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 175th 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.