Diane Williams may not be a superhero, but she does have an alter ego. She balances teaching and coaching at Williston with her own athletic endeavors as a member of Pioneer Valley Roller Derby. Ms. Williams came to Williston from Smith College, where she coached volleyball and track and field. She has master’s degrees in exercise and sports studies (from Smith) and social justice education (from UMass Amherst). Now she is the head coach of the Williston volleyball team, coaches thirds squash and track and field, is a dorm parent in Memorial Hall, and teaches geography in the Middle School.

“The great thing about geography is it encompasses everything,” Ms. Williams says. “It’s interdisciplinary by nature.” Her seventh grade students are at an age where she believes they are really starting to pay attention to the world around them, so they are interested in and curious about the physical geography, history, and social issues of the regions they study. “They come into class already talking about the news,” she says. For example, in January, the class studied the human and physical impact of the Haitian earthquake of 2010. When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, the class was able to draw on this experience to begin to understand the impact of this tragedy.

Ms. Williams describes her first year at Williston as “challenging, exciting, and really fun.” She enjoys the students and the faculty and staff, and appreciates the culture of support at the school. “I like the way people engage with each other and cheer each other on.”

Her colleagues and students will have the opportunity on Saturday, April 9, to cheer on Ms. Williams’ alter ego, Lady Hulk, when her roller derby team comes to Lossone Rink for their season-opening bout. Roller derby, a contact sport with roots in sports entertainment, is based on formation roller skating around an oval track by two teams. Points are scored when the designated scorer of a given team laps members of the opposing team. A member of Pioneer Valley Roller Derby since 2009, Ms. Williams says that derby is “worth checking out” for those who may not have heard of the sport. “It’s fun and unique. It’s very athletic, and is always a good show.”

Bout details: On Saturday, April 9, the Western Mass Destruction of Pioneer Valley Roller Derby will play the Sufferjets of the Ithaca League of Women Rollers with a halftime expo from the men of the Dirty Dozen. Tickets are $10 (kids $5) at the door. $8 advance tickets are available at Off the Map Tattoo, 112 Cottage Street, Easthampton. Lossone Rink opens at 5:00 and the game starts at 6:00 p.m.

Art students from The Williston Northampton School will curate Joint Venture, an exhibition showcasing paintings by individuals in the Riverside Industries arts program. Joint Venture will exhibit at the Grubbs Gallery in the Reed Campus Center at The Williston Northampton School from April 12-29, 2011. An opening reception will be held on April 17, 2011, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This semester, five Williston students who are the advisees of Williston art teacher Marcia Reed have joined art classes at Riverside Industries—a non-profit organization that serves people with disabilities. Riverside Industries is located in Easthampton in the One Cottage Street mill building, just a few blocks from Williston’s campus. The organization offers art classes to clients, giving them the opportunity to explore and express their creativity. In this semester’s classes, the students of Williston and Riverside worked together to create artwork as they talked about their processes and interests. During the final class preceding spring break, Williston students worked with Marcia Reed and Denise Herzog, art director at Riverside Industries, to select individual pieces for the exhibit in the Grubbs Gallery.

Marcia Reed says about the class, “All of my advisees this semester are all art students. I thought this could be a good community service project and a way for them to interact with the Riverside. I approached Denise and she thought it was a good idea, too. I thought that it would be a great opportunity for them to curate the show, select the art, and help to hang it. They could be part of that whole process.”

During one class, Williston and Riverside students casually chatted around a table about their hometowns as they painted on large pieces of paper. With Williston students’ hometowns ranging from Saudi Arabia to Easthampton, MA, and Riverside Industries clients coming from all of the surrounding pioneer valley area, the group learned about a variety of places, some near and far.

During the discussion, a Riverside client named Jen turned to Williston student Ashley Wong, a senior from Hong Kong, China, and asked what color should she use next on her drawing. Ashley, a senior at Williston, encouraged her to pick a color that she liked. Ashley has been enthusiastic about the program since the group began visiting Riverside. She says, “All the students have their own style. They are very independent. There is a student named Tony, his work is amazing! He captures so much detail.”

Denise Herzog toured the Willliston art studios in the Reed Campus Center and was enthusiastic about the work on view. Herzog says, “I’m very impressed with this group from Williston. They are very mature for their age. To come into a new situation like this class, one has to adjust their comfort levels. They did it quickly.”

The exhibit is free and open to the public and takes place in the Grubbs Gallery of the Reed Campus Center at The Williston Northampton School. For more information see www.williston.com/grubbsgallery.

During assembly on Tuesday March 29, 2011, Head of School Robert Hill III announced that Brett Beaney ’11 of Scarborough, Maine, is a finalist in the 2011 competition for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Brett was presented a Certificate of Merit for his advancement to finalist standing.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test—a test that serves as an initial screen of more than 1.5 million entrants each year–and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements. The semifinalists were named in the fall of 2010 and must advance to finalist standing before considered for an Achievement Scholarship award. Scholarship awardees will be notified in April and May of 2011.

Williston senior Dongyang “Don” Cheng ‘11 has qualified as a semifinalist for the 2011 U.S. Physics Olympics Team, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced recently. Don was one of approximately 3,000 students who participated in the first phase of the selection process by taking the “Fnet=ma Exam” in January. As one of only 400 semifinalists nationwide, Don took a second exam in March, the results of which will be used as the basis for selection as a member of the 20-member U.S. Physics Team.

The US Physics Olympiad Program is a joint initiative of AAPT in partnership with the member societies of the American Institute for Physics (AIP): Acoustical Society of America, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, American Astronomical Society, American Crystallographic Society, American Geophysical Union, American Physical Society, AVS, Optical Society America, and the Society of Rheology. Ms. Lauren Benson is Don’s physics teacher. In February, Don was inducted into Williston’s Cum Laude Society.