TheGreen and Gray

News and Opinions from the Students of Berkshire School April 30, 2010 Berkshire Elects Teddy Bear By Min Jung Yoo ‘10

In a tight runoff, Teddy Benfield won the race for all-school president over Jack Hughes on April 27. With 253 votes cast, the Mystic, Conn., resident won by 9 votes, 131-122, ac- cording to Dena of Students Peter Quilty, who announced the results at Wednesday’s all- school meeting. A total of 266 students were eligible to vote— everyone but seniors—and 219, or 82%, of these voted. Only 31 teaching faculty, or 49%, went to the polls in the runoff. The first round of voting ended in a virtual tie between Teddy and Jack—familiar names in American politics—with Maggie Fiertz finishing After Monday’s all-school meeting, All-School President-elect Teddy Benfield, wearing his trademark bow tie, gathers with future constituents Cheney Chatwin ’11, Cassidy Walsh ’11, and brother Thomas Benfield ’13. third. The last runoff occurred two years ago, in a contest between Lars Nelson ’09 and eventual winner Kelsey Brown ’09. McCain to the Rescue According to Dean Quilty, the all-school By Colin Puth ’10 president is chosen strictly by the majority of the popular vote. He said that he himself The town of Sheffield has breathed a huge counted the votes twice, then called on cur- sigh of relief as Berkshire School’s very own rent All-School President Kit Landry to count Malcolm McCain recently joined that the votes with him. town’s fire department. Though still in high school, Malcolm has already gone through continued on page 2 all training necessary to be a volunteer member of the squad. “I have always had a huge interest in serving for the fire department, but never thought I would actually be given the opportunity,” the New Sheffield firefighter Malcolm McCain is congratulated INSIDE: by former Sheffield firefighter Bill Gulotta, who wore the continued on page 3 same #36 helmet Malcolm now wears. Gatehouse for sale or rent 2 Dixon Observatory reopens Gulotta returns By Andrew McCarthy ’10 to the diamond 2 Cool Parent: Bill Mason 4 After waiting for almost three years, Berkshire’s astronomy students can once again study the Election reform 5 solar system in Dixon Observatory. The facility, built in 2000 next to the Stewart Pitch, has been Go get the 6 closed due to construction of the Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center and a broken motor that is used to rotate the dome of the building. Running on empty 7 Astronomy teacher Dan Spear’s class meets in the observatory every Monday night if the The new lady in line 8 weather is good. continued on page 2 Page 2 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010

