THEEYEOFTHE HURRICANE
UPCOMINGEVENTS
March13
HalfDay PSAT SAT
March13&14 WillyWonka
March24&25 MCASELA10
March26&27 MCASELA8
April2 8 GradeScienceFair th
April3
HalfDay
April20-24
AprilVacation
April28&29 MCASMath8
April29 SpringBandConcert
WinterSportsUpdates
by Ella Bissaillon, Vanessa Biddy, Jaedynn Sobieski, and KaydenceFurrow
Boys Basketball - The Hoosac Valley boys basketball team has turned a solid year into a memorableseason,highlightedbychampionshiphardware,awinningstreak,andtwo1,000point scorersEarlierthisseason,seniorguardAdanWicksjoinedthe1,000pointclub,settingthetonefora bigfinalyear,andfellowseniorQwanellBradleyfollowedhimbyreaching1,000careerpointsinthe Division5StateTournamentopenerTheHurricanesclosedtheregularseasonwitha74–54winover VeritasCharter,thenrodethatmomentumtoaWesternMassachusettsClassDtitlewitha62–47 victoryoverMountEverett Inthefirstroundofthestatetournament,HoosacbeatAcademyofthe PacificRim78–59,withWickspouringin29pointsandBradleyscoring27,includingthe11heneeded tohithismilestonebeforehalftime Nowat14–8andonafivegamewinningstreak,HoosacValley headsintoaSweet16homematchupagainstWarewithconfidenceandplentyofbuzzaroundthe program
GirlsBasketball-TheHurricanesfinishedtheregularseasonwitha6-12record.Theirlastregular seasongamewasseniornightFebruary5thatHoosacvalleyhighschoolagainsttheLenox millionairesHoosacvalleybeatLenox52-46tofinishofftheregularseasonandtheywillseewhothey playforthefirstroundofwesternmassHoosacvalleywoninthefirstfoundagainstMohawkTrail February11thHoosacwon50-25 TheyplayedpioneervalleychristianacademybutHoosacendedup losing32-34 Hoosacwentontothestatetournamentsincetheylostinthesemifinalsofwestern mass
TheHoosacValleygirlsbasketballteamstandingscurrently9-13 HoosacValley's(9thseed)playedFebruary28thround32againstSnowdenInternational(24thseed) TheHurricanesgota14-0runat thestartofthefirstquarterandheldSnowdento3pointsinthefirstquarter HoosacValleyoutscored SnowdenInternational64-22tomoveontosweet16 HoosacandGranby(8thseed)playedeachother March2ndround16andHoosacValleybeatGranby50-40tomoveontoelite8againstrivalDrury bluedevils(1stseed)thegameisbeingheldatDruryhighschoolonMarch6bothteamsare competingtothefinal4 DuringtheDrurygameHoosacwas16-5attheendofthefirstquarterbut theyendedupshortinthefinalquarterDrurywon47-41toadvancetothefinalfour Thehurricanes hadagreatseason
Wrestling-HoosacseniorsJacobBorawski(175),LoganO’Connell(215),andJayquanVasquez(190) allqualifiedfortheD-3StateChampionshipearlierthisFebruary.ThetriorepresentedHoosacwell withLoganO’Connellplacing8thinhisdivisionaftergoing4-3,JayquanVasquezcapturingavictory beforesufferinganinjury,andJacobBorawskigoingundefeatedtoclaimthe175poundtitle,making himthefirststatetitleholderforMountGreylocksince2007.JacobandLoganwentontoperformin theAllStatestournamentonMarch2ndand1st,withthepairplacing7thand8threspectively To roundofftheseasonJacobBorawskicompetedintheNewEnglandsTournament,beingeliminated fromhisbracketontheseconddayaftergoing1-2.LoganO’ConnellhasalsocommittedtoSpringfield CollegeforWrestling
Cheerleading-
TheHoosacValley Cheerleadingteamhashadavery successfulseason!Thesegirlspractice3 timesaweekandworkhardtocomplete andperformanentertainingroutine.The cheerleadersattendedallboysbasketball gamesandshowedgreatspiritwiththe crowd Theyparticipatedin2outof3pep ralliesaswell.They'vetakenhomethree firstplacetitles,1beingaLeague ChampionshipandWesternMassforthe 3rdyearinarow.Theyalsosuccessfully hostedtheirfirstevercompetitionatthe highschoolonFebruary14th.Althoughthe seasoniscomingtoanendwiththeirlast competitionbeingStatesonMarch8th,we congratulatethemontheir accomplishmentsandhardwork throughouttheyear!WATCHOUTforthe brandnewcompetitionuniformsnext season!
byPaetonAlbano
HoosacValleyWinterPepRallyBrings EnergyandSchoolSpirit
TheHoosacValleywinterpeprallykickedoffwithaburst of color and school spirit as each grade filled the gym wearing their designated class colors. Eighth graders wore green, freshmen wore blue, sophomores wore black, juniors wore white, and seniors wore red. As students entered the gym and found their seats, the Hoosac band played energetic music that helped set thetonefortheexcitingevent.
