Pittsfield Graduates Reflect on Their Pride as Generals
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Principal Maggie Harrington-Esko thanked the class for its positivity as she completes her last year as principal. See more photos here.
Principal Maggie Harrington-Esko welcomed families and the 159 graduates to Tanglewood, noting that this year is different as it's her last at PHS.
"I am so grateful to the class of 2025, thank you for your positivity you brought to Pittsfield High School. Thank you for creating and strengthening an atmosphere of inclusivity at our school. Thank you for being role models to our freshmen, and thank you for being such a bright light, not just in our building, but in the city of Pittsfield. You've shown up for each other in big and small ways. You've led with kindness, you've lifted people up, and you've made space for students to see, feel seen and valued," she said.
"You have made our school more alive and like a home, our home under the dome."
Harrington-Esko has been with Pittsfield high for 20 years and was made principal in 2022.
Class President Caroline Sherman told her classmates that it's time to make their own paths.
"I kept trying to find the right answer. The right thing to say. The right advice to give. But, the longer I dwelled, the more I began to realize, there is no one right answer. We are given advice all the time, 'travel while you're young, go to school, get a masters, go to community college, save your money, move somewhere new, follow your dreams, be responsible' and so on," she said. "It all contradicts itself which gets extremely overwhelming as I'm sure many of you know. The truth is, none of this advice is better than the other because it is all based on someone else's experiences. Now, it is time for us to listen to our own advice, and follow our own passions. ...
"I think that for me, and for many of us, that is the scary part because it also comes with sometimes choosing the wrong decision, and making our own mistakes. But isn't it exciting? My plans are different from your plans, and your plans might be different from the ones you had yesterday, but that doesn't mean that either of us are wrong. Every single one of us gets a chance to narrate our own stories. And not only do we get to write them, and someday tell them, but the best part is that we get to live them."
Class speaker Helen Makdisi spoke about the school year and what being a General means.
"Like the changes us graduates are about to experience, our school has had its own shifts and waves that we may not have anticipated. I may not agree with how our school has been depicted from the outside perspective, but they always say it's what matters on the inside anyways. As an insider, I don't need someone who's never walked through Pittsfield High's hallway to tell me what my school is or isn't," she said.
"I can't say I've never been frustrated with some of the decisions and actions surrounding our school, but what I can say is this; as a community, we have always gravitated towards resilience, how we support one another, adapt, and rebuild in the face of challenges."
Makdisi said she'd had the pleasure of being an insider at PHS, and that to be a General is to "cheer as loud as you can during a game or performance; to be a General is to laugh with your best friends during the one free day of advisory you all have; to be a General is to show up to serve your community on your day off of work; to be a General is to embrace what comes and goes."
Superintendent Joseph Curtis, presented the Karl Boyer McEachron Award to Caroline Sherman. McEachron, a native of Hoosick Falls, N.Y., was pioneer in practical applications of electrical engineering and spent the bulk of his career at GE.
"Caroline, you have distinguished yourself, not only through your outstanding academic achievements, but also through your deep commitment to your school community, your involvement in extracurricular activities and your vision for future in science, you represent everything. This award stands for curiosity, integrity, integrity, perseverance and purpose. And on behalf of the Pittsfield Public Schools and the legacy of Karl Boyer McEachron, it is my pleasure and privilege to present you with this year's award."
Sherman will receive a plaque and a $2,000 scholarship.
Class advisors Mia Albano and Ashley Paradis presented the diplomas and certificates; the band played "Our Kingsland Spring"; the chorus sang "Be the Light" and "Changes" and the orchestra played Sergei Rachmaninov's "Romance for String" from Symphony No. 2.
Then Harrington-Esko gave the order to turn their tassels and dismissed the Generals for the last time.
