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Mount Everett's Top Students Announced for Class of 2026

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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Mount Everett Regional School has announce that Benjamin Vella has been named valedictorian, and Philip Enoch has been named salutatorian of the class of 2026.
 
They will speak at graduation exercises to be held Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at Tanglewood in Lenox. 
 
Vella has completed a demanding course schedule, which includes eleven honors courses, eight early college courses, and one Advanced Placement course — Spanish Language and Culture, for which he earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
 
In addition to his academic endeavors, he has participated in extracurricular activities, making positive contributions to the Mount Everett Regional School community. Some of these activities include a member of the National Honor Society chapter, writer for The Bold Eagle student newspaper, Prom Committee member, Vex Robotics team captain, cross country team captain, track and field team captain, Rotary Interact Club secretary, and various positions on the
Student Council, including secretary, treasurer, student representative to the School Committee, and president. His leadership in the aforementioned areas has been notable. 
 
In the fall, Vella will attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, to pursue a degree in biochemistry.
 
Enoch has completed a rigorous course of study, taking 11 honors courses, three early college courses, and four AP courses. A leader in the school community and three-sport athlete, he has contributed to the Mount Everett community through the following extracurricular activities: tennis team, captain of both the soccer and hockey teams, Rotary Interact president, The Bold Eagle's
editor-in-chief, National Honor Society treasurer, and the school band and choir. 
 
He has also been on a team of Mount Everett musicians who have written
and produced their own music for a self-driven Studio Music class. 
 
Enoch will attend Williams College in Williamstown in the fall, entering as an English major with a focus on pre-law.
 
"Ben has worked extremely hard in his time at Mount Everett. He has been an outstanding student and community member. He has shown leadership in our classrooms and in extracurricular activities. His work ethic in these activities and his dedication in his studies has been exemplary," said Principal Jesse Carpenter.
 
"Philip has thrived at Mount Everett. He worked diligently in the classroom, on our athletic fields, and in all of his extracurricular clubs. His leadership in these clubs has been vital to their success. He has also been a model citizen and a role model that our younger students can look up to."
 
Please join the Southern Berkshire Regional School District in congratulating these fine scholars on their achievements.
 

Tags: graduation 2026,   Mount Everett,   val & sal,   

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Great Barrington Unveils 9/11 Memorial Featuring World Trade Center Steel

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A piece of history will now stand in front of the Great Barrington Fire Department, serving as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and heroism of those who rushed in, stepped forward, and answered the call on Sept. 11, 2001.
 
Hundreds of community members gathered outside the Fire Department for the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel I-beam salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.
 
The monument marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and its effect reached far and wide beyond New York, said Deputy Fire Chief James Mead.
 
"There are moments in our lives that become markers of time. Moments when we remember not only what happened, but where we were, who was beside us, and how the world somehow felt different afterwards," Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said. 
 
"For those of us who experienced September 11, 2001 — it is one of those moments for us to share."
 
The acquisition of the beam was a multi-year effort initiated by the late Andy Moro, former commander of American Legion Post 298 in Housatonic, and was carried on by the Legion's second vice commander, John Morris. 
 
Morris said he was able to obtain the warped steel I-beam through connections he made during his time as a New York City firefighter.
 
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