The pep rally featured a variety of games designed to get students involved and energized. This year’s activitiesincludedAnythingButYourHandsBalloonPop, Half Court Shot, Musical Chairs Scavenger Hunt, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Plate, and The Whitney Houston Beat Drop Challenge Each game gave students from different grades the opportunity to participate and competewhiletherestoftheschoolcheeredthemon
According to the Spirit Crew teachers, planning the pep rally is a collaborative process. Members of the Spirit Crew begin by brainstorming different game ideas and then narrow the list down to the activities that will work best for the event. They also try to connect some of the games to the sports season happening at the time. For example, the Half Court Shot game was included in the winterpeprallytorepresentbasketballseason.
TheSpiritCrewcarefullyorganizestheeventbycreating a minute-by-minute schedule before the rally begins. This helps keep everything running smoothly. They also make sure to plan extra games in case the rally moves faster than expected, ensuring there is always somethingreadytokeeptheenergygoing
Afterthepeprallyisover,theSpiritCrewholdsadebrief discussion to talk about what worked well and what could be improved for the future They are always looking for ways to make the event better and are open tofeedbackandnewideas.
ThankstotheplanningandteamworkoftheSpiritCrew, the winter pep rally once again brought students together to celebrate school spirit, friendly competition, andHoosacValleypride.
Grade12
VanessaBiddy
EllaBissaillon
KelseyBrown
KylieClark
RichardColon
NylaDion
EzekielGibson
TatyalonnaKastner
CashKolodziej
AshlynLamke
NathanLapinski
HannahLord
IyakxelMarquezCruz
AvaMclear
NoahRehill
GracieRhinemiller
BradySherman
MacySprague
IzabelaTart
AnnaThurston
AlexisWarner
KennedyWhitley
RachaelWnuk
GracelynWright
Grade12
JacobBorawski
BrooklynGregory
ConorGriffin
CarsonHarrington
KamarionKastner
DrewNorcross
AlaynaShears
KyleSuleski
AdanWicks
HONOR ROLL
Grade11
EvaAkroman
HannaBorer
KhloeDexheimer
McKenzeyGrogan
TimothyHarrington
AuroraJones-Daigneault
AnnaKemp
AlyssaMaselli
KyleScott
AxellSheerin
AlexandraSilvernail
OliviaSilvernail
SophiaSumner
Grade10
PaetonAlbano
MackenzieBiros
AriannaBlake
TaylorBoulger
AddisonColvin
MeganHenley
MateuszKozik
GenevieveLagess
DiegoLunaLuna
AndrewMach
ZoelizMarquezCruz
LukasMazzeo
AshleyMott
NoahPellerin
KyleSharp
RyanStrek
SavannahWarner
Grade9
SageChilson
JaidaDavis
AshlenDelcroix
BentleyHunt
AniyahKastner
MadisonKickery
DylanKnysh
ElizabethKurley
BroganLarabee
JaylynLincoln
NoahMaselli
ZacharyMazzeo
TylerMorgan
AbramPayton
LaylaPulley
MichaelThayer
JacksonWeaver
GiannaWitek
Grade8
IzabellaAubin
MatthewBartlett
HarperBialas
KyraBoyles
StevenBurdick
WilliamChapman
AvaClay
PeytonCrane
NadineDaniels
AbigailDieterich
SkyanaField
AvaJagiello
JacksonKirchner
JackLanski
AlexLombard
RyderLutz
SylviaMach
AdilioMaldonado
SpencerMichalski
AliceMilne
EthanPoulton
RhyahSafa
EverlyTodd
RhyleighWilliams
BradenWojieck
Grade11
LeyahBrown
HailieCarpenter
EdenChao
ElaziaHebert
MarleyLipinski
AzaezelPanetti
BenjaminPayton
AshPierce
MollyPuricelli
ReaganShea
Grade10
LisaBetts
MitchellKane
Grade9 KhloeBednarczyk
JaydenBrown
CarsonEllsworth
JanessaJangrow
JacksonLarabee
IyanahRussell
Grade8
TrystanBenoit
JeremiahBrown
MadilynColvin
BellaCrockwell
AriaDigirolamo
LeiaDoolan
ColeKalisz
KaitlynMcCarthy
LeilaMillard
AveryNadeau
TessaSnyder
BaxterThurston
DanikaToomey
RyderWicks
8TH-12TH GRADE HONOR ROLL IS DETERMINED AT THE END OF EACH MARKING PERIOD BY AVERAGING UNWEIGHTED ACADEMIC GRADES
ACCORDING TO THE POINT SYSTEM BELOW. PHYSICAL EDUCATION IS NOT CALCULATED AS PART OF THE AVERAGE TO DETERMINE HONOR ROLL. TO DETERMINE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE HONOR ROLL, MULTIPLY THE GRADE FOR THE COURSE BY THE NUMBER OF CREDITS IT IS WORTH THE TOTAL NUMBEROFGRADE POINTSSHOULDTHEN BE DIVIDED BYTHETOTAL NUMBEROFCREDITS
HIGH HONORS 90-100 HONORS 85-89.9999