Gatehouse for sale or rent By Dakota Richardson ’10

Driving into Berkshire last fall and no tuition shouldn’t be affected, but rather we shorter shift of about four or five hours. The longer seeing security guards operating the should eliminate some of the extra hours we next guard will take over sometime in the green gatehouse at the bottom of the driveway, were logging in the security office.” middle of the night and work the longer shift one wondered where they might have gone. Mr. Alden said that compared to peer of about 8 hours, but this does vary on some Security is now headquartered in Memorial schools, Berkshire had one of the most exten- nights. The hours that security work runs Hall, and while hours and manpower have sive security programs of all. As a result, he from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., opposed to the old been reduced, “there is nothing different said, “we decided to scale down and employ start. In total they work 12 hours each night about the jobs and the protection on cam- two guards a night, as opposed to the multi- keeping guard.” pus,” according to John Alden, Berkshire’s ple guards who were working from 4 p.m. to “Security is as protective as it ever has chief financial officer 6 a.m., 7 days a week,” said Mr. Alden. been,” said GuardWatch Security employee “We needed to make cuts in the budget as “Now we have a total of four guards that Clay Hall. “We do what we always have done. a result of the economy and the endowment we use in different shifts. There are always We make two nightly checks with the sprin- hit,” said Mr. Alden. “We looked at many dif- two security guards on each night and the klers and all the heating system. We can al- ferent expense points, and determined that shifts generally have the first guard working a ways be of service, even if there is only one guard on duty, because any calls made to the security office will be relayed to our cell Teddy Bear continued from page 1 phones and we can get right on it.” In their office in Memorial, the guards keep The candidates appeared on stage April 26 question. Unlike past years, there were no their logs and spend most of the night when to answer the following question: speeches or other questions. not outside driving around. The gatehouse at If elected to this position, explain three In addition, the three candidates had to an- the entrance to the school is no longer being specific ways that you will help lead Berk- swer two more questions on a written applica- used by security because the primary objective shire to become a better place. Each candi- tion: Why do you want this position? and was not to stop cars. Now security can do date took about a minute to answer the What specific things have you done while you their daily rounds out of Memorial and are have attended Berkshire to make you qualified closer to the dorms and academic buildings. to hold this position? Mr. Alden says that scaled-down security “I am open to any other suggestions that has not changed any of the normal proce- will improve both the election process and stu- dures. dent government at Berkshire School,” said “Security’s nightly procedures consist Mr. Quilty. Published monthly, with special mostly of checking the boilers in each build- editions at the whim of the staff. ing, making sure they are on and working Dixon continued from page 1 properly. The last thing you want in the Staff Reporters Adam Albelin ‘10 morning is to have cold showers. They also Joel Halpern ’10 “So far we have been focusing on the ob- handle access problems. For example, if a stu- Ryan MacDonald ’10 jects in our solar system including the Moon, dent gets in late from the airport, they make Malcolm McCain ’10 Andrew McCarthy ’10 Mars, and Saturn,” he said. “Many students sure the student can get inside safely. They Colin Puth ’10 have used the hand-held controller to locate also check for any lights left on in buildings, Dakota Richardson ’10 objects and have learned how to focus the tele- Ty Roselli ’10 they lock facilities, such as the Jack and Berk- Karina Srb ’10 scope on their own.” shire Hall, and every now and then they will Keith Veronesi ’10 Mr. Spear says he to have a few nights be- Jacob Weiner ’10 stop a suspicious vehicle.” Min Jung Yoo ’10 fore the end of the school year where the ob- With the imminent tearing down of Me- servatory will be open to the entire school. morial, the security team will need to move Sports Editor “For the time being the observatory will be Keith Veronesi ’10 offices, but according to Mr. Alden, no deci- limited to members of the school. However, sion has been made regarding the new office Music Editor once everything is calibrated and connected headquarters. He said the school is also unde- Luke Johnson ’11 for point and click operations, finding objects cided on what to do with the vacant green Faculty Advisor will be much quicker. So perhaps sometime gatehouse. Mr. Harris next year we will have a few nights where it is open to everyone, including the outside com- munity.” Page 3 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010

Gulotta returns to the diamond By Keith Veronesi ’10

In the last four games, Berkshire’s varsity After coaching the track team for his first makes us laugh so hard.” softball team has scored 71 runs against its op- three years at Berkshire, Mr. Gulotta coached Aside from getting back into coaching ponents’ 9. A far cry from last September, the softball team for thirteen years. He was shape, Mr. Gulotta has found his pitching when the team found itself in a bit of a then asked to coach the baseball team, which form and is back throwing batting practice. pickle—no pun intended. he did for five years, after which he returned to Mr. Gulotta said he is surprised at what a great Softball coach and college advisor Christine coaching softball for another eleven years be- bunch of girls he has on his team and truly “Twink” Williams suddenly departed for a fore yielding his duties to Ms. Williams. loves being around them day after day. small division III school, leaving the softball When asked what he missed the most dur- This season the Bears are off to a good team suddenly coachless. So Berkshire turned ing his brief time off, Mr. Gulotta smiled and start, with a 4-1 record. In the last two to someone with more than enough experience said, “Nothing.” games the Bears have combined to offen- to step up to the plate: former softball and Mr. Gulottas players are enthusiastic about sively explode for 30 runs. baseball coach Bill Gulotta. his return. Following the last game of the 2010 sea- “I did it for Berkshire and volunteered. Plus, “I love it. He’s the man,” said sixth-former son, Mr. Gulotta says that he intends to I had the most experience,” says Mr. Gulotta and team captain Ali Vakos. once again hang his cleats up, this time for adding that Berkshire has done many great Fourth-former Rebecca Russo, in her first sure. Time will tell. things for him and his family, and he figured year with Mr. Gulotta as coach, said, “He he could step up and take one for the team. works the hardest in practice every day and

