PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Forty-nine students, including 16 from Berkshire County and nearby communities, graduated on Sunday, June 4, during Miss Hall's School's 119th Commencement.
Ceremonies took place under a large tent on the front lawn of the school's Holmes Road campus. Christina Lowery, CEO of Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls' education and empowerment, delivered this year’s Commencement address. Lowery is also the granddaughter of the late Mary Thompson Austin, MHS Class of 1931.
Among the Class of 2017 graduates were the following local students: MaryCatherine Balcom of Pittsfield; Quinn Barry of Lee; Molly Crine of Mill River; Jenna Crosier of Pittsfield; Maya Finston-Fox of Monterey; Rachel Freedman of East Chatham, N.Y.; Hayden Gillooly of North Adams; Grace Guachione of Pittsfield; Emme Hauck of South Lee; Gabriela Keator of Lenox; Mikala L'Hote of Pittsfield; Sarah Nason of Lee; Olivia Nealon of Dalton; MacKenzie O'Brien of Dalton; Jacquline Rich of North Adams; and Marianne Vormer of Philmont, N.Y.
Additionally, 10 students were recognized for their induction this year into the Cum Laude Society, the national organization honoring scholastic achievement at secondary schools. This year's MHS inductees are seniors Josephine Dorsey of Slingerlands, N.Y.; Meigue Mollaioli of Assisi, Italy; Sarah Nason of Lee; Marianne Vormer of Philmont, N.Y.; and Yuzhi (Christina) Zhang of Qingdao, China; and juniors Kelsey Brown of Lee; Lin (Vivian) Hou of Shenzhen, China; Trang (Tiffany) Luu of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Kristina (Kexin) Wang of Beijing, China; and Xiyuan (Andrea) Zhang of Tangshan City, China. They joined seniors Momoka Ando of Tokyo, Japan; Gabriela Keator of Lenox; Yuhui (Mindy) Ma of Beijing, China; Hanyue (Amy) Ouyang of Shenzhen, China; and Sicong (Cynthia) Zhang of Hangzhou, China, who were inducted in 2016.
The following awards were also bestowed during the school's 119th Commencement and related recognition ceremonies (students are seniors unless otherwise noted):
* Joseph F. Buerger Memorial School Spirit Cup: Diamond Best of Danvers, Mass., and Jacquline Rich of North Adams
* Margaret Witherspoon Award: Momoka Ando of Tokyo, Japan
* Christine Fuller Holland '33 Service Prize: MaryCatherine Balcom of Pittsfield
* Faculty Commendation Prize: Jenna Crosier of Pittsfield
Miss Hall's School Core Competency Awards were given to:
* Vision: Gabriela Keator of Lenox
* Voice: Julia Baron of New York, N.Y.
* Interpersonal Efficacy: Tiffany Harris of Fort Lee, N.J.
* Gumption: Zuri Wilson of Ellenwood, Ga.
Meus Honor Stat Keys were presented to seniors: Momoka Ando of Tokyo, Japan; MaryCatherine Balcom of Pittsfield; Julia Baron of New York, N.Y.; Diamond Best of Danvers, Mass.; Zhongqi (Qiqi) Cai of Lawrence, Kan.; Hayden Gillooly of North Adams; Xueqi (Cissie) Jiang of Beijing, China; Siwon Kim of Cheonan, South Korea; Jacquline Rich of North Adams; and Zuri Wilson of Ellenwood, Ga.
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