Not only should schools celebrate students with disabilities at graduation ceremonies, they should include and support these students from the start of their education.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo valedictorian Michelle Ferraino was once unsure about the new school she was starting at when she was 10. Now, she speaks of a place with resilient and compassionate students and staff.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo Salutatorian Liam Hanley has grown up doing activities outdoors in the Hilltowns. He now gets to pursue his love of the outdoors and his skills in math and science studying at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

At the Berne-Knox-Westerlo graduation, speakers looked two ways: back at the graduates’ past experiences at BKW, and also to their future paths in life.

KNOX — Brad Ableman, who is 17, has been fishing since he was “old enough to cast a rod and reel,” and has wanted to be like the professional anglers he has followed over the years. Now, he’s getting that chance.

Districts like at Cobleskill-Richmondville are currently letting students take college courses from the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill in the high school, in order to earn a degree a year early.

Two new programs were presented to the Berne-Knox Westerlo Board of Education on June 19. Teachers at a summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math) camp discussed plans involving nature walks and robots, while students from a recently formed peer-mediation team discussed what they had learned from it.

EAST BERNE — Thomas I. Chase — described by his family as “a true country boy who never wished to stray far from his home in the Helderberg Mountains” — died peacefully at his East Berne home on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, after a long illness. He was 56.

KNOX — United States airman first class Annielaura M. Shafer graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas. She was at the top of her female division of over 300 and has earned four coins.