Pittsfield High School Class of 2025
Jack Abel
Mia Nicole Acedo
Sadie Marie Aitken
Davis B. Albayeros Herrera
Zamare Arce
Karen Awortwe
Roos BaJnath
Duane Bampoe
Leland Dennis Barnes
Ella K. Bassi
James K. Behnke
Logan Bell
Brenna Kathleen
Bellefontaine
Ayla Irene Better
Dominique Billups
Caden W. Boehm
Mya Lynn Boyd
Brianna Brennan
Zoe-Ruth Kayla Abigail Brizan
Mason Bromback
Laura Reagan Bronson
Cayveon Brown
Isabella Brown
Zachary Bruno
Matthew Burega
Lavar Burney
Owen T. Burtt
Ceilia Cantarella
Jereme Capitanio
Kyle Paulique Cardoso
Aidan Carlino
Zoe A. Caropreso
Imari Chadwell
Samara Carolina Chaires
Lisa Chen
Mitchell Costello-Williams
Diego Cruz
Aidan Ryan D'Aniello
Jennifer Marie Daley
Tierra Darrisaw
J'Shay Jazmine Davis
Kenny Davis
Kendall Davis
Rosajulia De Jesus Baez
Gustavo de Oliveira
Gianna Marie Dejax
David Delgado
Alyssa Marie Dennis
Ekaterina Depson
Sean Depson
Connor Devine
Brooklyn Duck
Matthew Ryan Dupuis
Paxton R. Ebling
Jordan Erwin
Yahenely Espinal
Kevin Esquivel Ochoa
Prosper Kodjo Ezan Jr.
Jack Harvey Farkas
Ava Margaret Jean Farmer
Aiden Christopher Ferris
Jaden Jean Fuller
Danayah Ann-Marie Garrity
Ayden Gilford
Emma Jean Goetze
Darwin Gordon Ruiz
Addison Anastacia Guillermo
Dance Hamilton
Amari Latese
Hamilton-Johnson
Kyren Alexander Hanson
Jessica Lynn Healey
Gabriel Henner
Dennis Noel Hermanski
Dilana Hermanski
Olivia Michele Holcomb
Kayla Hunter
Aiden Hyatt
Chloe Jefferson
Jackson Jezewski
Aaliyah Shanice Johnson
Marcus Jubrey
Alanna Isabella Kablan
Cameron Keefe
Molly Elizabeth
Kennedy-Mutz
Sean W. Kettering
Leonardo Kirian
Owen Klatka
Connor Kynsh
Patrick Konefal
Oleksii Kotofan
Ayden Lamon
Olivia Legree
Nathan Ryan Lesnick
Damien Lighten
Huber Emanuel Lobos Garrido
Nevaeh Alicia Lopez
Connor Mack
Rodellio Mack
Helen Makdisi
Joyce Makdisi
Jesse Manchester
Stephanie Martin
Grace Mason
Mia Diane McCluskey
Karalin Melendez
Viggo X. Mesquita
Dominic Messer
Dylan Monahan
Victoria Monsalve
Emilie Jean Monyahan
Haylee Morin
Daniel Andres Mosquera
Eliza Mullen
Kendall Elizabeth Murray
Hazel Navratil Gonzalez
Anna Reilly Newell
Auriana Ngoran
Andrea Ofori Safo
Josiah Oman-Cobbinah
Gabryela Ytzabelle Love
Ortiz-Ramirez
Dominick J. Ott
Giana Ott
Yasmine Lina Oubtrou
Jenayssi Ovalles
Nicholas Pasterczyk
Valeysha Pereira
Marley Perras
Adrian Willow
Peterson-Holt
Jaci Phillips
Angelina Pierce
Molly Pope
Dezerea R. Powell
Blake A. Rahilly
Ayden Ramirez
Jack Reed
Aiden Alexander Reyes
Elias Robinson
Joseph Roccabruna
Daniel Gene Rubito III
James Ryan
Janneth Sanchez
Campuzano
Kaydance Shaw
Caroline Elizabeth
Sherman
Ethan Michael Shove
Adams Sidibe
Jasmine Small
Jason Erubial Sosa Sigaran
Ethan Spaulding
Cassidy Symonds
Selvin Tagual-Pirir
Amauri Torres Santos
Mason Christopher Trimble
Lucy Violet-Soares Troy
Andrew Tullock
Rothman Valdospinos
Miles Vazquez
Jonuel Velazquez Colon
Dania Guadalupe
Villanueva Portillo
Robert C. Weibel
Madalyn Rae Wilson
Camden Zerbato
Iris Zucco
* National Honor Society
+2025 Class Council
++Student Council
Tags: graduation 2025, PHS,