McCain continued from page 1 Letter to The Green and Gray eighteen-year-old senior said. “When given the chance to train as an independent study, I Dear Staff of the Green and Gray, knew it would it would be an extremely benefi- cial task.” th In the March issue there appeared an article based on concussions, their signifi- On April 9 , Malcolm was sworn in at the cance, their treatment, and the care provided by the school’s athletic trainers. While Town Hall as an official volunteer for the the staff of the athletic training department appreciates the favorable portrayal of squad. “I am still required to attend training our skills and concern for these injuries, we are discouraged by the inappropriate every Wednesday night at the fire department,” terminology used in the article. Malcolm said. “However, given the flexibility of Several times in the article Mr. Wysocki is referred to as “trainer.” The correct ter- senior spring, attending training should not be minology for anyone holding an ATC credential is athletic trainer or certified ath- too difficult.” letic trainer. The difference between “trainer” and athletic trainer is vast and being Malcolm has already been given the full fire- referred to as such hurts our profession and our credibility as skilled allied health fighter’s uniform which is sure to impress the professionals. (This was an especially touchy subject during March, which was Na- ladies, including a fire hat that once belonged tional Athletic Training Month.) It is imperative that we, and all people holding the to longtime Sheffield firefighter and Berkshire ATC credential, be referred to as athletic trainer or certified athletic trainer. The history teacher Bill Gullotta, who retired from biggest difference between the two (trainer and athletic trainer) is that a trainer does the force three years ago. Science teacher Frank not need to hold a degree or pass a national certification exam to ply their trade. An Barros is also a former Sheffield fireman. athletic trainer must graduate from an accredited four year college or university and Ironically, one of Malcolm’s first fire calls was pass a national certification exam. In addition, many states also require athletic a false alarm at CGR. trainers to hold a license form the Board of Allied Health; as is the case in the state “The alarm was in fact just set off by an ex- of Massachusetts. cess of hairspray,” Malcolm said with disap- pointment. “However, though there was no Sincerely, real fire, I was the first volunteer on the scene.” While no flames have sparked since Malcolm The Berkshire School Athletic Training Staff was sworn in, everyone is eager to see the brave senior protect and serve as a town firefighter. Page 4 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010

