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St. Mary's Team Takes 24th Annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge

Trophies for this year's Robotic Challenge.

DALTON, Mass. — The 24th annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge, hosted and sponsored by the Berkshire Innovation Center, was held Saturday, March 15, at Wahconah Regional High School.  

"This is such a great after school activity for them to get involved in. So they can learn all about science and technology and math, but also have that, you know, learn to collaborate with teammates and work with friends and problem solve as a team, said said Berkshire Innovation Center executive director, Ben Sosne.

"So all those great skills that you learn team activities, plus the science and technology stuff that you learn here."

This year's challenge, "Submerged," featured a field of 27 teams with more than 200 students from all over Berkshire County, using programmable robots to complete a variety of missions. The Submerged theme shines a spotlight on the ocean, which is home to some of the planet's most complex ecosystems and encourages students to explore the layers of the ocean and bring what they learn to the surface.

The teams competed in three rounds with the top eight point-scorers advancing to the Great Eight Playoff. After the great eight, two teams were left, the Lee RoboWildcats and the SMS Coding Crusaders of St. Mary's School in Lee.

They faced off in the finals with the SMS Coding Crusaders hitting first place with a total of 235 points.

Some of the teammates expressed how happy they were with their hard work.

"My year has been really good with this, I've had some struggles but as I went along I found out how to pick them up with some friends.” said eighth-grader Jasmine Filek. 

"It's my last year at St. Mary's right now and I was sincerely hoping that we would get into the great eight but to finish on top and it's my last year too it's just amazing because I get to go out with something I can be proud of," said eighth-grader Sophia Springstead.

We just had a group of kids that were ready to work and support each other and did what was best for the team,” said coach Christine Barry.

The awards ceremony followed the competition:

Best Research Project: Ro-BART-ics

Against All Odds Awards: WES Purple Owls

Comeback Kids: Engenuity 2B (Lenox)

Rookie Team of the Year: Roboty McRobotFace

Best Programming: Lee RoboWildcats

Most Innovative Design: Richmond Robotics

Team Spirit: Crosby Crew

Sportsmanship Award: Pine Cobble PSC Pringles

First Runner Up: Lee RoboWildcats

Challenge Champion: SMS Code Crusaders

Dalton Residents Petition for Action on Berkshire Concrete Dust

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
01:17PM / Tuesday, March 18, 2025

DALTON, Mass. — Several hundred residents have petitioned the Planning Board and Board of Health to take action regarding complaints surrounding Berkshire Concrete Corp. 

 

On Wednesday, the Planning Board will be providing an update on the organization's dust mitigation plan and the petrographic test results expected to determine the dust's composition. The meeting will take place at the Senior Center starting at 7 p.m.

 

During an update on the situation at a February Select Board meeting, the Board of Health said it is actively working with the state Department of Environmental Protection on air sampling from the sand dust to understand its contents.

 

In February, the town ordered Berkshire Concrete to stop work because of a "clerical error" that resulted in abutters being improperly notified.

 

Although work has stopped, residents say sand and dust is still blowing into the neighborhood. 

Sand can be seen on the snow in this March 9 photo of Prospect Street supplied by the 'Neighborhood Group of Concerned Citizens.'

A neighborhood petition gathered 357 signatures to urge the boards to take strict action on the situation. 

 

The petition urges the following steps be taken: the town cease approval of all future permits to Berkshire Concrete Corp. parcel 105-16; zone the parcel to protect it from all commercial purposes in perpetuity; and enforce strict reclaiming of the parcel to include but not be limited to regrading steep slopes, mulching mats to protect seed, and reforestation;

 

It also requests that all work at the entire mine site be stopped until corrective action has been taken and approved by governing authorities; that the town enforce permit conditions in a timely manner; and continually monitor air quality at the site and in the neighborhood.