Category Archives: Athletics

Simpson, Harris-Kuiper, Gethings Sign National Letters of Intent

Three standout athletes signed National Letters of Intent during a series of special ceremonies at the Williston Northampton School’s Grubbs Gallery on Nov. 12.

Surrounded by the joyful chaos of family, friends, teammates and coaches, John “Jack” Gethings, Maranie “Mar” Harris-Kuiper, and Gracie Simpson penned agreements with Fairfield University in Connecticut, Saint Leo University in Florida, and Elon University in North Carolina, respectively.

Photo by Dennis CrommettBy signing the agreements to attend their chosen schools as part of the Class of 2019, the students have notified other schools that they may no longer be recruited. All three Williston seniors said the commitments came as a relief after an intense recruiting season and said they were very happy with their choices.

Mr. Gethings, who will captain the Williston team this year, will join the Fairfield Stags baseball team in the fall. Boys Varsity Baseball Head Coach Matthew Sawyer described Mr. Gethings as “a really savvy baseball player” who was “no doubt D1 caliber.”

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Max Willman ’14 Commits to Brown

Photo by Paul Rutherford
Photo by Paul Rutherford

On Labor Day weekend, the Willman’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Coach after coach was calling to ask the same question: “Is Max there?”

The star hockey forward and lead scorer was a popular guy over the break; dozens of colleges and universities wanted to know if he could be persuaded to enroll.

“It was really hard for him to decide,” said his mother, Peyton Willman. “There were seven or eight different choices.”

For Max, though, the answer was clear: he wanted a place where he could continue to play at the highest levels, while also being challenged academically. Brown University in Rhode Island fit those criteria perfectly—and was located just an hour and a half from home. The fact that one of his friends and former South Shore Kings teammates was also committing to Brown was an added bonus.

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Catie Laraway ’14 Signs with Assumption College

2014_02_Rutherford_National Letter of Intent_Catie Laraway 2“If you’re not outlined in chalk, you’re fine to play” has been Catie Laraway’s motto for her past four years playing field hockey for the Williston Northampton School.

That kind of toughness and dedication resulted in some broken front teeth for the senior (since repaired) and a knee that has been smashed so often that her coach, Logan Brown, thinks it might now have multiple kneecaps.

It’s also resulted in Ms. Laraway setting a new career goals record at Williston—her 85 mark solidly broke the previous record of 60. She also set a new record for goals in a single season, with 38 this year, 10 over the previous record.

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Cruz, Krol, and Ostberg Sign National Letters of Intent

Cruz,-Sawyer,-Krol,-Ostberg
Mr. Cruz, Coach Sawyer, Mr. Krol, and Mr. Ostberg. Photo by Paul Rutherford.

On Thursday, November 14 and Monday, November 18, three members of the Williston Northampton varsity baseball team signed National Letters of Intent to play college baseball.

Erik Ostberg ’14 signed with the University of Hartford on Thursday. On Monday Anthony Cruz ’14 signed with Quinnipiac University and Adam Krol ’14 signed with St. Anslem College. By signing the letters, and agreeing to the respective scholarship agreements, the three students notified other schools that they may no longer be recruited.

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The Boundless Energy of Mr. Seamon

Within the first week of school, Joshua Seamon, the new head of the math department at the Williston Northampton School, had posted five links on his new blog to help students learn about the Microsoft Surface Pros and an article on technology in his classroom.

Mr. Seamon carries his new tablet device everywhere he goes and tweets updates with photos of students using them. Although he has been on campus for less than a month, it’s safe to say Mr. Seamon is excited about the direction the school is headed.

Math & Technology
“I’m coming in at a fortuitous time. The potential for transformation is high,” said Mr. Seamon, who is particularly enthusiastic about two programs dear to his heart: campus-wide integration of the Microsoft Surface Pros and Williston’s Ultimate Frisbee team.

Mr. Seamon’s goal with new technology is to use it in a way that will have a positive impact on the classroom experience. At St. Johnsbury Academy, where Mr. Seamon worked for 10 years, technology was at the center of his teaching ethos. For the past six years, he has worked with a similar convertible tablet to the Surface Pro. He said it eliminated mandatory note-taking requirements and allowed him to record lessons for students who were unable to attend class. It also created a platform to share new materials and streamlined presentations.

In addition, his use of the tablet provided him the opportunity to reflect on and hone his teaching style. “I started listening to myself on a daily basis, which is incredibly brutal and a very valuable thing to do,” he said. “It made my lessons more effective, and freed up an enormous amount of time.” Continue reading