June 5, 2017

St. Joseph High School holds final commencement, ending 120-year presence in Pittsfield

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Stephen Kiltonic

PITTSFIELD – It was a bittersweet moment as 19 St. Joseph Central High School students received diplomas during the final commencement exercises held Sunday, June 4 at St. Joseph Church in Pittsfield. The Springfield Diocese announced last fall that the school would close its doors after the current academic year ends later this month due to a number of factors, including a steadily increased cost of education, declining school enrollment, increased operational costs and greater financial assistance needs.

The baccalaureate ceremony included a Mass concelebrated by Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski and a host of other priests from parishes in the Berkshires. In his homily, Bishop Rozanski addressed the graduating class, which was the school’s 115^th in its long history. The school was founded in 1897 as St. Joseph Academy and staffed then by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

“We gather today with you, rejoicing in your accomplishments, thanking God for what you stand for. For all of us in this church today, you stand for the future. You stand for our hope. May that faith that Jesus has planted in your hearts, may the experiences that you’ve had over these past four years guide you throughout your lives,” said Bishop Rozanski.

Amy Gelinas, who has been principal of the school for the past four years, presented diplomas to the graduates.

“A lot of the messages that came across were bittersweet, poignant, moving on and accepting,” said Gelinas who added that the school’s legacy would continue long after the school closes its doors. “That is the message we want to take with us too.”

Olivia Bullock was the class valedictorian and Theresa Kirsimagi was the salutatorian.

“I’m just so proud of all of us. Really, very thankful that I got to graduate here,” said Kirsimagi who received nine medals for highest average and four certificates of merit for classroom excellence. She also was a four-year member of the swim team and qualified for the Western Mass and state championships in multiple events.

Kirsimagi believes that she will miss the sense of community she felt at St. Joseph’s the most. “I know our numbers are small, only 60 people, but 60 people who have your back and who are always there for you. It’s a good feeling,” said Kirsimagi who will be heading off to the University of Vermont in the fall majoring in biological sciences on the pre-med track with hopes of becoming a surgeon.

During her unconventional but memorable address, Bullock kept people guessing as to what she was painting with her hands on the makeshift easel that was set up on the altar. When she was finished, Bullock turned the painting upside down to reveal a portrait of St. Teresa of Calcutta, with her quote, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

“I look back on my journey through high school and I realized that, yeah, it was messy and it was crazy. But, it really did all work together to create this entire picture at the end that eventually made sense to everyone,” said Bullock who added that her four-year career at St. Joseph’s prepared her not only academically but socially for college.

“Every single person in the community has influenced me in some way at some point and in very big ways,” said Bullock who also thanked her parents for being there “every step of the way” and for being “a huge part of my success” along with her teachers who have “influenced me and made me grow so much” at St. Joseph’s.

Throughout high school, Bullock received nine certificates of merit for community excellence and 11 medals for highest average, which she proudly displayed on her graduation gown. During, the year, Bullock also earned 18 college credits at Berkshire Community College. Bullock, like Kirsimagi, plans to pursue a pre-med major next fall at Sienna College and also become a surgeon.

St. Joseph Central graduates also will attend colleges across the country including Assumption, Temple, Colorado State, Vermont, UMass Lowell and St. Michael’s, to name a few.    

For a video version of this story, tune in to the June 17 edition of “Real to Reel,” the Diocese of Springfield’s weekly television news magazine that airs Saturday evenings at 7 on WWLP-22NEWS.