image description — Emily Escalon-Brizuela poses with the trophy she won in the Jonathan Levine Middle School Spelling Bee and Reid Principal Debra Roloson.

Reid Student Is Levine Spelling Bee Champion

04:54PM / Saturday, January 25, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Top spellers from Herberg and Reid Middle Schools competed in the 2025 Jonathan Levine Middle School Spelling Bee at the Berkshire Athenaeum.

Spellers went 10 rounds to crown this year's victor: Emily Escalon-Brizuela, from Reid Middle School.

In the last round, Emily inched out Averi Olds, the top Herberg speller. Last year, these same two spellers battled it out, with Averi taking home the 2024 trophy.

"It was a lot of intensity. I was very impressed by the poise," said judge state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.

Both Emily and Averi (as the top spellers from their respective schools) will advance to regionals in an attempt to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The library joined forces with the Pittsfield Public Schools to host the middle school spelling bee since 2017. Following the death of Pittsfield Gazette publisher Jonathan Levine in 2021, the Levine family endowed the competition, which was named in his honor.

This year, Jonathan's brother and sister-in-law, David and Theresa Levine, attended the spelling bee, bringing our winners hand-made chocolates from Chocolats Passion, a Portland, Maine, chocolatier led by Sarah Burns, one of Jonathan's nieces. The top speller was also awarded a cash prize. Reid teacher LeeAnn Massery also garnered a small prize to support the classroom that produced this year's winner.

This year's judges were Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Mayor Peter Marchetti, Assistant Superintendent for School Transformation and Accountability Jennifer Stokes, and School Committee Member & Trustee of the Berkshire Athenaeum Diana Belair.

"It was amazing to watch, and I am really proud of all of the students who participated in the spelling bee," Mayor Peter Marchetti.

Reid Principal Debra Roloson was on hand to congratulate Emily and celebrate the return of the trophy to Reid.

"We are proud to celebrate Emily's outstanding achievement in winning the citywide spelling bee. Emily prepared tirelessly for this competition, demonstrating dedication and perseverance," Roloson said. "This marks her second year reaching the final round, and it was wonderful to see her emerge victorious. We are honored to share in her accomplishment and applaud her hard work and success."

For those curious about how they would have fared in the spelling bee, two of the deciding words in this year's final round were symphony and palette.

The full list of participants:

Herberg Middle School: Westen Aube, Lydia Chen, Ethan Deane, Miewa N'Goran, Averi Olds, Liam Riva, Antonia Rizzo, Jackson Schneider, Kevin Smith, and Thomas Wren.

Reid Middle School: Latifah Ahmed, Emily Escalon-Brizuela, Minna Hed, Caleb Koomson, Querdalyna Smith, Briella Speth, and Damian Tower.

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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