Update on Sunday, August 28:

Head of School Bob Hill has the following update from the Williston Northampton campus:

To the Williston Northampton Community:

As the Pioneer Valley continues to deal with the rain, winds, and flooding brought by Hurricane Irene, I wanted you to have a quick update on storm conditions on campus.

I am relieved to report that other than branches being strewn about, we seem to be weathering Irene in good shape. While NOAA.gov still warns of strong wind gusts throughout the afternoon and into the evening, we have so far been free of power outages, as well as any major flooding issues. We continue to be mindful of this extreme weather, however, and I encourage you to remain vigilant as Irene passes through the state.

An administrative team will reconvene this evening for another check-in. Until then, please stay safe and heed the warnings associated with such an enormous weather system.

Friday, August 26:

The Williston Northampton School is closely monitoring Hurricane Irene to secure the campus and to protect the safety of its community.  For more information, please check the Web site, as well as the school’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Chief Financial Officer Chuck McCullagh wrote the following to the Williston Northampton community:

To the Williston Northampton Community:

I am sure everyone is aware of Hurricane Irene which is tracking towards New England. In response, everyone on campus should be prepared for the three likely outcomes of this storm:

·          Excessive wind

·          Excessive water

·          Likely power outages

Here are the steps the school is taking:

·         The automated text message/voicemail system is being prepared if it is needed to convey messages to all employees.

·         It is suggested that all office that are on ground floor or have items stored in basements to get all those materials up off the floor. This would include the Reed Center, the Homestead, the Athletic Center, the Middle School, the Schoolhouse, Ford Hall (including the Children’s Center) and a number of dormitories.

·         All school student transportation vehicles will be parked in the parking lot next to the Athletic Center.

·         We ask all offices to check to make sure all copiers, printers and other computer equipment are shut off. Particularly, if academic department members can check their offices to make sure the copiers and other equipment are turned off, it would be appreciated.

·         Any school equipment typically stored outside will be brought inside (equipment around physical plant, Adirondack chairs, etc.)

·         Flags will be taken down.

·         All windows and doors in dormitories and other buildings should be securely closed. Housekeeping will be asked to check dorms and other buildings, but it would be very helpful if all members of the community check windows and doors to make sure everything is closed before leaving at the end of the day Friday.

Campus residents are asked to do the following:

·         Gather any personal items (tables , umbrellas, chairs, children’s toys, etc.) that might be stored outside and please bring them indoors, (except gas grill with propane tanks). Please try to find a secure place for gas grills but do not bring them inside.

·        If you are aware one of your campus neighbors is away and may not have received this message, please try to go to their home and bring inside any personal items that could be carried away by wind.

Communication:

·         If there are any questions over the weekend, please call security, which will be on duty (527-0730). Please note that it is a single line, so if it is busy, security is addressing another phone call.

·         As the storm evolves, we will communicate with employees in the following fashion (in level of priority, noting that if power goes out, some of the other methods further down on the list will likely still work):

o   School email system

o   School voicemail system

o   All employee texting/voicemail emergency messaging system

o   The school’s website

·         Bob Hill , Chuck McCullagh and Jeff Tannatt are here all weekend, so if there are any major issues, decisions will be made quickly.

Monday after the storm:

We anticipate that everything will be operational on campus Monday morning. However, if there are complications that will make it difficult for the entire school staff to work on campus that day, a voicemail message will be left at the number 413-529-3261 at 5:30 a.m. (or if power is still out, an emergency text/voicemail message will be sent) to inform employees whether or not they should come to work. Certain managers ask certain personnel to come to work to address specific activities, but that will be handled at the department level. Particularly, if there is a state of emergency in your community that will prevent you from coming to work, please follow the directives of your local authorities.

We are asking everyone who can help with the above steps to protect his or her personal effects as well as the school’s items from wind, water and power outages.

Thank you in advance for what I am sure will be an organized and efficient community effort. I hope you and your family stay safe this weekend, and I’m grateful for your help in keeping the campus secure, as well.

Best,

Chuck

Change Offers Greater Curricular Depth and Breadth for Students

Beginning this September, the academic year will be structured differently at The Williston Northampton School’s Upper School, and the change will allow for both greater depth and greater breadth in the curriculum, among other advantages. The academic year will now follow a trimester schedule rather than a semester schedule.

Associate Head of School Jeff Ketcham explains, “Moving to a trimester schedule will allow students to delve into subjects more deeply and will provide additional opportunities to take a broader range of electives. I’m excited about the positive changes this will bring for the student experience as well as the flexibility that it will offer our overall curriculum.”

The Upper School semester schedule evolved over the past three decades. The last significant calendar change eliminated what was once a January session not connected to either semester. The result was a spring semester that was approximately five weeks longer than the fall semester, leading to an inconsistency in the amount of content covered in each semester. This imbalance resulted in a number of academic issues over time. The move to trimesters will restore balance to the school’s academic terms.

This change will have an impact on the curriculum, as well. If a student is interested in history, for example, he or she will be able to explore that topic more deeply by having the ability to enroll in three electives during the year rather than two. In addition, the change will allow for more depth in departmental offerings.

The newly-designed trimester schedule will allow for easier integration with Middle School students who are academically in a position to be enrolled in Upper School classes. The Middle School has already been on a trimester schedule; as a result, this change will align all Williston students on a single academic calendar.

Added Mr. Ketcham, “We are confident that the result of this change will be a positive one for students and faculty as they endeavor to pursue and share their academic passions.”