Cool Parent: Bill Mason By Ty Roselli ‘10

Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho, as a summer activity or something to occupy my time in the summer months. One thing led to another, and I opened another store in Boise, quit graduate school and was off and running in the fly fishing business, at a time when fly fishing was in early stages of erupting in popu- larity. At the request of the owner of Sun Valley Resorts, I moved and opened Fishing Opera- tions, a store with a new partner in Sun Valley in 1972 and briefly expanded to Vail and Park City, Utah. Since the mid- 1980’s, I operated solely under the name of Bill Mason Outfitters. I also ran bird hunting operations locally and Do you have a most memorable catch? in the Midwest in 70’s and early 80’s. I’ve been Too many to count, but probably striped in Sun Valley for 38 years. marlin and sailfish on a fly ranks right up there. Bill Mason, the father of sixth-former Hank Big trout and salmon throughout the world all Mason and third-former Olivia Mason, grew What is the process for becoming a seem to run together. Salt water for anything up in Seattle, Wash., and attended high school professional fly fisherman? on a fly can be pretty special. in Hawaii. There he was a multi-sport athlete, There is no particular guideline or route you playing football, basketball, baseball, and golf, take to get into the business other than fly fish- What is your favorite place to fly fish in the and then playing strictly golf at the University ing quite a bit and hooking up with an existing world? And is there anywhere that you of Washington. business to gain experience. You don’t get haven’t that you would like to go to fly fish? But Mr. Mason always found time to fish, drafted. You start at the bottom and work your I have fished all over the world, Argentina, and eventually he made a career as a profes- way up, gaining as much experience as you can Chile, New Zealand, England, Norway, Ice- sional fly fisherman. He lives in Sun Valley, get. Starving in the early years is also part of the land, Alaska, salt water in Caribbean and Pa- Idaho, and is semi- retired after selling his retail equation. In Idaho or Montana, you must cific and, of course, many waters in the U.S. outdoor stores and Outfitting Fishing business work for an outfitter licensed by the State in Because all are different and have their own set in 2007, while continuing to give private various outdoor activities including fishing. of blueprints, likes and dislikes, it is very tough classes in fly fishing entomology. Most states have no restrictions, but nearly all to judge. It’s hard to beat Idaho/Montana and states other than Idaho, Montana and Sun Valley for convenience, beauty, variety and How did you first become involved Wyoming don’t have the quality of fishing big trout. I have not fished in Russia, but I in fly fishing? available, either. There are things available in wonder if I’m up to roughing it anymore. Not I started to fish at age six with my father on the East, but it is limited. Lack of quality re- into hard work like I used to be. camping trips in the Pacific Northwest and sources is the main problem, but if you dig, began seriously fly fishing at around age 10. you can find. What books have you written on fly fishing Have been doing it ever since. and when did you write them? What is the average work day like for a Have contributed to four or five books, but How did you decide that you wanted to professional fly fisherman? have written two by myself: Sports Illustrated pursue fly fishing as your career? It used to be much longer days than it is Fly Fishing (1988) and No Nonsense Guide To Totally by accident. It was not what I origi- now. It was eight-to-ten hour Fly Fishing Idaho (1994). nally set out or planned to do. I guided people days whether wade or float fishing in a boat, briefly in Montana late in college days. Upon sometimes seven days a week during the sum- Do you continue to fly fish and, if so, graduating, I worked very briefly in accounting mer season. Today, because people are not as how often? before discovering I was not qualified for mili- hard-core; six hours is generally enough, and a In the winter, I will fish two to four times a tary service. While doing some graduate work good guide with longevity and past clients month, weather permitting, and in the sum- at the University of Utah in 1969, I joined probably works on the average five days a week. mer, two to four days a week in between partnership with a friend in starting my first The business has been slightly shrinking since rounds of golf. It’s whatever sounds good that store and fly fishing operation on the Henry’s the early 2000’s. day or what fly hatch is on the waters. Page 5 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010 Editorial Three seniors on election reform at Berkshire

I may have only been at Berkshire for less huddled around a small table in the dining than a year, but even I can tell that the election hall, casting votes on who should hold the title Before we knew it, the campaigning was process at this school needs change. of All School President next year at Berkshire over. Less than a minute for each candidate for At all-school meeting Monday morning, School. All-School President. Knowing little about three worthy candidates stepped on stage and But how well do these students really know each candidate, we felt we did not know any- told the student body three things that they the candidates? more about them by the time the campaigning would change about Berkshire and how they Aside from a few posters scattered around was done. Whatever happened to each candi- would do it. Although all three candidates did school, friendly hellos in passing, and the ex- date being quizzed on the stage, rather than a a good job in answering the question, it was tremely brief question-and-answer session on one-and-done method? the only question they were asked on stage. stage, did we as students really know enough Dating back over the past few years, the stu- Can three proposed changes be all that the about Jack Hughes, Teddy Benfield, and Mag- dent body looked forward to the day where the students base their votes on? Now we know gie Fiertz to make a decision on who should hopeful presidential candidates would have that everyone has their own opinion of the can- lead our school? No t-shirts were made, no their time to shine and fill in their exact plans didates after going to school with them; how- campaigning was done, no proposals of a “bet- of what next year entailed for the student body. ever, one’s abilities as a president can’t be ter Berkshire” were made, no speeches were But many seniors left Monday morning meet- determined without further evaluation. given. What happened to good old friendly ing feeling sorry for the returning students who The student body should be given a chance competition? It seems as though these candi- had to put next year in the hands of a person to ask the candidates specific questions, to put dates were not given the chance to make the who did not get enough time to blueprint his the candidates on the spot and to see how they student body really know who they are. or her plans for the next school year. react. That is the type of situation they will be On Monday night, it was announced that It was healthy and positive last year to see Kit facing next year. Also, a speech is necessary, Jack Hughes and Teddy Benfield had tied in Landry and Michael Beucler battle it out for not only to persuade us to vote, but more so the election and that a second vote for All all-school president, as they exchanged their because the president will be doing a lot of School President would take place the follow- own opinions and ideas. That’s how the cam- public speaking in the next year, and the stu- ing day during lunch. Did either of these stu- paign should be done, rather than determining dents need to know that can be represented dents have a second chance to persuade the the school’s future in forty seconds. well. student body why it should vote for them? No. — Keith Veronesi — Ty Roselli All School President is more than merely a title—it’s a privilege to serve the school to ben- Three students on stage. Maggie, Jack, efit one’s peers. It seems as though the spirit of Teddy. “I think I would make a good all-school rivalry and competition has disappeared, and president because…” And then their several the election has turned into a true popularity seconds in the spotlight are over. Just over an contest. hour later, third, fourth and fifth formers are — Karina Srb Page 6 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010 Opinion

