‘A momentous day’ at NCES

Principal Alicia Roy gave a touching farewell speech to the eighth grade class. Roy is also departing NCES at the end of this school year.

Riley Klein

‘A momentous day’ at NCES

NORTH CANAAN — The outgoing eighth grade class of North Canaan Elementary School said “so long” to middle school Monday, June 10.

The commencement ceremony weas held on the lawn behind the school with (most of) the 23 departing students seated up on the hill. Family and friends filled the grass to support the students.

Along with the eighth graders, Principal Alicia Roy also marked the end of her final year at NCES.

“Class of 2024, you and I are both leaving North Canaan Elementary School,” said Roy, holding back tears. “I have so many happy memories. None of us knows what is to come next in life. But you can master it.”

Teachers presented awards to students for academic achievement in each subject. The students received their diplomas before sharing their perspective with the audience.

“Today is a momentous day,” said Federico Vargas Tobon. “As we stand on the cusp of high school, we look back on our journey through middle school with nostalgia, pride and excitement for the future.”

“If life were an equation, M would be our dreams. X, our determination. And B, our upcoming opportunities. Mx+B equals your infinite future, for our potential is limitless,” Grace Koller recited from her poem titled “Farewell to Yesterday, Embrace Tomorrow.”

The commencement concluded with the eighth-grade class’s performance of “Remember Me” from the film “Coco.”

They marched out in single file to enjoy refreshments in the cafeteria with friends and family.

Latest News

All are welcome at The Mahaiwe

Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.

Geandy Pavon

Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”

The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Living with the things you love:
a conversation with Mary Randolph Carter
Mary Randolph Carter teaches us to surround ourselves with what matters to live happily ever after.
Carter Berg

There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.

“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Beloved classic film ‘The Red Shoes’ comes to the big screen for Triplex benefit
Provided

On Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m., The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts, are presenting a special benefit screening of the cinematic masterpiece, “The Red Shoes,” followed by a discussion and Q&A. Featuring guest speakers Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob’s Pillow, and dance historian Lynn Garafola, the event is a fundraiser for The Triplex.

“We’re pitching in, as it were, because we like to help our neighbors,” said Norton. “They (The Triplex) approached us with the idea, wanting some input if they were going to do a dance film. I thought of Lynn as the perfect person also to include in this because of her knowledge of The Ballets Russes and the book that she wrote about Diaghilev. There is so much in this film, even though it’s fictional, that derives from the Ballets Russes.” Garafola, the leading expert on the Ballets Russes under Serge Diaghilev, 1909–1929, the most influential company in twentieth-century theatrical dance, said, “We see glimpses of that Russian émigré tradition, performances we don’t see much of today. The film captures the artifice of ballet, from the behind-the-scenes world of dressers and conductors to the sheer passion of the audience.”

Keep ReadingShow less