The Williston Wildcats are going to look a little different as they travel New England this fall to take the field against other members of the New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC). They’ll be wearing new travel suits that will be the standard for the school’s teams.

“We’re very excited about this change,” said Mark Conroy, Director of Athletics at The Williston Northampton School. “A school’s athletic program is arguably the most public aspect of any institution so we wanted to make sure that our teams looked as sharp and uniform as possible while representing Williston. The Wildcats will play in nearly 800 contests during this coming school year. While we are extremely proud of how well our teams compete and represent the school with great sportsmanship, we felt that adopting these travel suits would go a long way towards improving the school’s identity and recognition by others. I know our teams will look fantastic in these new suits!”

Using the blue and green travel suit will limit the need for individual teams to purchase expensive outerwear on a seasonal or annual basis, although teams will still be allowed to order sport-specific wear. The new travel suits will standardize the school’s “look” while controlling escalating costs for families with students on multiple teams. 

Returning students who plan on being associated with a competitive team were sized for the new suits in the spring and will receive them at Registration this fall. All new students will be sized for their travel suits when they arrive at Registration. The suits will be charged to student accounts during the fall trimester.

Go Wildcats!

This fall, the Williston Northampton community will welcome not only a new group of students, but new faculty to both the Middle School and Upper School.

“We are eager to welcome this new class of faculty to our ranks this fall,” said Peter Valine, Dean of the Faculty. “This group, which is a little larger than in the past few years, will be distinguished by the energy and passion that they will contribute to our campus. Williston also will be well served through the experiences that seven members of this cohort have accrued working in other independent schools. I am excited about this enthusiastic group of well-rounded men and women who will actively embrace their various roles at Williston and who will be inspirational role models for our students.”

Among the new faculty this year are three Williston alumni: Kyle Hanford ‘97, Nick Katzenbach ‘00, and Adrienne Stolarz Mantegna ‘94. In addition, Chris Dietrich, the school’s Director of Financial Aid, has returned to the Admission Office where he worked from 2000 to 2003.

The new faculty members are:

Elisabeth S. Belisle – Science Teacher. Elisabeth earned a degree in Biochemistry from Mount Holyoke College in May 2011. While at Mount Holyoke, Elisabeth served as an Organic Chemistry PLUMS mentor (Peer-Led Undergraduate Mentoring System). She also participated in research projects at Baystate Medical Center.

William D. Berghoff – Science Department Head. Bill received a BA in Chemistry and Geology from Bowdoin College and has done graduate work at Wesleyan University. He comes to Williston from Choate Rosemary Hall, where he served as Form Dean, Chemistry Teacher, Physics Teacher and coached swimming and water polo since 1993. Prior to Choate, Bill served on the faculty at Suffield Academy and Wilbraham Monson Academy.

Caitlin Bradley – Math Teacher. Cait earned a BS from Dickinson College with a major in Mathematics. She was the assistant cross country and track coach at Hamilton College. This summer she served as a trip leader for students ages 11-18 at Apogee Adventures

Christopher J. Dietrich – Director of Financial Aid and Admission Data Coordinator. Chris earned a BA from Amherst College with a major in American Studies, and a MA and Liberal Studies Degree from Wesleyan University. Chris has returned to Williston after working at The Taft School as Assistant Director of Admission and Loomis Chaffee School as Associate Director of Admission.

Kyle T. Hanford ’97 – English Teacher. Kyle received a BA from Ithaca College majoring in English and MEd in English Education from Boston College. He is also working towards an MA in English from the Bread Loaf School of English. Kyle taught English at Canton High School and was the assistant coach of the boys’ hockey team. He has also taught at several schools in the Boston area.

Nicholas S. Katzenbach ’00 – French Teacher. Nick earned a BA from Wesleyan University, majoring in French Studies. He also played varsity soccer at Wesleyan. Since graduating, Nick has been involved in media production enterprises that include research, editing, production and translation.

Adrienne Mantegna ’94 – English Teacher. Adrienne earned a BA from UMass and a MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College. She will return to Williston in September after spending a year as Program Director at the Firehouse Learning Center in Monson as well as an Adjunct Faculty/Writing Instructor at Bay Path College.

Kyle P. Maurer – Science Teacher. Kyle received his BS from Cornell University, majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. He taught Physics and Chemistry to grades 10-12 at Sabis International Charter School in Springfield. Kyle also is a rowing coach for the Northampton Youth and Community Rowing, Inc. in Northampton.

Donald R. McKillop, Jr. – History Teacher. Donnie earned his BA from Middlebury College in May 2011, with a major in Political Science and a double minor in Psychology and American Studies. While at Middlebury, Donnie was team captain of football and baseball. This summer he was a teaching intern at Choate Rosemary Hall.

Kathryn M. Noble – Dean of Students. Kathy has both a BS in Physical Education and a MS in Physical Education, Teaching and Administration from Springfield College. Kathy was the Director of Athletics at Lawrence Academy and has also served as Director of Athletics at Proctor Academy, Miss Porter’s School and The Rivers School.

David B. Sanders – Science Teacher. David earned a BS from Morehouse College, with a major in Biology and minor in French. He previously taught Biology and French at Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis.

Matthew Spearing – Director of Student Activities, Science Teacher. Matt earned a BA in Environmental Studies and Government from St. Lawrence University. After graduation he was the International House Coordinator at St. Lawrence. He went on to work in international schools in Abu Dhabi and Egypt. He has also worked two summers with the Seeds of Peace organization in Maine.