Category Archives: Williston Northampton News

Parker ’13 Signs with Oregon Ducks

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A lacrosse player who started her career on a boys team—and became one of the finest goalkeepers her coach has ever seen—signed with the University of Oregon on May 17 during a special ceremony at the Williston Northampton School.

Dressed in a bright yellow Oregon sweatshirt, and surrounded by teammates, a beaming Janelle Parker ’13 signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the Division I school. By accepting the scholarship, Ms. Parker let other schools know that she may no longer be recruited.

“This is what I’ve always wanted,” Ms. Parker said. “Everything happens for a reason—and Oregon is that reason.”

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Posted in: Athletics, Williston Northampton News

Cortina ’09 wins Student Academy Award

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Production still courtesy of "Bottled Up"

When he first read the email last week, Rafael “Raffy” Cortina ’09 thought it was a prank. He had submitted his senior project, a short film entitled “Bottled Up,” to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but wasn’t expecting to hear back so quickly.

“The announcement came a week early and caught me off guard,” Mr. Cortina said.

What the email announced was that Mr. Cortina’s senior project for Occidental College, a short film called “Bottled Up,” had won a 2013 Student Academy Award—the first such prize for either an Occidental student or Williston Northampton alumnus.

Mr. Cortina was among 16 student winners in five different categories. The filmmakers will find out how they placed during a ceremony at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on June 8, when they will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals.

Created for his senior comprehensive project, Mr. Cortina’s film had a $3,000 budget, a 14-minute running time, and 15 shots that involved green screens. Despite his financial limitations and a tight, two-day shooting schedule, Mr. Cortina said the whole production went “relatively smoothly.”

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Posted in: Academics, Arts, Williston Northampton News

Final Photographers’ Lecture Series Asks ‘Where is the Truth?’

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Photographers Braden Chattman and Michael Zide are so in sync with one another that, during a recent talk at the Williston Northampton School, they finished each other’s sentences.

“The big word at Hallmark is ‘intention,’” said Mr. Zide. “As someone who absorbs photography,” Mr. Chattman chimed in, “that’s what ultimately matters.”

The Hallmark Institute of Photography teachers were at Williston on April 23 to give the final evening talk of this year’s Photographers’ Lecture Series. That afternoon, Mr. Chattman and Mr. Zide had also spent a class period speaking to Williston’s photography students about what a professional career in photography involves.

“Photography is a lot more than a career decision,” said Mr. Chattman. “It’s a lifestyle.”  He described his dream retirement: traveling the country with his wife, who is also a photographer, in a motorcycle with a tripod mounted on its sidecar. That way there would be no glare from car windows. Continue reading →

Posted in: Arts, Events, Photographers' Lecture Series, Special Programs, Upper School, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News

Kruse ’13 Signs With Catawba Indians

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A lacrosse player described by her coach as “on fire,” signed with Catawba College on April 24 during a special ceremony at the Williston Northampton School.

Photo by Kristine Potasky '81 P'08, '14

Kirstyn Kruse ’13 signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division II lacrosse at the North Carolina school, fulfilling what her mother, Susan Kruse, said had been a dream since she started playing the sport at age seven.

“She loves the sport,” Mrs. Kruse said. “She’s been playing lacrosse since she was a little girl and she’s always wanted to play at the college level.”

Head coach Jen Fulcher described Ms. Kruse as a key member of the team and a great leader on and off the field. Ms. Fulcher noted that Ms. Kruse had been on a hot streak recently, scoring four goals with two assists in a recent game against Westminster.

“She is kind, funny, hardworking, and her teammates love being around her,” Ms. Fulcher said. “She will leave a huge hole as a person and an athlete after she graduates.”

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Posted in: Williston Northampton News

Practice Makes Perfect

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Ron Wyatt’s best tip for getting to know your camera is to leave your manual in the bathroom.

“Every time you spend quality time in the bathroom you’ll learn something new,” he said on Thursday, April 11 in the Dodge Room of the Williston Northampton School. “Great photo opportunities come up, you don’t want to be playing around trying to figure out how to work your camera.”

An Explosive Entrance to Freelancing
On December 5, 1970 the Linden, NJ Exxon refinery exploded.  Working nearby on the General Motors assembly line, Mr. Wyatt ran to the scene and photographed the aftermath.  Later that day he called an area newspaper to see if they were interested.  Although they didn’t want photographs of the explosion, they reviewed his work and offered him a position as a freelance photographer. Continue reading →

Posted in: Photographers' Lecture Series, Williston Northampton News