Thursday, February 13, 2014
7:45-9:45 p.m. Screening of Girl Rising Athletic Center (All Invited)
Friday, February 14, 2014
8:30 a.m. Spoken Word: “Suicide or Homicide.” The Power of Words by Verdi Degbey ’16
Opening and Welcome by the Diversity Committee Co-Chairs A’Kala Chaires ’14 and Maranie Harris Kuiper ‘15
8:45 – 9:25 a.m. Keynote Address by Heather Schultz ’72, P’14
Empowering MEdia
Why do I think and act the way I do? It’s all about you! Let’s explore how to be “ME” and at my best more often so that you can be empowered to be a valuable contributor to your family, the Williston community, and the world.
About Heather Schultz ’72, P’14:
Ms. Schultz originally went to Northampton Schools for Girls and was in the first class of the combined Williston Northampton School. The girl’s dorm was the Gilbert House, since it was a very small class. She was a part of the theater crowd and studied with the remarkable Dick Gregory. After graduating she attended the legendary Actors Studio in New York, prior to going for her Masters at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University).
Schultz is a Vice President of Senn Delaney and coaches business CEO’s and their teams. Heather had previously served as an executive at Save the Children and as president of the Tom Peters Company. Heather has also served as global head of marketing for Andersen Consulting, now Accenture.
A noted author, public speaker and philanthropist, Heather brings a global perspective and a passion for humanity to her work. She has been acknowledged her as one of “The World’s Top 50 Speakers,” Her books include Online Learning Today: Strategies That Work, with John Fogarty, and Dance Lessons: Six Steps to Great Partnerships in Business and Life, with Dr. Chip Bell.
Most importantly she is Bianca’s mom.
9:30- 11:30 a.m. Morning Session
Students
Mark Wiggins from I Will Defend
Athletic Center
Are you leading with your passion? What is your purpose? Are you going to be passive or are you willing to stand up for what you believe in? That’s integrity. It’s time to get off the bench and do something. Get ready for the Speaker Man, a motivational speaker and coach who will compel you to look inward so you can maximize your outward effect and make it count.
Faculty Professional Development
1. “Youth Can Make Smart Decisions Online…We Need to Help Them!”
Christine M. Tetreault, Assistant District Attorney and Jana R. McClure, Director of Community Outreach & Education, Northwestern District Attorney’s Office
Parents’ Association Room
With the abundance of social media sites, online “live-gaming” opportunities and cell phones with internet connectivity, youth are faced with the challenge of protecting their digital reputation and safety. This workshop will address some of the risky behaviors, such as “sexting,” and vulnerabilities youth demonstrate while navigating the digital world. The presenters will also address the legal consequences for youths’ poor decision-making in the digital world.
2. “Tweets, Vines, and Instagram, Oh My: High School Students’ Views on Social Media”
Williston Theatre (Scott Hall)
Students will provide demonstrations of some of the most popular social media apps, including Snapchat and Twitter. Afterwards, they will be part of a panel discussion focused on the hows and whys of social media use. Moderated by Kim Evelti and Andrew Shelffo
11:30 a.m.- 12:10 p.m. Lunch is grab and go
12:20-2:10 p.m. Afternoon Workshops
No One Likes a Bully! (Open to all)
Middle School Lower Level
Elizabeth Calderone ’14 and Rachel Chambers
In this workshop we will spend time talking about what bullying is, how it has affected us, what the different facets of bullying are, and how to change and stop bullying. To tie into this year’s theme, we are also going to talk more about cyber bullying. We will be doing interactive group activities and brainstorming ways to end bullying. The goal is to create and continue a wave of change.
Representative Democracy: Does the United States Government Fairly Represent Gender and Ethnicity?
