News and Events
Stories and updates from around campus

Max Willman ’14 Commits to Brown

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Photo by Paul Rutherford
Photo by Paul Rutherford

On Labor Day weekend, the Willman’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Coach after coach was calling to ask the same question: “Is Max there?”

The star hockey forward and lead scorer was a popular guy over the break; dozens of colleges and universities wanted to know if he could be persuaded to enroll.

“It was really hard for him to decide,” said his mother, Peyton Willman. “There were seven or eight different choices.”

For Max, though, the answer was clear: he wanted a place where he could continue to play at the highest levels, while also being challenged academically. Brown University in Rhode Island fit those criteria perfectly—and was located just an hour and a half from home. The fact that one of his friends and former South Shore Kings teammates was also committing to Brown was an added bonus.

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Posted in: Athletics, Williston Northampton News

Catie Laraway ’14 Signs with Assumption College

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2014_02_Rutherford_National Letter of Intent_Catie Laraway 2“If you’re not outlined in chalk, you’re fine to play” has been Catie Laraway’s motto for her past four years playing field hockey for the Williston Northampton School.

That kind of toughness and dedication resulted in some broken front teeth for the senior (since repaired) and a knee that has been smashed so often that her coach, Logan Brown, thinks it might now have multiple kneecaps.

It’s also resulted in Ms. Laraway setting a new career goals record at Williston—her 85 mark solidly broke the previous record of 60. She also set a new record for goals in a single season, with 38 this year, 10 over the previous record.

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Posted in: Athletics

Heather Schultz to Speak at 12th Annual Diversity Conference

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HeatherSchultz_croppedNoted author, public speaker, and philanthropist Heather Schultz ’72, P’14 will present the keynote at Williston Northampton School’s 12th annual Diversity Conference on Friday, February 14, 2014 at 8:45 a.m. in the Athletic Center.

Ms. Schultz is vice president of Senn Delaney, a culture-consulting firm with headquarters in California and London, England. She has previously worked as an executive at Save the Children, president of the Tom Peters Company, and as global head of marketing for Andersen Consulting, now Accenture.

Her books include Online Learning Today: Strategies That Work, with John Fogarty, and Dance Lessons: Six Steps to Great Partnerships in Business and Life, with Dr. Chip Bell. She attended Northampton School for Girls and was in the first graduating class of the combined Williston Northampton School. Her daughter, Bianca Schultz, is a senior at the school.

Ms. Schultz will speak on the conference theme of “Empowering MEdia” by exploring how those in the Williston community can be at their best more and make valuable contributions to their families, the school, and the world.

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Posted in: Special Programs, Visiting Speakers

William Huang ’14: Filmmaking is Like Building a House

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2013_1205_Schnaittacher_WilliamHuangWhile others focus on the beauty of a particular shot, or the arc of the narrative, for Tzu Jung “William” Huang ‘14, the attraction of film is in the meticulous process of figuring out how each piece fits perfectly with every other.

That’s what drew the Taiwan native to film making in elementary school, where he started tinkering with Windows Movie Maker during a fifth-grade summer camp, and it’s what has kept him interested enough to learn other editing programs such as Final Cut.

It’s all about starting from nothing, says Mr. Huang, who tends to break into a wide, infectious grin while he talks about his process.

“It’s like building a house from all the raw materials,” he says. “From nothing, to 100 percent done.”

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Posted in: Student Profile, Williston Northampton News

Shabana Basij-Rasikh and the Crime of Educating Girls

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Photography by Chattman Photography

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Williston Northampton welcomed Shabana Basij-Rasikh, an Afghan education activist and co-founder and president of the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA) to campus on Monday, January 20.

Ms. Basij-Rasikh spoke to the student body about growing up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, when girls were forbidden to attend school. “I have extremely amazing parents,” she said. “They could not stand the idea of us, especially the four sisters in my family, growing up uneducated.”

Rather than flee, her family decided to stay in Afghanistan and educate their four daughters secretly, illegally. For the next five years, Ms. Basij-Rasikh dressed in boy’s clothing and took her older sister to a secret school in the home of one of their neighbors. More than 100 young girls attended classes in this tiny makeshift school. Ms. Basij-Rasikh remembers constantly fearing that the Taliban would discover the school and kill everyone inside.

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Posted in: Academics, Events, Visiting Speakers, Williston Northampton News

Stories and updates from around campus