Mount Greylock Regional Celebrates Graduation Saturday, June 6

11:26AM / Saturday, May 23, 2026Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional School will celebrate the graduation of 67 seniors at its annual graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 6.

Graduation will be held at 11 a.m. in the school gymnasium at at 1781 Cold Spring Road. The class of 2026 will be honored with speeches from two graduating student speakers.

Madison Powell has distinguished herself through academic ambition, leadership, and resilience, has been chosen by the Mount Greylock faculty to speak at graduation.

Passionate about mathematics, the Lanesborough resident intentionally shaped a rigorous high school curriculum, including pursuing college-level math coursework to support her interests in STEM-related fields such as architecture and construction science. At the same time, she maintained her creative interests by taking art classes throughout all four years of high school.

Beyond academics, Powell has made a strong impact within her school community. A three-season athlete and two-year member of the school's peer leadership team, she has served as a mentor and role model for younger students. Her dedication and excellence have earned her several accolades, including the MIAA Sportsmanship Award, the Greylock Athletic Award, and the Brandeis University Book Award. She also helps support her father's business outside of school, particularly during the busy summer season.

She will be attending Northeastern University to study architecture.

William Apotsos' accomplishments reflect both academic excellence and leadership, was chosen by the senior class to speak at graduation. Recognized for his authenticity, kindness, and selflessness, the Williamstown resident has consistently excelled in one of the school's most rigorous academic programs, completing eight Advanced Placement courses and a Williams College mathematics course while maintaining top performance in his class.

He leads by example, serving as captain of both the soccer and track and field teams, a teaching assistant in AP Computer Science, a youth soccer referee, and an active Student Council member, where he initiated a project to collect AP and test preparation books for fellow students.

His work ethic, intellectual curiosity, commitment to serving his community, have earned him numerous accolades, including National Honor Society, AP Scholar with Distinction, Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Williams College Sigma Xi Club High School Science Award, National Rural and Small Town Recognition Award (College Board), School Recognition Award (College Board), National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award, John and Abigail Adams Scholar, CIAO Berkshire County Soccer Hall of Fame Scholarship, a 2026 Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association scholarship, the 2025-2026 National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association nominee for the State of Massachusetts, Berkshire County Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

Apotsos will be attending the University of Michigan to study aerospace engineering.

Tags: graduation 2026, MGRS,

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Discrimination Against Muslim Americans Persists 25 Years After 9/11

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
07:00AM / Saturday, September 12, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Dozens of Muslim Americans were among people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Untold numbers of Muslim Americans have suffered countless acts of discrimination in their aftermath.

"Of course, you'll find several accounts of Muslims from all over the U.S. describing how they went from the unknown kids in the school to being stereotyped or ridiculed for their Muslim names," Sidra Mahmood recalled recently. "However, many Americans forget that the victims of 9/11 were also Muslim Americans.

"I can't forget the time when a classmate broke down in sobs when 9/11 came up in our classroom at the Islamic seminary I went to in Texas, because her father's best friend who was like an uncle to her, died on 9/11."

Today, Mahmood is a chaplain at Williams College. In 2001, she was growing up in Karachi, Pakistan, when terrorists forced two passenger jets into the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan and another plane into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. A third plane, which terrorists hoped to crash into a D.C. landmark, was brought down in western Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.

The attacks, which ultimately claimed 2,976 lives, horrified people around the world, including in Mahmood's native land.

"I remember being aghast like anyone who witnessed the fall of the Twin Towers in real time," she said. "However, even as a child, fear gripped me about the possibility of war, especially once we learned that Afghanistan, right adjacent to Pakistan, would be attacked by the U.S. My mother had told me about the 1971 war between India and Pakistan when she remembered hiding in the dark after bomb sirens would go off in Punjab after intentional blackouts.

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