Origami cranes and a visiting professor’s musical prowess on the Koto greeted us at our all-school community life assembly on Tuesday as Williston students and faculty showed their support of our Japanese students and their families, as well as the larger human community in Japan that has been affected by the recent tsunami and its aftermath. Following the example of a quartet of “little Willies”—the young children of two faculty members—the entire school made an additional 832 paper cranes.
To begin our meeting, our guest Dr. Ann Prescott, director of East Asian Studies for the Five Colleges, gave a beautiful performance on the Koto, a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument. Then the crane-making began. I joined one advisory group in making a crane and then observed our students and faculty spread throughout the gym as they completed theirs—it was an inspiring sight.
With our long history of welcoming students from Japan as well as many other nations around the world, Williston provides a global diversity that enriches the experience of each student, and on this day we certainly shared in a common spirit.
One of the keynote speakers at the recent NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) conference, Dan Heath, used the metaphor of the rider and the elephant to symbolize the challenges we face in changing from old ways that are no longer useful. If the elephant graphically represents the disproportionate influence of emotion over reason, then we have to stack the deck differently in order to overcome this natural imbalance. Heath suggests, as have others, the power of “intrinsic motivation” as the key to success.
I believe our teachers and students create intrinsic motivation at Williston by virtue of the close working relationships they develop and the collaborations that result. One such transformative moment came to life in the children’s theater production, our annual offering to area elementary school children during their February vacation week. This year, the show “Story Theatre: Journeys of Transformation from around the World and Beyond” was student-directed by senior Emi Caliguiri, who cast both Middle and Upper School students and created precisely the kinds of crossover experiences that make Williston so unique. Congratulations to Emi for an outstanding directorial job.
A scene from Story Theatre: Coincidentally, there was an elephant in the play.
Imagine my reaction when I dropped by my colleague Kevin Kudla’s English classroom the other day while he was conducting a writing workshop with his students on a topic from The Great Gatsby. When I asked him about the origins of the assignment, he said that the idea originated at my dinner table.
While we hosted author Debra Munroe as part of the Writers’ Workshop Series, Mr. Kudla ate dinner with Ms. Munroe and the discussion touched on the importance of setting in works of fiction. After their first meeting, Mr. Kudla began an email correspondence with Ms. Munroe, and their conversation found its way into his classroom as a creative assignment for his eager students. He shared this story with his class, giving voice to the very kinds of collaborations that we urge our students to consider as they pursue their Williston educations. It is our aim to help our students cultivate such integrative skills and use them throughout their lives.
If we think of learning opportunities at every nexus point in our community, at every scheduled or chance meeting, then the possibilities of building a truly collaborative learning environment are limitless.
The all-school community life program held on Tuesday featured a clear and distinct message: take care of others in the community and also take time out for oneself. No doubt the middle of February at a boarding school in New England is the right time for such a message—the once white snow banks have been replaced by a palette of browns and grays, and single digit temperatures in the morning test even the halest among us. So it was inspiring to see students and faculty participating in workshops (called play shops for this occasion) aimed at having some fun: from yoga, to hip hop, to coffee tasting, our students joined with faculty for a morning break in class day routine. As I consider the rhythms of the calendar year, these last few weeks prior to spring recess call on our inner reserves, but the magic of Williston’s community is that we are here for one another.
Participating in my first Diversity Conference at Williston was a thrilling experience and made me feel extraordinarily proud of our community. “Be the Change You Want to See in the World”—the theme for the all school event on January 27—featured guest presenters as well as leaders from our own ranks of students, faculty, and staff. We were treated to an opening speech from John Kawie (Class of 1968) who elicited laughter and awe as he recounted his personal journey to the heights of the NYC stand-up comedy scene. Overcoming a traumatic stroke, Mr. Kawie’s determination and courage allowed him to continue with his passion of comedic performance.
The myriad seminars hosted by teachers, staff, students, alumni, and a broad array of talented visitors were enthusiastically attended and unquestionably effective—we were all jolted or cajoled into seeing the world a bit differently. Ask any attendee what she thought of the final dance performance by world-acclaimed Ghanaian dancer Nani Kwashi Agbeli of Woezo and you will surely get a vivid reply. For those wanting to see more of this day, walk through the Reed Campus Center and see the portraits of our community produced by Ed Hing’s photography students or view photos of the workshops, keynote, and closing performance on Flickr.
Imagine my reaction when I dropped by my colleague Kevin Kudla’s English classroom the other day while he was conducting a writing workshop with his students on a topic from The Great Gatsby. When I asked him about the origins of the assignment, he said that the idea originated at my dinner table.
