PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 48 graduates of the William Stickney Pittsfield Adult Learning Center walked proudly in their black caps into the Taconic High School auditorium to receive their diplomas.
It was the first time in three years the ceremony had been held in person and the graduates were ushered as Anthony Gubelman played "Pomp & Circumstance" on the grand piano.
Families, friends, faculty, and staff gathered in the Taconic High School auditorium to celebrate the hard work these graduates did to earn their adult diplomas, or pass the General Educational Development Test
or High School Equivalency Test.
Julianna Tremblay's family had always told her that high school would be the best years of her life but for her, it was the opposite.
"At school I would keep to myself because in the past I was always used by people that I used to call my friends. They would use me for comfort, talk to me out of pity, or knew I was an easy target to bully. And a fear of that happening all over again, I distanced myself from everyone," Tremblay said.
Despite these circumstances and her learning disability she was a good student with good grades but in 2021, she dropped out of high school uncertain of the future.
With guidance from her family and with the recommendation from the school guidance counselor Tremblay enrolled in Adult Learning Center.
Right from the start, the faculty and staff were supportive and guided her to this moment, she said, as her family, in the audience, shed tears of joy.
Director Paul Gage commended all the graduates for their achievement and said goodbye with one last lesson –- to not forget about the four most important questions they should ask themselves.
They were to continue to ask what they want to do, to take chances and not be afraid of failure, to enjoy the journey, and to stay present in the moment.
Gage demonstrated the fact that the future is unclear but that they can find the path right for them by sharing the story of runner David Gilbert who was fired by his boss after requesting some time off to recover from running 3,500 miles for charity.
"Gilbert couldn't anticipate where his life was going at the time he was fired but he rolled with the changes in his life. And he decided from that point forward in his life revolved around running, running races, and raising money for charity," Gage said.
"So finally, that being said, take those lessons, I wish you all the best of luck in your quest to make your dreams happen."
Superintendent Joseph Curtis noted how graduation means something different to every graduate and that every graduate turned their obstacles into opportunities.
"You did not let barriers stop your progress as a person. You saw those barriers as opportunities that lead you to a different path, a road less taken in your overall life journey," Curtis said.
Mayor Linda Tyer spoke on this year's large class size and how all of them had a support system whether it be friends, family, or a teacher that helped them get to this moment.
"While you did the hard work, you also did not walk this path alone. I see from where I stand, all of the people, your family, your friends, your teachers, they have been a part of your transformation and your achievements" she said.
"And they've been part of your journey all along the way. When the road ahead looked uncertain and the challenge steadily increased their encouraging words and their belief in you, and your potential, gave you the courage to keep going and the belief that you could do it."
Graduate Tynisha Young also spoke of how supportive the educators were when she started continuing her education after leaving school to work and raise her children.
"Yes, we left high school for a reason but we never gave up and tonight we are walking testimonies of that," Young said.
2022 Graduates
Shawn Y. Agudo
Lilly R. Alibozek*
Julia Antunez Garcia
Lindsay A. Avery
Trent A. Beals*
Tasha S. Bleau
Dawn M. Bonilla
Kacie T. Bourquard
Francesca A. Bruno
Nicole P. Cohen
Jaydin N. Cooper*
Emma S. Dargi
Mason D. Douglas*
Brianna M. Elling*
Asia A. Filliault
Daniel J. Flynn
IndiaRain I. Hankey
Evan Harding
Connor A. Harford*
Brendan S. Jamieson
David C. Jansen*
James E. Kingsbury
Hannah M Lester
Laura Juliana Lopez-Manasalva
Bethanie J Malloy
Deseray M. Malloy*
Mackenna O. Malloy*
Chloe-Cathleen H. McEneany
Joshua J. McFalls
Jack S. Olender*
Olivia N. Pedretti
Christina I. Perry
Oscar G. Ramos
Rebecca R. Ramos
Mirical N. Robinson
Skylar Dayne St. John*
Joshua A. Sargent*
Samuel H.O. Schultheis
Francis Someah-Kwaw
Sarah C. Squires
Sharye K. Tibbs-Jackson
Julianna A. Tremblay*
Tynisha S. Young
*Adult Diploma Program
Award Recipients
Volunteer Angels: Cherie Ericson, John Foster
Linda Hermanski Positive Mindset Award: Ashley L. Martinez
Roselie Jean-Louis ACL All-Star Award: Jack S. Olender
William Stickney Scholarship: Lindsay Avery, Tasha Bleau, Dawn Golden, Alanah McLear, Oscar Ramos, James R. Tandoh
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Dalton Board & Police Facility Panel Emphasizes Need for Community Engagement
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Several aspects surrounding the proposed police facility are unclear, but one thing is for certain: the need for community engagement and education.
The Select Board and the Public Safety Advisory Committee attended the presentation. Although they did not fully agree on public engagement methodologies, they acknowledged the importance of public engagement and education in gaining community support and ensuring the project's smooth progression.
There will be another joint meeting in the next two weeks to a month, so the board can discuss next steps and ways to engage voters.
Select Board member Dan Esko emphasized that when other towns have undertaken similar projects, they did a lot of community surveying and polling engagement.
"I feel like that's what's missing here in Dalton right now, if we're going to focus on one thing as a priority, put that to the top is my advice, my thinking," he said.
"There's other things too, certainly it's not exclusive to working on other items."
Don Davis, co-chair of the Public Safety Advisory Committee, demonstrated that the committee has recognized community engagement as a necessary strategy since the beginning of this process.
On Tuesday, Mayor Peter Marchetti gathered with the Berkshire Running Foundation, MountainOne Insurance Agency, and Downtown Pittsfield Inc. to push the upcoming Steel Rail races on May 18, now in its 13th year.
click for more
The site assessment by Brian Humes, owner of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC of Berlin, Conn., showed that the lot had the highest ranking of the four submitted for study.
click for more
The district is also working hard to encourage its families to go to town meetings so they have a voice in this, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said in a follow-up.
click for more
Because of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the funding gap nearly tripled. To make the project happen, Habitat had to save nearly $200,000 by cutting the ADU, which is now allowed by right in Massachusetts.
click for more