AVERAGES FOR DETERMINING HIGH HONORSAND HONORSWILL NOTBE ROUNDEDUP NOGRADE IN ANYCLASS MAYBE BELOWAN 80
SAAB
byEllaBissailon
At Hoosac the Student and Adult Advisory Board (SAAB)isworkingtogivestudentsarealvoiceinthe rules and decisions that shape daily life at school. Right now, SAAB members are meeting with administrators and teachers to talk about how policies are made and how student perspectives can be included more consistently. One of SAAB’s main goals this year is to make sure students are heardbeforemajorpoliciesarecreatedorchanged, rather than only reacting after decisions are announced. To do this, the group is collecting feedback from classmates, using events like the StudentVoiceSummitandinformalsurveystolearn what students care about most. SAAB members then bring these concerns to adults in the building and work together to think about possible solutions. All of this work is based on a simple idea: school works better when the people most affected by decisions (the students) have a say in them. Mr. Wright, the creator of SAAB teaches members that SAABmaynotbeabletochangeeverythingatonce, but by listening carefully, speaking up respectfully, and offering concrete proposals, the group is trying to help Hoosac “get what it needs,” even if it can’t always“getwhatitwants.”
SnoBall
byGracelynWright
The Hoosac Valley High School Student Council hostedthe2026SnoBallattheNoradMillinNorth AdamsonFebruary7thfrom6pmto9pm The tickets were sold for $25 per student There was loudmusic,refreshments,andsnacksalongwith lots of pizza! People were dancing on the dance floor, singing, laughing and having good times withtheirgoodfriends Dancecirclesformedand a bunch of people participated and joined in OurspecialguestDJTetlow(aswecallhim)was kind enough to attend our dance and DJ for our school His input on it is “For SnoBall this year I was on my third straight day of hauling my equipment around to DJ so naturally I was tired, but once it was go time there's a certain adrenaline that kicks in knowing that I have to make sure everyone in the room has as much funaspossible WiththeprogramIuseforDJ’ing I can’t “build a queue” as one would do on Spotify I can only ever have the current song playing pulled up and then whatever I'm having go on next So I'm always on my toes trying to mixinrequests,andfiguringouthowtokeepthe energy going Two things really stood out to me thisyear ThefirstbeingI'veneverseenaslonga conga line as the one that snaked through the entire room when "Unwritten" was playing The other being how much the floor was shaking from all the students jumping around and dancing, which is always a great sign! I always love how comfortable the students are at making requests, and providing feedback so I cancontinuetobettermyselfasaDJ Asalways itisanhonortoDJforanyHoosacValleydance”
Paeton Albano, Vanessa Biddy, Ella Bissaillon, Taylor Boulger, Austin Brazee, Kelsey Brown, RichardCarr,KaydenceFurrow,TimHarrington, Chandler Herring, Angelina Jangrow, Cordaro Longino, Cameron Lovato, Levi Miller, Griffin Pytko, Kyle Scott, Jaedynn Sobieski, Michael Thayer,GracelynWright
Checking in with Mrs. Driscoll’sClasses
by Kyle Scott, Austin Brazee and Timothy Harrington
Clay and Climate: Advanced ceramics students let theirArtgoontour.
From April 18th to April 25th the Advanced ceramics classes will be participating in a group art show centered around one big question: How should we liveintheageofclimatechange?
The show will start at the Clark Art Institute then move to Pittsfield City Hall and Sheffield City Hall before finally returning to the school where the artworkwillstayondisplaypermanently.
The exhibit features ceramic pieces created by advanced students who have been thinking about climate change and what it means for our future. Through their artwork they explore ideas about sustainability, responsibility and how people can makeadifference
This show isn't just about art, it's about starting conversations if you get the chance to check it out and support the amazing work of our fellow AdvancedCeramicClasses.
