WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, has been unanimously selected by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to continue his service as ranking member of Ways & Means Committee for the 119th Congress.
“Delivering immeasurable wins for the American people through the Committee on Ways and Means has been the honor of a lifetime, and my commitment only deepens with the challenges that lie ahead in the 119th Congress,” Neal said in a statement.
“With the President-elect and House Republicans already telegraphing how their only policy proposals will run through the Committee, I am ready to defend our progress, and the programs and institutions people count on every day,” he said.
NORTHAMPTON — Northampton Dollars for Scholars has appointed Matthew Garrity to its board of directors. A native of Lee, Garrity is president and CEO of Florence Bank. Prior to joining Florence Bank, he served as executive vice president/chief lending officer at Premier Bank, a 76-branch bank serving customers in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Garrity and his wife, Lynn, have two children and reside in Longmeadow.
Since its inception in 1974, Northampton Dollars for Scholars has awarded over $2 million in scholarships to more than 4,000 students from Northampton, Florence and Leeds in their pursuit of a post-secondary education. At last year’s annual Awards Ceremony at Northampton High School, 199 students received Dollars for Scholars scholarships, all from funds donated by local individuals, families and businesses.
To learn more, visit northampton.dollarsforscholars.org/
HOLYOKE — Holyoke’s new middle school will launch a new chapter for about 550 students in grades 6-8 when it opens next fall — but with a name and mascot that are already quite familiar to residents of the city: William R. Peck School.
After months of public engagement and several community surveys to choose an identity for the new school, the School Committee and district leadership on Dec. 9 made the final determinations.
The new school will retain the name William R. Peck School, the same name as the school that stood at the site of the new middle school for 50 years — from 1973-2023 — before it was demolished almost a year ago to make way for the new one.
The school’s mascot will continue to be a phoenix — a mythical bird that symbolizes renewal, hope, and transformation — as it was for the original Peck School from 2016 until it closed in 2023.
The school’s colors will be red and black — the same color scheme used by Holyoke STEM Academy’s STEM Beats music group, which will be moving to the new school when it opens in fall 2025.
The new 107,475-square-foot middle school will replace the original William R. Peck School.
Holyoke Public Schools will invite students to submit logo designs for the new middle school. HPS will also work with the School Committee and school leaders to potentially name rooms within the school after other notable leaders who were recommended during the process.
AMHERST — Arcadia Players presents a holiday concert of Handelian masterpieces, from the familiar Christmas portion of “Messiah” to the equally wonderful but lesser-known Chandos Anthem no.7, “My song shall be always of the Loving-kindness of the Lord.” The concert will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Ave.
Andrus Madsen directs the Arcadia Players ensemble and chorus. Featured soloists are sopranos Arianne Abela and Paige Graham, alto Shiba Nemat-Nasser, tenor Noah Horn, and bass Rozime Lindsey.
In 1717, George Frideric Handel was hired to write music for James Brydges, a wealthy nobleman who wanted to ornament his elaborate estate with the best in music and art. Brydges later became the first Duke of Chandos, and so the 11 sacred anthems Handel composed for him have become known as the “Chandos Anthems.” The 7th of these is a particularly vigorous and appealing setting of texts from Psalm 89.
Tickets are $35 at the door or online at arcadiaplayers.org. Student and low-income tickets are $10.
Founded in 1989, Arcadia Players is a professional ensemble of musicians specializing in historical performance practice and dedicated to presenting music of the past in a fresh light for audiences old and new. The group offers a series of concerts each year in communities around western Massachusetts and beyond, bringing together artists and audiences from throughout the region to engage listeners and showcase the work of area performers.