All posts by Rachael Hanley

Genetic Update Conference Returns to Williston

The topics this year are common genetic conditions and stem cell therapies
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A speaker who takes the latest breakthroughs from the field of genetics and translates them into relatable presentations will return to the Williston Northampton School for a public presentation. Sam Rhine’s Genetic Update Conference (GUC) will take place in the Williston Theatre on Thursday, October 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Mr. Rhine has brought his engaging presentation to the Williston campus for the past three years and has been offering similar half-day conferences to high school students across the globe for the past 30 years. His presentations cover genetic advances, the latest research, and career opportunities.

According to his website, conference this year will include updates on such topics as Genome-Wide Association Studies and induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs).

“Sam will explain the strides made in understanding, treating, and possibly curing conditions, such as diabetes, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, autism, Lou Gehrig’s, multiple sclerosis and many others,” the website notes. “It is an exciting time to be studying human genetics!”

Mr. Rhine received a B.A. and an M.A. from Indiana University, was a doctoral candidate at Indiana University School of Medicine, and was a Lalor Foundation Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He received 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 2007.

Tickets for the conference are available at www.samrhine.com.

Posted in: Special Programs, Visiting Speakers, Williston Theatre

Academically Outstanding Students Honored

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Three dozen academically outstanding students were honored at the Williston Northampton Upper School assembly on October 7. Academic Dean Greg Tuleja presented kudos and certificates to the students, who achieved distinction on either advanced placement or National Merit Scholarship qualifying tests.

AP exams, which test students’ ability to take the equivalent of an introductory-level college course, take place in May and are graded on a scale of 1 (no recommendation) to 5 (extremely well qualified). The AP scholars were recognized for their performance on all such tests they’ve taken previously at Williston. Senior Tanmay Khale achieved the highest award, National AP Scholar, for scoring 4 and higher on more than eight exams.

The following students were recognized during the assembly:

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Posted in: Academics

Friday’s Special Assembly to Focus on Difficult Issues

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During advisor meetings on Wednesday morning, Williston Northampton students bent over their phones and Surfaces for a special school-wide quiz.

The quiz asked about such difficult topics as consent, sexual assault, and violence in relationships. Students had to decide whether statements such as “if someone keeps following someone else online without permission, that can be considered stalking,” were true, false, or somewhere in between. They were also asked how likely they were to stop violent behavior if they saw it happening and other questions about their own reactions.

Faculty member Adrienne Mantegna said that the quiz had both tough and thought provoking for her advisees.

“They struggled with terminology, worried about getting questions right or wrong, and talked about what the questions might be asking,” she said, adding that students slowly realized that some of the questions might not have a definitive answer.

The advisor meetings were part of a three-day series on healthy relationships this week that will culminate in a special assembly on Friday. First, though, faculty members will meet with two presenters from Campus Outreach Services on Thursday night as part of an advanced training session on relationships and how to facilitate discussions on sexual assault.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Visiting Speakers

Writers’ Workshop Presents Ian Cheney

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Ian Cheney
Ian Cheney

A filmmaker whose work brings to light the hidden stories behind people, the world they inhabit, and their effect on that world, will present the second lecture in the four-part 2015 Writers’ Workshop Series on September 29.

Ian Cheney, an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker, has turned his lens on such topics as the link between corn and obesity, green buildings in Boston, and the history of Chinese-American food through one of the most popular dishes: General Tso’s chicken.

“Bluespace,” Mr. Cheney’s most recent work, bridges such seemingly distant topics as polluted waterways in New York City and the terraforming of Mars.

Mr. Cheney blogged about a trip he took to the Sargasso Sea for the film, and his subsequent horror upon discovering that what he imagined to be the “vast blue sea, still wild and unknown,” was actually littered with microplastic.

“’For God’s sake,’ I thought, ‘We’re in the middle of nowhere. This would be like landing on the moon and finding bits of Evian bottles and scraps of plastic bags. How did this get here?’”

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Posted in: Writers' Workshop Series

Two Students Get a Behind-the-Scenes on National Security

Jack Phelan ‘18 and Tim Fay ‘18 head to Washington D.C. for the National Youth Leadership Forum
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Courtesy of Karen Phelan

Two Williston Northampton School students are headed to the nation’s capital this week to learn about a prominent topic in the news today: national security.

Jack Phelan ‘18 and Tim Fay ‘18 are headed to Washington D.C. to participate in the “National Youth Leadership Forum: National Security—Diplomacy, Intelligence, and Defense.” The program is run by the for-profit company Envision Experience, based in the capital.

Over the course of the six-day program, Mr. Fay and Mr. Phelan will meet with policy makers, military leaders, and other experts for a “behind-the-scenes view of national security in action,” according to an Envision press release.

The boys, and some 300 other students from across U.S., will be visiting historic and notable sites such as the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War memorials. They will also stop at the Smithsonian and the National Mall. Their group will take part in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Courtesy of Karen Phelan

Mr. Fay, who was on his way to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, wrote via email that he’s most looking forward to a talk by former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. He noted that he hopes the program helps him meet new people and “gain a full understanding of what makes a good leader and apply that to myself.”

“I am most looking forward to going to memorials and the Arlington National Cemetery and honoring the noble people that came before me,” added Mr. Phelan. “I hope to meet new people and enhance my leadership skills on the national stage.”

Posted in: Student Life, Williston Northampton News