We had terrific weather for Homecoming Weekend, and everyone enjoyed the four terrific food trucks—the Bistro Bus, SugarBakers Cupcake Truck, Chef Bob’s Buns on the Run, and the Holyoke Hummus Company owned by John Grossman ’87. Because of the Shaler Invitational the trucks stayed out on Galbraith Fields longer than planned, but the weather was great and the crowds were enjoying the afternoon. Paul Bricker in the Physical Plant Department deserves special thanks for making sure that electricity got to all the food trucks and staying to make sure nothing went amiss.

At 3:00 p.m., the Pioneer Valley Beer and Wine Tour began. Although it was a smaller group, we had a great time. A Williston bus pulling in to a brewery or winery did get some stares, which was everyone found funny. It was great having Sara Harvey Lapan ’91, P’18 attend with her husband David and David’s parents, along with other alumni and faculty and staff.

Our first stop was Mineral Hills Winery (also known as Goddard Farms Orchards) in Florence. They import their grapes from California but also make an apple wine and a honey mead wine from apples and grapes grown in Massachusetts. The owner’s son went to Williston Northampton (Charles Goddard ’09) and is currently studying in Paris. Beyond the wine, they also make their own honey. The next stop was Black Birch. The winery is an idyllic setting, up on a hill with grapevines growing in the background and a view of Mt. Tom and Valley. We enjoyed some terrific wines, including Epic, a white blend, and Iced Wine. From Black Birch we headed to Abandoned Building Brewery, which is behind Eastworks. The neighborhood is starting to be home to more breweries, including New City Brewery, which just opened.

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When Jeff Pilgrim returned to the Williston Northampton School to take over the position as director of alumni relations two years ago, he knew he had a problem—a big one.

As a Williston Northampton graduate, Mr. Pilgrim wanted to reconnect with other alumni, particularly those he knew. For alumni relations, he wanted to schedule fun events for alumni in certain cities, connect alumni with each other, and highlight those doing interesting work in their fields. As part of the Advancement Office, Mr. Pilgrim also wanted to make sure that his colleagues were making the right Williston connections whenever, and wherever, they traveled.

Find Mobile App FAQs here.

None of that, though, was happening when Mr. Pilgrim arrived—or at least not to the extent that he wanted it to.

“The current alumni directory that we have isn’t very reliable,” Mr. Pilgrim said. “And even the printed version we have is outdated.”

When alumni called, asking Mr. Pilgrim to provide them with a list of Williston Northampton graduates in the Boston area, for example, Mr. Pilgrim had to tell them that he couldn’t create a complete and accurate list.

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How to Get the App

1. From your mobile device, download the “EverTrue” app from the iPhone/iPad app store or Google Store for Android.
2. When the app prompts you to “Choose your Community,” type in “Williston Northampton”
3. Go through the verification process.  We will confirm your identity and let you in!

EverTrue App FAQs

1. Who can use the Williston Northampton EverTrue community?

Any Williston Northampton alumus/a may use it! Your information is protected, and only alumni may access it.

2. How do I get EverTrue?

Search for “EverTrue” in the Apple App store or the Google Play store. Once you have download the app and open it, you will be prompted to search for your community. Type in “insert name of organization” and select the correct community. EverTrue supports iOS 6 and 7, and Android 2.3 and above.

3. How do I log in once I’ve downloaded EverTrue and selected the Williston Northampton School” community?

You can sign in with an email and password, or authenticate with LinkedIn. To confirm your account, you’ll need to click on a confirmation link that will be sent to you via email.

4. How do I connect using my LinkedIn account?

You can login to the app using your LinkedIn email & password. If you choose to authenticate using a different email and password (for any reason), you can still connect your LinkedIn via the settings page. Click the gear icon at the top right of the menu page and enable LinkedIn.

The app allows you to connect and network with other people using LinkedIn. Once you are in the app, you can view information that people have included in their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles along with the number of connections you have in common. Anything marked as private in LinkedIn remains private. Don’t forget to list Williston Northampton in the education field in your LinkedIn profile, and be sure to join the Williston Northampton LinkedIn group!

5. What does the “your information is under review” message mean?

If your email address does not match what we have on file, we will use your name, class year, and other information you supply to confirm your identity.

6. How do I customize my privacy settings or update my contact information?

Unless you indicate otherwise, all of your contact information will appear on the app: your name, street, city, state, country, phone number, email address, education, and place of employment.

If you wish, you may customize your settings so that particular information will not be viewable by other constituents. If you would like to hide information in your profile, go to My Profile then click on “Suggest an Update” at the bottom of your profile. Then, type in any updates you would like to make and click “Send.” Please note that it may take up to 3 business days for changes to appear.

7. How do I search for people using the directory?

Click the magnifying glass located in the top right corner of the directory screen. From there you are able to search by name and/or filter by several other useful fields, like class year, location, and career.

8. How do I search for people nearby?

Click the Nearby tab in the sidebar navigation. A map will appear with pushpins indicating people in your area. Clicking on one of the pushpins will open that alumus/a’s listing in the directory. You may also click the List icon in the bottom right corner of the map to view a list of people nearby.

Are you traveling and looking to visit Williston Northampton people in other cities? Search for users across the globe by entering any zip code, city, state or country. The map feature will show you that location along with people in that part of the world.

To search for an aluma/us by name in the map feature, click on the magnifying glass/search icon at the top right of the map. You can also use the magnifying glass to access more advanced search and filter options.

Questions? Concerns? Please contact Jeff Pilgrim, Director of Alumni Relations, at 413-529-3301.

We had the largest turnout in recent memory for a social (outside of the Easthampton area) with 62 people. I selected the Cambridge Brewing Company based on the recommendation of alum Jared Brewer. Although we were mixed in with other patrons, and I forgot nametags, our waitress, Betsy, was very accommodating and did an outstanding job. One of the nice things they offered were beer towers (tall glasses with a spout at the bottom that held 7 beers each). Betsy put them out on the bar and alumni were able to go pour their own beers whenever they wanted instead of having to go to the bar to order. Jared Brewer also introduced us to Hal A Peno beer (yes, beer flavored with jalapeno peppers). Definitely a bit on the spicy side. I think it would be good with chili or nachos.

We had a good mix of people representing a wide range of classes:

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