Puth in the Booth Listenin’ Luke Colin Puth ’10 reviews Kick-Ass Go get the Gorillaz If you look at a preview or poster for this By Luke Johnson ‘11 film, it would not be surprising to pass it off as a mediocre Superbad/Spiderman The music of 2010 plays in a different key as the songs of 2009 wannabe depicting the awkward and con- slowly fade out. Train’s hit single “Hey, Soul Sister” tops charts and fusing times of a modern-day teenager. You breaks hearts while artists like B.o.B. and Rihanna appease our raven- might notice it is about superheroes as well, but it doesn’t make it ous appetite for hip-hop and pop. look much more entertaining. While many can recite the lyrics to “Your Love Is My Drug,” few However, what you don’t know is that Kick-Ass could be of can even name the Gorillaz’ newest album, . Currently the most mis-marketed films I have seen in my time. Through number 54 on the iTunes album charts, this album has sold over advertisements this film may appear to be a simple-minded 600,000 copies since its recent release. Despite these numbers, it re- movie set for young teens looking for an easy story with some mains obscure in the Berkshire community. The Gorillaz are unique action and a few obscenities. However, Kick-Ass’s plot, tone, in that their music and music videos follow a loose plot around four and constant excessive violence make it a movie that is cer- animated characters that represent the members of the band. The tainly not for children. music videos to their prior hits like Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc. The film focuses on Dave Lizewski, a geeky high schooler follow these characters through various settings, including a windmill who spends his time buried in comic books and discussing the on a floating island, and leave the fans confused and disturbed, but female anatomy with what appear to be his only two friends. always craving more. He is ignored in the hallways throughout the school day, and The new album continues this trend; graphic artist for the band harassed by thugs on his way home. Fed up with the consis- Jamie Hewitt even states, “I’m so bored of drawing those characters. tent bullying he and his friends face, and heavily influenced by But then we had a moment where we had a new angle on it... I’m various comic books, Dave decides to try to add a little excite- gonna adapt them.” ment into his life by ordering a blue wetsuit online, passing it However, like any good album, its value lies in its songs, not its off as a super hero outfit. After some amateur self-training and background. While the title song, “Plastic Beach,” which features a few failed attempts at trying to save the day, Dave manages Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, lacks substance, it does have the psy- to save a man getting severely beaten by a gang outside of a chedelic qualities that many Gorillaz fans seek in their music. I be- coffee shop. The act is caught on film by a spectator nearby, lieve a better representation of their album would be their single and soon Dave’s alter ego, which he self-titled “Kick-Ass,” be- “Stylo,” which features Mos Def and Bobby Womack. “Stylo” has a gins showing up all over the web. quality groove that one wouldn’t expect from a typical Gorillaz song, The new super hero eventually gets the attention of actual su- but has the vocal drones and repetition ever-present in their more fa- perheroes, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit-Girl, a father and mous tracks. daughter trained to rid their city of crime. After seeing what he can Other songs worth mentioning would be “” and do, the duo invites Kick-Ass to join their squad in taking down “” the latter branching completely out of the Goril- New York City’s top drug dealers, which they seem to like doing in laz’ comfort zone and comprising both hip-hop and Latin elements. the most graphic way possible. While the remaining thirteen songs are all noteworthy, the three While the plot does seem fairly bland in advertisements, the aforementioned most accurately represent the album. This album is a stunts and fight scenes in this film are honestly more impressive must-have for any Gorillaz fan or anyone who enjoys amazing music. and violent than almost any other film I’ve seen. While Kick-Ass is heavily action, it does an excellent job of depicting high-school life and the hilarity that comes with it. Though almost two hours long, Kick-Ass manages to be either incredibly funny or over-the- top violent, sometimes combining the two together. I personally have never seen an eleven-year-old girl single handedly kill twelve drug dealers until watching this film, which in itself was pretty shocking. Kick-Ass literally does not have one dull minute throughout the film, and is sure to entertain audiences everywhere, so long as parents realize it is certainly not a kid’s film. Page 7 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010 Opinion Straight from the Jawbone

