All posts by Rachael Hanley

How Did You Get Here? An Audio Exploration of the Williston Community

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Editor’s note: The following was presented during the Senior Project Showcase on Wednesday, May 21 from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Dodge Room and the Grubbs Gallery.

Guest post by Maggie Fitzgerald ’14

My senior project, based on Middlebury College’s “How Did You Get Here?” is a collection of interviews with a Williston teacher, student, parent, and alumna. My goal for this project was to create a forum which students and teachers of the community could listen to the stories of their peers.  I’d like to express my gratitude and my belief that every person in the Williston community has been essential to the experience I’ve had during my three years at Williston. Hopefully, by viewing my project, students will gain a sense of appreciation and pride for their school. Although the sample size of the community seen in this project is small, the enthusiasm that gleams from the interviews gives an insight to the greater unity of the Williston Northampton School Community.

Listen to the full interview below.

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Posted in: Academics, Special Programs

Translating Roman Slavery: A Visit to the Middle School

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2014 Teresa Ramsby 1When it came to Roman slaves, Emily Vezina’s Middle School class wanted to know all the details: Did a freed slave have a better life? Were slaves ever paid? What was the reason why a master might free a slave, anyway?

“Boy, you guys have good questions,” said Teresa Ramsby, who was visiting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst last week. “These are tougher than my college students.”

Ms. Ramsby, an associate professor in University’s Classics Department, spent a period with Latin I class, talking about manumission in the Roman world.

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Posted in: Middle School, Visiting Speakers

A Lesson on Vessels and the Art of Celebration

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Robbie Heidinger Visit 1If there are trophies for athletics, why not have one for art as well?

That was the premise of a recent hands-on workshop by ceramic artist Robbie Heidinger P ’14 in the Grubbs Gallery. During her May 7 visit, she worked with two dozen students from Williston Northampton School’s Arts Intensive Program to craft just such a vessel.

In her own work, which was on display in Grubbs through mid-May, Ms. Heidiger said she has been inspired by the shape, colors, and textures of plants. She began her recent visit to Williston by passing around a vase of spring flowers and urging students to examine the shapes.

“There are really no rules,” Ms. Heidinger told them. “I just want you to start thinking about structure.”

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Posted in: Academics, Arts, Reed Campus Center, Special Programs, Visiting Speakers

Kinda Hibrawi ’96 to Receive Ward Medal

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KHibrawi-Photo-1An artist with a history of international activism has been chosen for the Ward Medal, one of Williston Northampton School’s most prestigious alumni awards.

Kinda Hibrawi ’96 will be honored on May 9, 2014 at a special assembly in the Phillips Stevens Chapel. The assembly will be conducted in an interview style with Williston faculty member Peter Gunn.

The Ward Medal is given every year in honor of Headmaster Robert Ward, who served at Williston from 1972 to 1979, and recognizes outstanding service to humanity.

Ms. Hibrawi, who is of Syrian descent, has worked extensively with refugees on the Syrian-Turkish border. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Zeitouna, a Karam Foundation project that strives to bring education and art to refugee children.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News

Williston Students Create, Curate Easthampton’s New [SHOWCASE]

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IMG_1783The paintings in the hallway of the Reed Campus Center were stacked a dozen deep—parrots, the depth of an eye, a set of surreal white teeth, a royal crown, and spray painted koi—all piled together.

Behind the canvases were another stack of intricate drawings, placed carefully below a laminated sign: “Artists: Drop your art here for [SHOWCASE].”

This stack of artwork, solicited over the past year and collected this week, was headed to the Eastworks Building for a new art exhibit. [SHOWCASE], which opens on May 10 and will run through May 17, will feature work from 23 Williston students. The show is curated by someone who knows the ins and outs of the school’s art community best—student artist Gabriel Jacobson ’15.

[SHOWCASE] will be held in the single, large, multi-room storefront of Suite 136. Mr. Jacobson said the show will include sculptures and a range of photos and paintings, as well as an installation piece from Brenna Quirk ’15.

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Posted in: Arts, Special Programs, Williston Northampton News