Category Archives: Arts

9th Williston Film Festival Ready for Its Close Up

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2014_Winter_Norton_FilmCrew_Film_308x260Calling all filmmakers! The 9th Annual Williston Film Festival will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 12 in the Reed Campus Center, and entries are due May 10. Organizers have invited submissions from 65 high schools all over the Northeast. Williston students may enter this year’s special category for Best Williston Film, and first prize is a $50 gift card to Tandem Bagel Company.

Student films can be shot using a digital camera, a phone, or an old-school film video camera. Find information on how to enter, as well as submission guidelines, here, or contact Mr. Hing with any questions.

Posted in: Arts

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

Photographers’ Lecture Series Explores Light, Darkness

The series features experts Eduardo Angel, Abelardo Morell, and David Wells
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Courtesy of Eduardo Angel
Courtesy of Eduardo Angel

Exploring light and dark—how to capture it, how to play with it, and how to mold it with equipment both new and old—is at the core of this year’s Photographers’ Lecture Series.

Eduardo Angel, Abelardo Morell, and David Wells work with vastly different mediums—from the high paced digital world to the camera obscura, one of the oldest-known imaging devices—but bring a common interest in illumination and its sources.

The three are also dedicated educators, using a range of blogs, podcasts, and online courses to explore photography and filmography in all its forms: equipment, lighting, composition, framing, and other creative and technical skills.

“I was looking for a range of image makers,” wrote Fine and Performing Arts Teacher Ed Hing, who organizes the series. “Abelardo is well known for his work with the camera obscura, Eduardo is a technical wizard, and David is a working photojournalist. All will bring something different / unique to the students.”

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Posted in: Arts, Photographers' Lecture Series, Special Programs

The Whiffs Return

Yale's famed a cappella group to perform a mini-concert at the school
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Dick Gregory and students (top), Joshua Harper and students (bottom)
Dick Gregory and students (top), Joshua Harper and students (bottom)

One of the country’s top a cappella groups will serenade Williston Northampton School students and faculty as part of a special all-school assembly on Monday, February 2.

The Yale Whiffenpoofs, a group with ties to Williston that date back to the 1950s, will perform a variety of old standards and pop songs.

Choral Director Joshua Harper, who helped arrange the visit, said that hosting the “Whiffs,” as they’re commonly known, will be a learning experience for students.

“I am really hoping that the entire student body hears how much fun it is to sing with a group, especially an a cappella group in college,” he wrote an an email. “I also want our current singers to see and hear what a lot of hard work and dedication can sound like.”

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

Catching the Nuances with Regina Carter

Williston music students improvise with a jazz great
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2014 Hanley Regina Carter 2One student ran to grab her saxophone while others picked up their violins and violas and two sat down at the piano.

When jazz musician Regina Carter stopped by the Reed Campus Center, she sidestepped the typical lecture format in favor of a workshop that was more like jazz music itself: collaborative, improvisational, and enthralling.

In front of a small audience of students and faculty, she invited the Upper School String and Wind Ensembles to stand up and play with. The group was joined by special guest Chris Brashear, on guitar, and by Fine and Performing Arts Department Head Ben Demerath, on bass.

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Posted in: Arts, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News