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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The Williston Northampton School will be celebrating its 175th anniversary with special events throughout the year, starting with a kick-off ceremony at Convocation on September 18.

It seems fitting then, that the keynote speaker of Williston’s opening ceremony will be someone with a long history of service to the school.

John P. Booth Jr. ’83 is an alumnus who, since 2012, has also served as a Williston Northampton trustee. As Upper School academic dean at Brunswick School in Greenwich, and former chairman of Brunswick’s History/Social Sciences Department, Mr. Booth has a long track record of excellence in education.

Mr. Booth received his bachelor’s degree in history from Williams College, where he was Herbert H. Lehman Scholar, and his master’s in American History from Fordham University.

The Convocation ceremony will be held on the main Quadrangle of the school’s campus at 5:30 p.m. (in the event of rain, Convocation will be held at the Athletic Center). Senior class president Nate Gordon will also address the Williston Northampton student body and faculty. Students will then proceed to class dinners following the ceremony.

Mr. Gordon said in an email that the goal of his speech will be to motivate students to uncover what they enjoy at Williston and then invest themselves in that.

“I talk about my own experience as a Williston student and my work with the newspaper,” he wrote. “In honor of the 175^th Anniversary, I am incorporating aspects of Williston history as it relates to the theme of my speech.”

In a letter about the speaker, Chief Advancement Officer Eric N. Yates P ’17, ’21 noted that he expected Mr. Booth to use the keynote to “convey his passion for his Williston Northampton experience.”

Contact Liz Cheney, in the Advancement Office, at (413) 529-3074 or at echeney@williston.com with any questions.