Next puzzle swap set for July 6

NORTHFIELD — Free used puzzles will be available at Dickinson Memorial Library on Saturday, July 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Attendees are advised to park in the back and enter through the side door of the library. Turn left to find the Community Room.

More than 400 puzzles in a range of sizes are available. Participants are invited to take as many puzzles as they want, and can keep them as long as they need. The puzzle swap is offered monthly.

For more information, visit northfieldpubliclibrary.org/friends-of-the-library or email friendsofdml01360@gmail.com.

Powers Institute Museum open this weekend

BERNARDSTON — The Powers Institute Museum at 20 Church St. will be open Sunday, July 7, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Attendants this month will be Brandon Staiger, Kristina Streeter and Celt Grant. There will be photos on display of “Vinyard Haven,” a pair of cottages located on West Mountain that were available for rent from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Ample parking is located at the rear of the building. The second-floor museum can be accessed by elevator or by stairs.

Biweekly ‘Coffee and History’
programs planned

LEYDEN — This month’s “Coffee and History” programs will be held on Sundays, July 14 and July 28, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the historical display in the Town Offices at 7 Brattleboro Road.

HopeFest raises $500 for two causes

LEYDEN — Martha Hopewell’s HopeFest on June 15 raised a total of $500 to be split between the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA).

Community lunch on tap for July 10

LEYDEN — This month’s community lunch at Leyden Town Hall will be held Wednesday, July 10.

The menu consists of make-your-own sandwiches with a variety of meats and cheeses. Cookies will be available for dessert.

Reservations are encouraged. To reserve a meal, call Linda Allis at 413-834-4417. To-go meals and delivery are available with advance registration.

Three Northfield students make UNE dean’s list

BIDDEFORD, MAINE — Three Northfield students — Sean Allen, Elizabeth Musselman and Avery Sargent — were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of New England. Dean’s list students have attained a grade point average of 3.3 or better out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester.

Thomas Aquinas College earns high marks from The Princeton Review

NORTHFIELD — According to The Princeton Review’s 20th annual guide to the nation’s Best Value Colleges, Thomas Aquinas College has some of the “happiest” and “most religious” students, the country’s second-best financial aid program and the highest-rated faculty.

“The schools we chose as our Best Value Colleges for 2024 are a select group: They comprise only about 8% of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions,” Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review, said in a statement. “We commend their administrators, faculties, staff and alumni for all they are doing to educate their students and guide them to success in their careers. These colleges are also exceptional for the generous amount of financial aid they award to students with need and/or for their comparatively low cost of attendance.”

The education services company highly rated Thomas Aquinas College on a scale of 60 to 99 points in several specific areas, such as 90 for return on investment, 92 for academics, 96 for financial aid and 98 for faculty accessibility. On the question of instructional quality, the college’s teaching faculty scored a perfect 99/99.

Moreover, based on its survey of students at the 209 schools that made the “Best Value” list, The Princeton Review ranked Thomas Aquinas College:

■No. 2 for Great Financial Aid.

■No. 3 for Happiest Students.

■No. 4 for Most Religious Students.

■No. 8 for Friendliest Students.

■No. 9 for Most Beautiful Campus.

■No. 10 for Lots of Race/Class Interaction.

■No. 11 for Best Classroom Experience.

■No. 11 for Best Quality of Life.

■No. 17 for Best Student Support and Counseling Services.

■No. 18 Professors Get High Marks.

The college also scored No. 2 in the nation on the “Pot’s Not Hot” list and No. 4 for “Scotch and Soda, Hold the Scotch” — a testament to the wholesomeness of campus life and students’ commitment to the academic program.

“We are grateful that The Princeton Review has, once again, highlighted both the quality of our academic program and the affordability of this education,” Chris Weinkopf, Thomas Aquinas College’s executive director of college relations, said in a statement. “Especially noteworthy are the high marks it has given for the excellence of our faculty and the quality of our classroom discussions, which are at the heart of our academic program. These high rankings, coming from a secular college guide, speak to the universal value of our program of Catholic liberal education.”

Pioneer alum graduates from UMass Chan Medical School

WORCESTER — Benjamin Gale Potee, a 2015 alumnus of Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield, graduated from UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester on June 2. He was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical school honor society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. Potee recently began his general surgery residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Matt York to perform Willie Nelson songs at Town Hall

LEYDEN — Matt York will tell the tales and sing the songs of Willie Nelson at Leyden Town Hall on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 5 p.m. This will be York’s third performance in town.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Leyden Cultural Council.

Benches coming to town common, Avery Field

LEYDEN — With assistance from the Mass in Motion grant program, the Recreation Committee has purchased some new benches for the town common and Avery Field. The benches at the field will be placed around the perimeter of the baseball field to help create a space to walk and rest as needed.