Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) announced that senior Jade Abderhalden of Great Barrington will be studying criminal justice at Westfield State University, jumping off the springboard provided by her internship with the West Stockbridge Police Department.
She is not sure what direction she will take once she has her degree in hand, Jade says. “I’m open to anything,” though right now the jobs of crime scene investigator, FBI agent, and EMT sound enticing. In addition to her four-afternoon-per-week internship and a full load of classes, which includes Intro to Health Services, Jade is also now taking Introduction to Criminal Justice at Berkshire Community College, through which she is earning free college credits she won’t have to pay for at Westfield.

In her time at Monument, Jade has also played four years on the varsity basketball and softball teams, as well as two years of volleyball.
Jade’s early entrée to the law enforcement field has already won her admirers, and perhaps followers. During last fall’s Career Day, she stole the show at the Police and Emergency Services Department table, attracting even more attention than Archer, Great Barrington Police Department’s comfort dog. The sophomores in attendance that day were happy to hear from working officers 10, 20, or 30 years older than them, but were most keen to hear from their classmate who was sitting among them, sharing her path and anecdotes from her time with the West Stockbridge Police Force.
MMRHS Guidance Counselor and Internship Coordinator Sean Flynn explained why he thought she would be a good fit for police work. “She has an inner strength that is coupled with a strong sense of empathy that would make her a good fit to work in so many different professions from law endorsement, protective services, to healthcare, or in the field of education or social assistance, or even in business because she is a competitor and holds herself and others to a high standard.”
The West Stockbridge Police Department is trying to get Jade into a paid summer position, which will help to further offset the expense of school. She is also applying to several scholarships, including those offered through the Kiwanis club and funds at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Even as recently as September, however, Jade’s path was not nearly so clear. “I had no clue what I wanted to do,” she acknowledges now. As a young girl, she had her heart set on “doing nails,” though a hint of her future path might have revealed itself through her favorite TV show, “Law and Order,” as well the attention she paid to the police scanner. “I’m a nosy person. I want to know what’s going on.”
The shift in goals from esthetician to policing was brought about in large part thanks to the example set by her late stepfather, Jason Hall, after he took the state trooper’s test and scored 99. He did not end up going into law enforcement, however, as he was then called into duty to manage the family business in Housatonic, John’s Garage. Hall died of cancer in early 2023 at just 44, and Jade wants to take up the path where he left off. “I kind of feel like I am filling his spot in going to do this in his place.”
No matter which career path Jade ultimately takes, she wants to be of service, to repay a debt she feels to her community. “So many people helped get me to where I am today through school and sports and, most of all, when my stepdad was sick. My end goal is to give back in any way possible, whether that’s through the police department or the healthcare field. This community helped raise me… I just want to be in a field where I can help someone.”