justin Kratz said he understood what a tough year it had been.
"Don't get me wrong, the class of 2020 had it rough as well. But the class is 2021, and we're going to use COVID terms, they're the long haulers," he said. "They had a lot of stuff thrown at them."
Salutatorian Ciarra Kruzel said the four years seemed like a blur now but one event in her first CAD classes stood out when teacher Joshua Meczywor made a comment.
"It was something along the lines of the smartest person is the one who admits they know nothing, which I later found out with something Socrates said," she said. "From then on, I took that mindset and ran with it. And from this way of thinking, I grew. So not only did I learn lessons, academic lessons, you may or may not use in the future, but it also taught us about personal growth. We were taught how to change and become a better person."
She thanked all the teachers who helped them over the years and through the pandemic, even if they probably were upset with them.
"We greatly appreciate everything you've done to get us into school, even though it was just for two weeks, and any extra trouble or if you went through to educate us through the pandemic," Kruzel said.
Valedictorian Stephen Perrault asked what they wanted to achieve in life — but not as the start of a "long, drawn out" speech about how you can do anything if you try harder. But rather, he said, to consider what what success really meant to them.
"I had been reaching for the stars but doing so had made me less happy than before," he said. "Then one day when I was talking about the future with my dad, he told me do what makes you happy, enjoy life ... perhaps instead of expecting myself to change the world I should just do whatever I'm capable of doing in order to make a life for myself."
Perrault said he didn't want his classmates not too aim high. Instead, he encouraged them to take that motivation and funnel it in a direction that will be fulfilling.
"Aiming for what we really want to do so we're not spending our days and months and years in a job we hate so we can consider ourselves successful or getter a bigger paycheck," he said. "The point of life isn't to obtain wealth but rather to find true happiness."
Before handing out diplomas with Brosnan, School Committee Chairman Gary Rivers took the "dreaded word" COVID and found something positive in it. Taking the letters he found courage, optimism, viable, inspiration and dream — as in dream big.
Courage is the foundation to success, he said, and this pandemic provided an opportunity for students to endure, develop skills and maybe even find inspiration in new career paths.
"Dream big. If the world is going to get better, it's going to be up to you," he told the graduates. "With everything feeling like it's up for grabs, this is your time to seize the initiative.
"No one can tell you to wait your turn ... no one can tell you that this is how it's always been done. More than ever, this is your moment."
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MCLA's Gallery 51: 'Mothering in Migration'
NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— MCLA's MOSAIC announces the upcoming exhibition "Mothering in Migration" and opening reception at Gallery 51.
"Mothering in Migration" will be on view from July 26 to August 25 at Gallery 51 with an opening reception on July 26 from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring light snacks and refreshments. A reception will also be held during North Adams' First Friday event on August 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. featuring catering, refreshments, and live music from Yo Soy Arte.
"Mothering in Migration" is part of an ongoing collaboration between artist Luiza Folegatti and Latinas413 that aims to strengthen local support for immigrant mothers while using image-making as a tool for community building. Through photography sessions, interviews, and workshops, the families and the artist celebrated their connection to the natural landscape of the Berkshires, the networks of mutual support between friends and colleagues, and the intimacy of the mother-daughter relationship.
The show is curated by Carolina Porras-Monroy.
According to a press release:
Luiza Folegatti is a Brazilian artist based in North Adams who integrates artistic practice, teaching, and social advocacy work around the rights of women immigrants. Her work focuses on gender and migration through photography, video, performance, and visual anthropology methods. Folegatti strongly believes in the positive impact generated by projects that combine photography, education, and community building. She has taught photography workshops for several years at nonprofits working with immigrants and is currently a visiting faculty member in photography at Bennington College, part-time residency coordinator at MASS MoCA, and Artists At Work grantee.
A severe thunderstorm hammered parts of North and Central County on Tuesday night, downing trees and limbs and leaving more than 5,000 customers without power. click for more