Reed 204
Alec Bickerstaff ’15 and Mike Fay
We will look at the population of women and ethnicities in the United States and then compare that information with members of Congress. According to the 2008 census, a representative represents around 700,000 people. Women make up about 153.3 million people, but only 98 women serve in the Congress, a ration of 1 representative to 15 million women. We will also look at ethnicities and their representation. After the presentation we will have a discussion on the fairness of the representation and how we can improve representation of gender-specific and ethnicity-specific issues. Current solutions in play today will also be topics of discussion.
Tune In Tune Out
Dance Studio
Adrienne Mantegna, Persis Ticknor-Swanson ’14
This workshop will be a yoga class where we will focus on being present and connecting with those around us. We will be moving, so comfortable clothing is necessary. We will focus on ourselves and our personal strengths, both physical and mental.
Tintin in the News
Chapel 508
Claire Frierson and Jonah Freed ’14
Back in the 1930s Belgian artist Hergé created the comic book character Tintin. In recent weeks here in Western Massachusetts a lively debate over Tintin comic books has raised questions about the roles that popular culture, film, classic children’s literature, libraries, and parents play in building a community in which everyone, especially children, feels safe and respected. In this workshop we will read, view, and evaluate a variety of versions of the Tintin comic books and diverse points of view about them. Bring your Surface and your own experience (or lack thereof) with Tintin.
Rock of Changes
Studio Theatre
Ryan Tyree and Mackenzie Zehring ’14
My idea is to take students through the political world of music starting in the Harlem Renaissance and working our way up to today’s music. What I will be focusing on mostly is how music has progressed over the years and been influenced by the media’s emphasis on a “proper” image. Politically, we will be comparing the social conflicts in music of the 1920s vs. the political tension in today’s pop culture. I am hoping that by the end of the workshop my students will get a clear image of how pop culture has both musically and politically changed from generation to generation.
So You Think You Know Hip-Hop?
Reed Lower Level, StuBop
Henry Lombino ’14 and Dr. Marcus Ware
Popping? Locking? B-boying? Emceeing? DJing? This workshop delves into the hip-hop culture, its origins, its various art forms, and its themes of empowerment and identity. Come ready to move! Participants will learn various hip-hop dance moves and a section of hip-hop choreography.
Airbrushed or Real? (Open to girls age 16 and above)
Photography Studio
Erin Davey and Livvy Milne ’14
I want to talk about the self-confidence of girls in the media. I’d like to center on the insignificance of how many likes a photo of yourself on Instagram or your profile photo receives. I want to incorporate this into talking about respecting yourself and having others respect you, especially in regards to relationships. Hopefully we will be able to discuss ways to empower yourself through imagery in the media. To further this exercise the girls will photograph each other. I want it to be a positive and self-empowering process and for the girls to come away feeling more confident in all aspects of themselves.
The New Jim Crow
Dodge Room
Brian Crockett and Imani Edwards, guest faculty from Commonwealth Academy
This workshop will attempt to conceptualize the notion of “The New Jim Crow.” Specifically, we will be tackling topics such as the prison industrial complex, the war on drugs, and prejudice towards marginalized groups.
Intro to Saving the World: Making Political Change through Advocacy, Lobbying, and the Media
Reed 202
Peter Gunn, Christian Knapp ’14 and Brendan Hellweg ’14
Right now Congress has a 13 percent approval rating, in part because it feels sometimes like they have no idea their constituents really exist The goal of this workshop is to change that, to give you the knowledge of how to make Capitol Hill, the State House, or just City Hall, listen. Come prepared with a topic in mind that wasn’t your elected representative to hear, and get ready to make history.
“One Billion Rising” Documentary and Discussion
Athletic Center
Laurel Raffetto and Kerry-Beth Garvey
Musician-activist Natalie Merchant directed this film in which a group of women from the Mid-Hudson region of New York react to the crisis of domestic violence in the United States.
http://www.onebillionrising.org/5363/shelter/
Adoption
194 Common Room
Logan Brown
Points made films presents, “Adopted” in this documentary join us in a journey of trans racial adoption. Learn about the tools that exists and stories told on line about adoption. www.adopted.com
Women in the Media I
Reed 102
Upper School Students only
Sylvia Skerry ’14, Bianca Schultz ’14, Emma Kaisla ’15, Lindsay Richardson ’14, Julia Krupp ’15, Maddie Stern ’14, Sarah Klumpp
Explore the portrayal of women (an men, to a lesser degree) in mainstream media. Three clips of the MissRepresentation will be shown, and each one will be followed by discussion and activities. The clips cover media literacy, women in leadership, and who makes most of the media we consume.
