All posts by Emily Gowdey-Backus

Williston to Host Youth Genetics Conference

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The latest breakthroughs in the field will be the focus of the day on Friday, September 27 when Williston Northampton hosts a Genetic Update Conference (GUC) presented by Sam Rhine. The external event, which will take place in the Williston Theatre from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., is open to the public and tickets are available at www.samrhine.com.

Mr. Rhine received a B.A. and an M.A. from Indiana University, was a doctoral candidate at Indiana University School of Medicine, and held the Lalor Foundation Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Mr. Rhine was awarded the Distinguished Hoosier Scholar Award, given to a native Hoosier for outstanding commitment to science education, by the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers (HASTI) in February 2007.

For the past 30 years, Mr. Rhine has spoken to high school students across the country and around the world about the field of genetics. His expertise is taking biology out of the textbook and applying it to real life. During one-day GUCs at schools like Williston, Mr. Rhine presents on, and holds discussions concerning, genetic advances, hot-topic research areas, and career opportunities.

Posted in: Events, Special Programs, Visiting Speakers, Williston Theatre

173rd Convocation at the Williston Northampton School

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The Williston Northampton School will ring in its 173rd year with a Convocation ceremony on Monday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m. This year’s distinguished speaker, Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan will address the crowd of honored guests, students, faculty and staff, community members, and friends of the school. Mr. Sullivan is the parent of two Williston graduates.

Mr. Sullivan was elected to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in November 2010 and began his term in January of the following year. He has been an attorney for more than 25 years, serving 17 years as a trial attorney and advocate. He has handled thousands of criminal and civil cases and tried cases in Superior, District, Juvenile, and Military courts.

In 2008, Mr. Sullivan was one of two Massachusetts lawyers chosen to receive the Massachusetts Bar Foundation’s President’s Award for “extraordinary volunteerism, leadership, and commitment to increasing access to justice in Massachusetts.”

Following Mr. Sullivan’s speech, the student body president, Madeleine Stern ’14, will speak and then lead everyone in the singing of the alma mater, “O Williston.”

The event will be held on the quad in front of Reed Campus Center. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Athletic Center.

Watch the event live at www.williston.com/live.
The annual Senior Dinner will be held after the ceremony in the Birch Dining Commons where guest speaker Sara Delano Collins ’98 will address the senior class and faculty. Ms. Collins graduated from the University of Denver and is now a Senior Product Management Consultant at File & ServeXpress, a division of LexisNexis.
Posted in: Academics, Events

An All-American in Every Way: Karly Simpson ’13

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“We were tied with less than a minute left and I had a free position shot,” recalled Karly Simpson ’13 of a home game against Suffield she played in as a seventh grader. “At the time I didn’t think it was a lot of pressure, but I did my little bounce shot, and it went in and it was crazy.”

The South Hadley native has been playing lacrosse since third grade and this is still Ms. Simpson’s favorite lacrosse memory. She was a member of the varsity team at the time, a very rare achievement for a seventh grader. “Karly was one of the best skilled kids out there right from the start…and grew to be one of our top players pretty quickly,” explained Jen Fulcher, the head girls varsity lacrosse coach.

This year Ms. Simpson co-captained the girls varsity lacrosse team to an undefeated season (15-0), Ms. Simpson was named both All-American and Academic All-American by U.S. Lacrosse. In addition, with her fellow co-captain, Amanda Cronin ’13, Ms. Simpson was awarded the Alumnae Bowl, a Williston Northampton award for the highest achieving female athlete. Continue reading →

Posted in: Academics, Athletics, Student Profile

172nd Williston Northampton School Commencement

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“The essence of our school is founded on community,“ said Head of School Bob Hill in his opening remarks on Sunday at the 172nd Williston Northampton School Commencement, and that sentiment was at the center of this year’s ceremonies.

Traditions are a part of a school’s “perpetual current,” said Mr. Hill. This year, for the first time, underclassmen attended Commencement to celebrate the Class of 2013 as they bid farewell to their teachers, coaches, and friends. A representative from each class carried a banner that featured traditional Williston icons such as the lion, the Victory Bell, and a lamppost. Matt Freire ’13, the student body class president, carried a banner designed by senior Keely Quirk.

“I urge the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 to enjoy this moment and cheer for your friends, but also to project forward and imagine yourself on this stage in a year, or two, or three hence and consider what you have to do to get here, like the seniors before you have done so successfully,” said Mr. Hill.

Continue reading →

Posted in: Events, Upper School, Williston Northampton News

Final Photographers’ Lecture Series Asks ‘Where is the Truth?’

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Photographers Braden Chattman and Michael Zide are so in sync with one another that, during a recent talk at the Williston Northampton School, they finished each other’s sentences.

“The big word at Hallmark is ‘intention,’” said Mr. Zide. “As someone who absorbs photography,” Mr. Chattman chimed in, “that’s what ultimately matters.”

The Hallmark Institute of Photography teachers were at Williston on April 23 to give the final evening talk of this year’s Photographers’ Lecture Series. That afternoon, Mr. Chattman and Mr. Zide had also spent a class period speaking to Williston’s photography students about what a professional career in photography involves.

“Photography is a lot more than a career decision,” said Mr. Chattman. “It’s a lifestyle.”  He described his dream retirement: traveling the country with his wife, who is also a photographer, in a motorcycle with a tripod mounted on its sidecar. That way there would be no glare from car windows. Continue reading →

Posted in: Arts, Events, Photographers' Lecture Series, Special Programs, Upper School, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News