SpiritWeek
byKaydenceFurrow&JaedynnSobieski
Mrs Scaduto and Mrs Mason's crew came up with different themes for our snowball spirit week We would gather up in our crews and discuss themes that we wanted to do for spirit week, we then would do a vote and the top five most voted were the confirmed themes of the week For Monday we did jersey day where students and staff wore any type of jerseys they liked, some types of jerseys people wore were basketball, baseball, football, etc Tuesday was roleswitchwherethestudentsdressedupasthe teachers and the staff dressed up as the students Wednesday was soccer mom or bbq dad where you had a choice to pick and match the best Thursday was hearts for all where you wear the calls Red, pink, or purple for valentine Friday was color wars where each grade wore thecolortheirgradewasassignedto 8thgrade is green, freshmen is blue, sophomore is black, junior is white, seniors is red, and lastly the staff woreHoosacgear Mrs Scadutohadabucketin the atrium for those who participated in the day andyouwouldwriteyournamedownonapiece of paper next to the bucket and do the same thingeverydayifyoudidthetheme Atourpride ralliesshewouldpickfromthebucketandwho’s ever name was called was the winner She did thisforbothstudentsandstaff
InCrewNews...
byKyleScott,GriffinPytko,andMichaelThayer
A new crew is coming soon! This brand new crew is called the Nature-Craft Camp. This crew consists of the combination of two teachers and their interests. Miss McGinniis and Mrs. Driscoll sharing their love of art and nature. This crew will do things like mixing crafty projects with nature for example using felt to make pinecones and other nature creations, anotherthingthatwillhappeninthiscrewisalotof drawing nature and print pressing things found outside.Thefirstprojecttheywillbeworkingonisfelt acorns.
Willy Wonka is coming to Hoosac!
by Cameron Lovato, Griffin Pytko, and KelseyBrown
A magical production of Willy Wonka the Musical is set to delight the audiences on March 13th, at 7pm and March 14, at 2pm and 7pm. Featuring Iyakxel Marquez Cruz as Willy Wonka and Jack Lanski as Charlie Bucket. A whimsical world of chocolate, candyandimaginationtolifeonstage.This eventinvitesfamilies,students,andtheater lovers to step inside the famous factory and experience the wonder of golden tickets,OompaLoompasandunforgettable songs.
Students began rehearsing in early January 4 days a week after school. They have learned the songs, original choreography, assisted in building and paintingsetpiecesandprops,andcoming upwithcostumeideas
Mrs. Koczela and Mrs. Watroba begin planning our musical as far back as the previousschoolyear.Theymeetbeforethe end of the school year to share ideas and thinkaboutwhatshowwouldbeagoodfit for our performers and community and apply for the rights to the performance over the summer This year, Mrs Watroba also managed to secure grant funds from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire and the Adams Cheshire Educational Partnership which helped to fund a special backdropandseveralcostumepieces. WehopetoseeyouattheshowsonFriday, March13at7pmandSaturday,March14at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and$8forstudentsandcanbepurchased at the door or by going to hvtheatre.ludus.com.
byGracelynWright
SpringSportsPreview
As the snow melts and winter goes away, Hoosac Valley spring sports are getting ready HVHSSpringSportsconsistsofBoysandGirlsLacrosse,Softball,Track&FieldandBaseball (co-op)withDrury.TryoutsstartMarch16th,timeswillvaryforeachsportascoachesand players prepare for another memorable season. The girls softball team came off a remarkable with 20-4 record last year, reaching the Western Mass finals and finishing second in the DIvision 5 State Tournament. The team will be returning this season with a determination to strive even further The boys baseball team also had an outstanding seasonwith an18-3recordandreachingtheDivision4StateSemi-Finals.Thisyearthey will be building on last year ' s foundation to make a strong showing alongside their Drury teammates. Girls Lacrosse came off dominant this season. They finished with a 13-4 record earning back to back Western Mass champions in 2024 and 2025! Boys lacrosse alsoshined,going15-1,winningWesternMass.Track&Fieldconsistsofsprinters,hurdlers, and long distant runners and throwers This sport brings together students of every and any skill. No matter the sport, these sports bring fans together, families cheer on the sidelines and the community rallies behind its student athletes. A coach is needed ASAP for Track & Field as well as the Girls Lacrosse team so please spread the word!! All these athletes will be returning to their sports looking to beat last year ' s records. As a softball player I am eager to get back on the field with my team to practice and get stronger togethersothisyear'sseasonisunforgettable GoCanes!
