All posts by Emily Gowdey-Backus

Practice Makes Perfect

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Ron Wyatt’s best tip for getting to know your camera is to leave your manual in the bathroom.

“Every time you spend quality time in the bathroom you’ll learn something new,” he said on Thursday, April 11 in the Dodge Room of the Williston Northampton School. “Great photo opportunities come up, you don’t want to be playing around trying to figure out how to work your camera.”

An Explosive Entrance to Freelancing
On December 5, 1970 the Linden, NJ Exxon refinery exploded.  Working nearby on the General Motors assembly line, Mr. Wyatt ran to the scene and photographed the aftermath.  Later that day he called an area newspaper to see if they were interested.  Although they didn’t want photographs of the explosion, they reviewed his work and offered him a position as a freelance photographer. Continue reading →

Posted in: Photographers' Lecture Series, Williston Northampton News

Completing a National Challenge

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As an eighth grader, Olivia Foster was looking for a challenge. Then she came across the Congressional Award online—a national program where students can earn medals for completing tasks in areas such as public service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration—and her path became clear.  Now a junior, Ms. Foster will be awarded the highest youth award in the program, the gold medal, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in June.

Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 to “recognize initiative, achievement, and service in young people,” the Congressional Medal program is open to American citizens aged 14 to 23 years old.  Participants can earn bronze, silver, and gold certificates, or bronze, silver, and gold medals.

In order to qualify for the award, participants must complete a number of hours in four areas: Personal Development, Volunteer Public Service, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration.

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Posted in: Student Profile, Upper School, Williston Northampton News

Williams ’13 Signs with Assumption Greyhounds

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With his coaches and teammates at his side, DonQuale Williams ’13 signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division II football with Assumption College in Worcester, MA on February 26 at the Williston Northampton School.

“It was the best fit for me academically and athletically,” said Williams, a native of Brooklyn, NY.  When he visited the campus for the first time he thought it was very similar to Williston’s campus, which he has grown to call home over the past three years.

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Posted in: Williston Northampton News

Williston Scholars: Examining the Student-Athlete

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Prep schools often are known for their competitive athletic programs. At the Williston Northampton School, students have the opportunity to go beyond their own play in a course taught by History and Global Studies teacher Diane Williams. Sports Studies, one of this year’s Williston Scholars courses, encourages students to evaluate how gender, race, economics, and politics interact with the world of sports.

“Teaching this class has been a really amazing opportunity to expose student-athletes to a variety of topics related to sport, sport culture, and dominant ideologies in society,” said Diane.

Williston Scholars
With Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in such close proximity, Williston works to take advantage of the diversity and opportunities to be found on those campuses. Over two trimesters, with the help of five college and university professors and staff, Williston Scholars classes introduce students to research and writing more commonly found in higher education.

Continue reading →

Posted in: Academics, Athletics, Special Programs, Upper School, Williston+