News and Events
Stories and updates from around campus

A Lesson on Vessels and the Art of Celebration

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Robbie Heidinger Visit 1If there are trophies for athletics, why not have one for art as well?

That was the premise of a recent hands-on workshop by ceramic artist Robbie Heidinger P ’14 in the Grubbs Gallery. During her May 7 visit, she worked with two dozen students from Williston Northampton School’s Arts Intensive Program to craft just such a vessel.

In her own work, which was on display in Grubbs through mid-May, Ms. Heidiger said she has been inspired by the shape, colors, and textures of plants. She began her recent visit to Williston by passing around a vase of spring flowers and urging students to examine the shapes.

“There are really no rules,” Ms. Heidinger told them. “I just want you to start thinking about structure.”

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Posted in: Academics, Arts, Reed Campus Center, Special Programs, Visiting Speakers

Kinda Hibrawi ’96 to Receive Ward Medal

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KHibrawi-Photo-1An artist with a history of international activism has been chosen for the Ward Medal, one of Williston Northampton School’s most prestigious alumni awards.

Kinda Hibrawi ’96 will be honored on May 9, 2014 at a special assembly in the Phillips Stevens Chapel. The assembly will be conducted in an interview style with Williston faculty member Peter Gunn.

The Ward Medal is given every year in honor of Headmaster Robert Ward, who served at Williston from 1972 to 1979, and recognizes outstanding service to humanity.

Ms. Hibrawi, who is of Syrian descent, has worked extensively with refugees on the Syrian-Turkish border. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Zeitouna, a Karam Foundation project that strives to bring education and art to refugee children.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News

Williston Students Create, Curate Easthampton’s New [SHOWCASE]

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IMG_1783The paintings in the hallway of the Reed Campus Center were stacked a dozen deep—parrots, the depth of an eye, a set of surreal white teeth, a royal crown, and spray painted koi—all piled together.

Behind the canvases were another stack of intricate drawings, placed carefully below a laminated sign: “Artists: Drop your art here for [SHOWCASE].”

This stack of artwork, solicited over the past year and collected this week, was headed to the Eastworks Building for a new art exhibit. [SHOWCASE], which opens on May 10 and will run through May 17, will feature work from 23 Williston students. The show is curated by someone who knows the ins and outs of the school’s art community best—student artist Gabriel Jacobson ’15.

[SHOWCASE] will be held in the single, large, multi-room storefront of Suite 136. Mr. Jacobson said the show will include sculptures and a range of photos and paintings, as well as an installation piece from Brenna Quirk ’15.

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Posted in: Arts, Special Programs, Williston Northampton News

Learn from Every Challenge Monopoli ’89 Tells Students

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2014 04 Rutherford Rich Monopoli 3“I need a volunteer,” Rich Monopoli ’89 said to the assembled Upper School students during a recent Wednesday morning. “I need a guy to play me in 1989.”

Once a student, Gabe Hohmann ’14, was seated on the stage, Mr. Monopoli turned to him from the podium.

“You will experience great success over the next 25 years,” he said to Mr. Hohmann. “And you will experience great challenges.”

As an alumnus with many ties to Williston—his sister, Paula Monopoli, is class of 1976 and his niece, Alexandra Lewis, is a current senior—Mr. Monopoli was on campus to speak to students about the lasting legacy of the Williston experience.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Upper School, Visiting Speakers

A Memorable Day in Spanish: The Field Trip to Queens

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radio station 9Editor’s Note: A dozen students from the advanced language courses Spanish Conversation and Cinema recently visited the Little Colombia neighborhood in New York City to learn about the community there. The following is Language Department Head Nat Simpson’s description of the trip.

The Spanish Conversation and Cinema class is a year-long course that covers a variety of topics. In this, their third trimester, students focused on immigration and Hispanic populations in the United States. As a culmination of their work, the class went to  to Jackson Heights in New York City on April 29 to learn more about Spanish-speaking immigrants in Queens.

radio station 3Our first stop was at La Nueva Radio Internacional, which is a Spanish-speaking radio station in the City that caters to the Colombians living there. Their programming is 60 percent from NYC and 40 percent from Colombia. They are an affiliate of Radio Caracol, which is a large radio company in Colombia. The Conversation students went to learn more about the radio station and its connection with the immigrant community. To our surprise, many of them spoke LIVE on the radio to several thousands of Spanish speakers! I couldn’t believe it—I was so proud of them! There are some photos here of Sideya Dill, Julie Lord, and others at the mike.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Upper School, Williston Northampton News

Stories and updates from around campus