Running on empty By Jacob Weiner ’10

School is the devil. that he should really just ask me—in English. abroad because of Iceland and the volcano it I had this epiphany as I bounded up the I can only imagine school will carry on can’t seem to control. Most of my friends back stairs of Berkshire Hall Wednesday at 8:10 but- like this until graduation sometime next home are enjoying a senior spring at public toning up the same shirt I had worn for the month, which is way too far away looking at school and real life experience. One is touring past three days and my eyes still tearing from it from here. South America, only having to report once a the contacts that I had placed in backwards What am I doing with myself while I am still week to his Spanish teacher. Some are working after I rolled down the ladder of my bed wak- here? I am into college, have one AP coming at various banks and for the most part just ing up Ryo Atsumi, who screamed something up but other than that I want to say, mission hanging out. This bothers me a great deal. I at me in a foreign tongue. I had a quiz in Span- accomplished, I’m into college, and please leave want real life experience. I don’t want to do ish for no real reason because I had informed me alone. I just got back from London visiting homework. I want to be done, be off campus. my teacher on numerous occasions that I do my sister, who is doing a semester abroad there, From how things look right now I am either not speak Spanish and therefore should not and realized that if I had spent three more days going to be spending the next four years in a have to take a quiz to prove this to him, and there, I myself who would be doing a semester small town in Indiana or my next nine years traveling to beautiful and exotic places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. So with this I have decided, to heck with From the Right school; I am becoming a stripper. I’ll start off small until I can form some sort Mass. gubernatorial race of partnership with a guy that does oversized starting to heat up cakes from which I can leap in a blaze of glory By Matt Steiner ’12 and frosting. From there I plan on dominating the scene around Chicagoland, stripping at bar With the mid-term elections just around the corner, the race for the Governor’s mansion mitzvahs, weddings, baptisms etc. Eventually I on Beacon Hill is brewing. Incumbent Democrat Deval Patrick has an approval rating hover- will have to go to school but will have the ing just above 22%, making him highly vulnerable and a GOP target this November. means to pay for it and can possibly receive a Patrick’s main opponent is former Secretary of Administration and Finance Charlie “life experience” scholarship. Baker (R-MA). Baker, a fiscal conservative, is running a socially liberal campaign, sup- Regardless, school seems to be winding porting abortion and gay marriage. His running mate, State Senate Minority Leader down for all seniors and it is tough to keep the Richard Tisei (R-MA) is openly gay. attention of the class when for the most part all Former Democrat and current State Treasurer Tim Cahill has also jumped into the race, as we want to do is be done. However, as my an Independent. Cahill, a centrist, left the Democratic Party a year ago in the wake of the mother, Helene Miller, said when I informed health care debate. After having openly supported Scott Brown in the special election to re- her of my plans, “Savor the moment, because place the late Ted Kennedy, Cahill has moved increasingly to the right on fiscal issues. He has you will never pass this way again.” even tapped former Republican state Rep. Paul Loscocco as his running mate. Six days after this columnist sent an email to U.S. Sen. Scott Brown urging him to endorse Cahill for Governor, the Senator pledged his support to fellow Republican Charlie Baker. In a handwritten letter, he addressed his endorsement for Baker as being the best for Massachusetts’s voters. In general, current polling shows varied results. Deval Patrick remains highly vulnerable, placing below the 33% mark. Tim Cahill and Charlie Baker, who are in competition of ac- quiring the needed unaffiliated majority vote in Massachusetts, both poll both poll anywhere from 25% to 32%. This unique three-way election is best classified as a tossup at this time. Page 8 THE GREEN AND GRAY April 30, 2010

