The Williston Northampton School will host the 43rd annual Hampshire County College Fair on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Held in the Athletic Center at 80 Park Street, the fair will feature representatives from more than 165 colleges ready to share information about their schools. There will be a table for the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), and a number of area guidance counselors will also be available to answer questions. 

This annual event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by The Hampshire County College Fair Association. The college guidance departments at the 11 participating western Massachusetts high schools (Williston, Amherst Regional, Belchertown, Easthampton, Hampshire Regional, The Hartsbrook School, Hopkins Academy, Northampton, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School, Smith Academy, and South Hadley) invite all interested students and families to the fair. View the list of participating colleges here.

The Williston Northampton School will celebrate the opening of the 171st academic year with a Convocation ceremony to be held Friday, September 16, at 5:00 p.m. in the Quad in front of the Reed Campus Center. Our distinguished speaker this year is Professor Shamus Khan of Columbia University. The program also includes a welcome from Senior Class President Adrian Mendoza ’12, the awarding of faculty chairs, and recognition of faculty members who have served the school for 25 years. 

Shamus Khan is an assistant professor in the department of sociology at Columbia. He was the inaugural scholar in residence at the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy and directs the culture in the social sciences group, the business and politics group, and the elite research network at Columbia University. Khan is currently researching the history of elites in New York City, the structure of fame, and deliberative decision-making in multiethnic groups.

With a primary focus on inequality, Khan’s first book, Privilege, explored the life of an elite boarding school. Khan has also written on the development of gender theory and political decision-making. He is editing a book on research methodology, The Practice of Research (Oxford) and a monograph titled Exceptional: Elite New York and the Story of American Inequality. In 2011-2012 Khan will be in residence at the Cullman Center of the New York Public Library, where he is the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow.

Students are asked to dress formally for Convocation and will be seated by class in Assembly order. Following Convocation, seniors will take part in the traditional Senior Dinner at 6:15 p.m. in the Birch Dining Commons. All other students will attend class dinners in assigned locations.

In addition to their dinner, seniors and faculty members will be addressed by this year’s guest speaker, United States Marine Corps Captain Colin D’Amour, a member of Williston’s Class of 2003. Captain D’Amour served in Afghanistan from March 2010 to February 2011. He will share what leadership means to him personally and in the context of the modern United States military.

Jonathan Deaton, a senior honor student at The Williston Northampton School, continues his hard work and achievement in the national gymnastic circuit.

A member of the Men’s Junior Olympic National Team, Jon recently competed in the USA Gymnastics National Championships in St. Paul, MN, where he finished second all-around in the 16-18 age group. He missed first place by only .100 of a point. In the individual 16-18 age group events, he won first place in the floor exercises and in vault. Watch a video of Jon’s performance at the national championships in August.

In May 2011, he competed in the Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships in Long Beach, CA, placing sixth All-Around and finishing in second place on the floor exercise.

 

Update on Sunday, August 28:

Head of School Bob Hill has the following update from the Williston Northampton campus:

To the Williston Northampton Community:

As the Pioneer Valley continues to deal with the rain, winds, and flooding brought by Hurricane Irene, I wanted you to have a quick update on storm conditions on campus.

I am relieved to report that other than branches being strewn about, we seem to be weathering Irene in good shape. While NOAA.gov still warns of strong wind gusts throughout the afternoon and into the evening, we have so far been free of power outages, as well as any major flooding issues. We continue to be mindful of this extreme weather, however, and I encourage you to remain vigilant as Irene passes through the state.

An administrative team will reconvene this evening for another check-in. Until then, please stay safe and heed the warnings associated with such an enormous weather system.

Friday, August 26:

The Williston Northampton School is closely monitoring Hurricane Irene to secure the campus and to protect the safety of its community.  For more information, please check the Web site, as well as the school’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Chief Financial Officer Chuck McCullagh wrote the following to the Williston Northampton community:

To the Williston Northampton Community:

I am sure everyone is aware of Hurricane Irene which is tracking towards New England. In response, everyone on campus should be prepared for the three likely outcomes of this storm:

·          Excessive wind

·          Excessive water

·          Likely power outages

Here are the steps the school is taking:

·         The automated text message/voicemail system is being prepared if it is needed to convey messages to all employees.

