Jedi training at Hunt

Noah Sher and other young Padawans traversed the laser maze while training as Jedis on May the Fourth.
Patrick L. Sullivan

Noah Sher and other young Padawans traversed the laser maze while training as Jedis on May the Fourth.
FALLS VILLAGE — Upon entering the David M. Hunt Library Saturday, May 4 participants in the Star Wars “May the Fourth Be With You” activity encountered a large sign with instructions on how to create a Star Wars name.
It’s a straightforward procedure. For the Star Wars first name, combine the first three letters of one’s real last name and the first two letters of the first name.
The Star Wars last name is formed using the first three letters of the real first name and the last two of the last name. This reporter’s nom de Star Wars is Sulpa Ickan. The reporter asked if he could substitute something like “Mylar Ovaltine,” but no, rules are rules.
Brittany Spear-Baron, Assistant Director and Youth Programming Coordinator at the library, took charge, first reading a Star Wars story to the group of a dozen or so children, ranging in age from very small to middle school.
Then everybody was issued a light saber, in the form of a foam pool noodle.
The initial activity was seeing how long a Jedi knight in training could keep a air-filled balloon aloft using the light saber. This required great skill and concentration, as it was breezy and the balloons popped at the slightest provocation.
Eli Sher showed great promise at keeping his balloon in the air, tapping it with the saber a whopping 46 times before it touched the ground.
“I’m the master of the Force!” he declared.
“Ahh, that’s just light saber training,” said another Padawan.
After the warmup exercise, the trainees maneuvered through a laser field and a bed of molten lava. Then the tired Jedi knights went inside for refreshments.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.