Berkshire lends Mt. Everett a helping hand By Karina Srb ‘10

This past summer Marc Wysocki, Berkshire’s ath- letic trainer, went to Mount Everett Regional High School to watch his son Keenan’s soccer game. At the game, the school was selling raffle tickets to help raise money for a scoreboard for its soccer field. Suddenly, Mr. Wysocki had an idea: help Mount Everett pay for the new scoreboard. But he couldn’t do it alone. So he brought this task back to Berkshire. “I wanted to help without going door to door, ask- ing for money,” Mr. Wysocki says, “so I came up with New SAGE employee Jess Barcome. an easy idea for students to help.” The easy idea: every Sunday, student volunteers sort through mounds of bottles and cans and bring The new lady in line them to the recycling center at a local grocery store By Min Jung Yoo ‘10 and exchange them for money. The bottles and cans come from student and faculty recycling on campus Look at who’s serving up breakfast and favorite. She is also fascinated with and are sorted behind the maintenance building. Mr. lunch these days and you will spot a lady dolphins and orca whales. She and Wysocki coordinated with maintenance to have them who seems too young to be working here— her boyfriend adopted two cats, build a large container for all the bottles and cans. you might even wonder whether she is on Pumpkin and Angel, of whom Jess So far, Mr. Wysocki and his gang of workers have the wrong side of the counter. In fact, this says, “Both of them are only a year raised just over $400 since August. With each bottle young lady is a student just like one of us, old, but they’re psychos!” and can valued at 5 cents, that means about 8,000 working her way to becoming a future She says she likes to spend free bottles and cans have been turned in. Mount Everett aquatic animal trainer. time with her boyfriend in their has raised a total of $2,200 and still has another Jessica Barcome, a 20- year-old from apartment, often playing X-box or $1,800 to go before reaching the goal. Mr. Wysocki Southampton, Mass., is a newcomer with Wii when his friends come over. Un- and his crew plans to continue helping the cause until SAGE Dining Services. In her first full-time fortunately, all her friends are not the end of the school year. job, she works Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. around here. She said she misses So if you are ever bored or are in the charitable to 3:30 p.m. on Monday and 7 a.m. to 3:30 them, but she cannot deny the bene- mood, stop by the maintenance warehouse Sunday at pm on other day. On Thursdays, she moon- fit of her new job. noon and help Mr. Wysocki sort bottles and cans for lights at another job at Pac Sun, a clothing “When it’s the end of a shift, I Mount Everett’s scoreboard. store in Lee Outlet. feel really tired, but the job is con- Meanwhile, Mr. Wysocki extends a special thank One of three girls in her family, Jess is a sistent and I get out by 3:30 pm, you to sixth-formers Sam Malette and Noah Dunn. 2008 graduate of Hopkins Academy in Hadley, so I can enjoy the weather. I can “Sam is up there almost every Sunday with me. Mass. She lives in Canaan, Conn., with her also spend the weekend however I They’ve both been a big help,” he says. boyfriend, Dean, who is studying Solar Energy want it,” says Jess. at Berkshire Community College. Jess, who has to be on her feet all “I haven’t made many friends, but you day, is getting good grades so far particularly enjoys hard rock, metal and rap. get to know your co-workers,” Jess says. from her boss, SAGE Food Service Director Her tastes of movies are action and romantic “Everybody is older than me. It’s also weird Michael Ramella. “She’s been doing fine. It’s comedy. She also points out that she has five working around kids two or three years hard at the beginning, but you get used to it,” piercings done. younger than me.” he says. “I wish I could do my nose, but I can’t be- Jess studied marine science at Indiana State Jess also likes to go shopping with friends cause I work here,” she says. “I’m not a typical College. Now she is trying to find her way and swimming to the beach. Her favorite col- chick, let me tell you that.” back to school in order to study animal care ors are black and yellow and she likes any type Next time you see her in the dining hall, and become an aquatic animal trainer. She of music that people between the age of 18 give her a warm welcome. grew up around animals, big dogs being her and 25 would listen to, except for country. She