U.S. History students from The Williston Northampton School who are preparing for this year’s We the People academic competition will collaborate with students from Easthampton High School. The two schools will present a showcase of their research on the Williston campus on Wednesday, January 19. The showcase will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Dodge Room of the Reed Campus Center, and individual hearings will occur in Reed 202 and 204 from 7–9 p.m.

On Saturday, January 29, students from both schools will travel to Boston and participate in the state-wide We the People competition involving 12 different public and private schools, sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.

To prepare for the competition, students investigate the history, philosophy, and contemporary development of US Government. Working in small groups, they prepare presentations on three different questions. During the event, the groups give one presentation each. Following their prepared remarks, students respond to a series of questions from judges and defend their ideas without benefit of notes.

Williston students have participated in this event since 1998 and finished in the top three places four times, including winning the honor of representing Massachusetts in the national finals in 2000. This year will mark the first time that Easthampton High School has participated.

At a faculty meeting on December 9, 2010, The Williston Northampton School’s Head of School Robert W. Hill announced that Peter Valine will be Williston’s dean of faculty and Jen Fulcher will be director of the Middle School, positions which they currently hold as interims.

Peter Valine majored in history at the University of Vermont and earned a master’s in liberal studies at Dartmouth College. He taught previously at Tilton School, Mercersburg Academy, and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School. A history teacher at Williston since 1998, he has taught in both the Middle School and the Upper School. He has also been a dorm head, has coached lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey, and has led student trips to Ireland and Central Europe. Peter was head of the History Department from 1999 to 2004, and coordinated the school’s NEASC self-study for re-accreditation in 2005-06. He is also an adjunct professor at the College of Saint Joseph, where he has taught interdisciplinary courses for undergraduate and graduate students since 2002.

Jen Fulcher studied psychology at Connecticut College, where she captained the varsity soccer and lacrosse teams, and earned a master’s in education from Springfield College. She came to Williston in 1989 as a physical education teacher, dorm parent, and coach. She has taught psychology in the Upper School and history in the Middle School, as well as working as director of summer programs and director of facility marketing. The girls’ varsity lacrosse program has enjoyed tremendous success under her guidance, achieving a record of 41-3-1 over the last four seasons. Jen was the Middle School’s coordinator of student affairs from 2007 to 2010.  

About these appointments, Bob Hill said, “With both Peter and Jen, we not only have veteran members of the school community occupying essential leadership positions, but, most importantly, we have tremendously hard working, thoughtful, and creative thinkers ready to help the school move forward.”