Women in the Media II
WB Middle school meeting space
Emily Vezina
Middle school students only
Are You Represented?: How Women (and Men, Too!) are Portrayed by the Media Explore the portrayal of women (an men, to a lesser degree) in mainstream media. Three clips of the MissRepresentation will be shown, and each one will be followed by discussion and activities. The clips cover media literacy, women in leadership, and who makes most of the media we consume.
Civil Rights Movement
School House 23
Stan Samuelson
A dynamic workshop including a compelling documentary by Teaching for Tolerance using actual footage and interviews of the Civil Rights movement. Facilitated by faculty Stan Samuelson an actual participant in the movement.
One Survivor Remembers
Adeleen Brown
JW Common Room
“Gerda Weissman was 15 when the Nazis came for her. They took all but her life.” Academy award winning film presented by Teaching Tolerance presents and the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation. http://wn.com/one_survivor_remembers
Two Spirits
Kate Biddiscombe
Reed 203
Fred Martinez was one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. Two Spirits explores the life and death of a boy who was also a girl, and the essentially spiritual nature of gender. Presented by Independent Lens
The Great Pink Scare
Susanna White
Reed 103
Independent Lens presents: On Labor Day weekend in 1960, Massachusetts state police troopers swept through the small, idyllic town of Northampton and hauled 15 men off to jail. Three of them were professors at Northampton’s elite Smith College. THE GREAT PINK SCARE tells the story of the devastating persecution that followed, when the three Smith professors were charged with possessing and dispersing obscene literature, tried in Northampton District Court, and eventually convicted as felons.
Shadow of Hate
Choo Living Room JW
Ken Choo
This documentary is very powerful and educates the viewer on some of the historical origins of racism in the United States. The featured stories showcase only a handful of real life events that are the dirty little secrets that aren’t spoken of when sitting as a student in a history class. For those persons who lived through the events and experienced them first hand, I have a better understanding of prevailing attitudes that still exist as of today and a respect and empathy for their difficult times.
“One Billion Rising”
Laurel Raffetto and Kerry-Beth Garvey
Athletic Center
A dynamic and interactive workshop looking at domestic violence and assault and what we can do to prevent it.
http://www.onebillionrising.org/
“Say Something”
Laura Penney of Safe Passage
Cox Room
Upper school students only
This interactive workshop takes a meaningful look at domestic violence and assault. Hope, along with support, as both are essential in the journey from violence to safety. Using Media and a visit to the website, you are encouraged to seek ways to build safety, learn about domestic violence, and get engaged.
www.safepassage.com
You Can Make Smart Decisions Online
Christine M. Tetreault, Assistant District Attorney and Jana R. McClure, Director of Community Outreach & Education, Northwestern District Attorney’s Office
With the abundance of social media sites, online “live-gaming” opportunities and cell phones with internet connectivity, youth are faced with the challenge of protecting their digital reputation and safety. This workshop will address some of the risky behaviors, such as “sexting,” and vulnerabilities youth demonstrate while navigating the digital world. The presenters will also address the legal consequences for youths’ poor decision-making in the digital world.
2:20-3:00 p.m. Closing
Alex Kozikowski ’14 presents “Verde Amplified: Oreo.” Witness the powerful combination of identity activism and the media.
Henry Lombino ’14 and Dr. Ware and the Hip Hop Workshop
Take Action! Stan Samuelson a call to action from a 34-year Diversity Committee member.
Diversity Committee Members Brittany Collins ’14 and Michael Thompson ’14 Final Remarks “We Can!”