Pittsfield Resident Earns Spot in USA Special Olympic Games

Community submission09:28AM / Tuesday, July 08, 2025Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON -- Pittsfield's Shannon Cowell is among 16 Bay State residents who earned the right to represent the commonwealth at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

Cowell will compete in track and field, one of four disciplines in which Massachusetts athletes will participate, along with powerlifting, tennis and aquatics.

Cowell qualified for the national games by winning a gold medal at the 2025 state games at Harvard University last month.

More than 4,000 athletes from around the country will compete at the USA games, schedueled for June 20-26 in Minneapolis.

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Summer Wrapping Up for Pittsfield, Berkshire Students

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:19PM / Sunday, August 23, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students in Pittsfield and beyond are enjoying their last days of summer before classes begin.

Most Berkshire County teachers return to work this month, and students follow in late August and early September.

For Pittsfield Public Schools, staff returns on Aug. 26 and students' first day is Aug. 31; pre-kindergarten and kindergarten begin school on Sept. 2.

Labor Day is on Monday, Sept. 7.

"The summer is pretty much done, and we will be ready and excited to open the doors in about two and a half weeks,” Superintendent Latifah Phillips told the School Committee on Wednesday.

Phillips is returning this year as the permanent superintendent. She was appointed the interim superintendent last spring, and the School Committee voted to hire her permanently in June.

This year also brings the middle school restructuring, moving fifth grade to the middle school level, and the retirement of Morningside Community School.

Welcome night for Reid Middle School students new to the building is on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.; Herberg will have a sixth-grade welcome night at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, and at the same time on Aug. 26 for fifth grade.

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