Category Archives: Student Life

Acting Behind Masks—the Art of Italian Comedy

mask1smallMasks may be the symbolic representation of the dramatic arts, but sometimes they are also the tools of the trade.

Teacher Emily Ditkovski’s Intermediate Acting class recently finished a unit on the Italian Comedy (commedia dell’arte). This traditional theater form uses music and dance, and productions are well-known for their comedy, witty remarks, and physicality.

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Williston Students Spread Holiday Cheer

Williston students were able to purchase every gift on their adopted family's list.Thanks to more than $500 in donations, students at The Williston Northampton School were able to buy Christmas presents for three families in western Massachusetts. The funds were raised during a week of fundraising efforts on campus including bake sales and the sale of bracelets for “Dress-down Day.” Students in three advisor groups worked together in the effort, baking, organizing the events, shopping, and gathering with friends for a wrapping party.

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The Williston Northampton School Hosts Blood Drive

photo1255The Williston Northampton School hosted a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Monday, December 12. Seniors Alex Nunnelly (Florence, MA) and Adrian Mendoza (Santa Ana, CA) worked together to organize and recruit donors for the December blood drive.

The holiday season is a crucial time for blood donations, since demand for blood increases due to holiday travel, and supply falls because people are busy. “It’s difficult … to get donations right before the holidays, so our participation is crucial and appreciated,” says history teacher Peter Gunn, who works with students each year on the blood drive. Accroding to Gunn, Williston’s participation rate has been among the top five for highschools in Massachusetts twice in the past five years (second and fifth). Six students have received college scholarship funds as a result of the program’s success.

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Students Are Sending Holiday Cheer to American Troops

In the midst of homework, tests, papers, and the usual rush of the holidays, it is easy to lose sight of the larger world and those who are far from home. But Madeleine “Maddy” Stern ’14 (Northampton, MA) and Bennett “Ben” Wheeler ’14 (Longmeadow, MA), both class officers, made time to remember American troops unable to be home for the holidays.

Maddy and Ben are organizing an effort to send over 400 holiday cards to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Students at the school have undertaken an effort like this in the past, and Maddy and Ben decided it was time to revive the tradition. Maddy said, “We thought this was a great idea, especially at the holidays.”

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Christmas Vespers at Williston

20091213 Norton 087smallSunday, December 11, 7:00 p.m.
Phillips Stevens Chapel, 45 Park Street, Easthampton

Please join in an evening of music, celebration, and sharing. Following the concert, Head of School Robert W. Hill III and Kathryn Hill P’15 welcome you to their home at 37 Park Street for cookies and hot chocolate.

Vespers has been a tradition at The Williston Northampton School since 1972, the year following the merger of Northampton School for Girls with Williston Academy. The service, part of the Cultural Identity Series, includes singing by the Vespers Choir interspersed with scriptural readings and sharing of personal stories. The choir, led by Assistant Choral Director Catherine Kay, will lead the congregation in singing the following carols, selected by Ms. Kay to represent the Advent and Christmas experience, moving from expectation, waiting, and darkness, through the story of the nativity, and into light, brightness and celebration.

• “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
• “Silent Night”
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• “Joy to the World”

The service will feature seasonal readings. The Vespers Choir, gathered from all parts of the Williston community, will also sing an arrangement of the African American spiritual, “Go Tell It On the Mountain.”

While celebrating the nativity, Vespers is also an occasion that honors joy, peace, and goodwill. All are welcome.