·         It is suggested that all office that are on ground floor or have items stored in basements to get all those materials up off the floor. This would include the Reed Center, the Homestead, the Athletic Center, the Middle School, the Schoolhouse, Ford Hall (including the Children’s Center) and a number of dormitories.

·         All school student transportation vehicles will be parked in the parking lot next to the Athletic Center.

·         We ask all offices to check to make sure all copiers, printers and other computer equipment are shut off. Particularly, if academic department members can check their offices to make sure the copiers and other equipment are turned off, it would be appreciated.

·         Any school equipment typically stored outside will be brought inside (equipment around physical plant, Adirondack chairs, etc.)

·         Flags will be taken down.

·         All windows and doors in dormitories and other buildings should be securely closed. Housekeeping will be asked to check dorms and other buildings, but it would be very helpful if all members of the community check windows and doors to make sure everything is closed before leaving at the end of the day Friday.

Campus residents are asked to do the following:

·         Gather any personal items (tables , umbrellas, chairs, children’s toys, etc.) that might be stored outside and please bring them indoors, (except gas grill with propane tanks). Please try to find a secure place for gas grills but do not bring them inside.

·        If you are aware one of your campus neighbors is away and may not have received this message, please try to go to their home and bring inside any personal items that could be carried away by wind.

Communication:

·         If there are any questions over the weekend, please call security, which will be on duty (527-0730). Please note that it is a single line, so if it is busy, security is addressing another phone call.

·         As the storm evolves, we will communicate with employees in the following fashion (in level of priority, noting that if power goes out, some of the other methods further down on the list will likely still work):

o   School email system

o   School voicemail system

o   All employee texting/voicemail emergency messaging system

o   The school’s website

·         Bob Hill , Chuck McCullagh and Jeff Tannatt are here all weekend, so if there are any major issues, decisions will be made quickly.

Monday after the storm:

We anticipate that everything will be operational on campus Monday morning. However, if there are complications that will make it difficult for the entire school staff to work on campus that day, a voicemail message will be left at the number 413-529-3261 at 5:30 a.m. (or if power is still out, an emergency text/voicemail message will be sent) to inform employees whether or not they should come to work. Certain managers ask certain personnel to come to work to address specific activities, but that will be handled at the department level. Particularly, if there is a state of emergency in your community that will prevent you from coming to work, please follow the directives of your local authorities.

We are asking everyone who can help with the above steps to protect his or her personal effects as well as the school’s items from wind, water and power outages.

Thank you in advance for what I am sure will be an organized and efficient community effort. I hope you and your family stay safe this weekend, and I’m grateful for your help in keeping the campus secure, as well.

Best,

Chuck

Change Offers Greater Curricular Depth and Breadth for Students

Beginning this September, the academic year will be structured differently at The Williston Northampton School’s Upper School, and the change will allow for both greater depth and greater breadth in the curriculum, among other advantages. The academic year will now follow a trimester schedule rather than a semester schedule.

Associate Head of School Jeff Ketcham explains, “Moving to a trimester schedule will allow students to delve into subjects more deeply and will provide additional opportunities to take a broader range of electives. I’m excited about the positive changes this will bring for the student experience as well as the flexibility that it will offer our overall curriculum.”

The Upper School semester schedule evolved over the past three decades. The last significant calendar change eliminated what was once a January session not connected to either semester. The result was a spring semester that was approximately five weeks longer than the fall semester, leading to an inconsistency in the amount of content covered in each semester. This imbalance resulted in a number of academic issues over time. The move to trimesters will restore balance to the school’s academic terms.

This change will have an impact on the curriculum, as well. If a student is interested in history, for example, he or she will be able to explore that topic more deeply by having the ability to enroll in three electives during the year rather than two. In addition, the change will allow for more depth in departmental offerings.

The newly-designed trimester schedule will allow for easier integration with Middle School students who are academically in a position to be enrolled in Upper School classes. The Middle School has already been on a trimester schedule; as a result, this change will align all Williston students on a single academic calendar.

Added Mr. Ketcham, “We are confident that the result of this change will be a positive one for students and faculty as they endeavor to pursue and share their academic passions.”