Mesics Instructorship Awarded to Josh Seamon

Ed. note, the Sandra Bashore ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship was awarded to Math Department Chair Joshua Seamon during an all-school assembly on September 15, 2017. Dean of Faculty delivered the following remarks.

The Sandra Bashore ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship was established in 2001 to recognize the work and initiative of a young faculty member at Williston.

The new Mesics Instructorship recipient joined the Williston faculty in 2013. Arriving on campus he quickly became known for his incredible energy, his love of dogs, his addiction to international travel, his intricate and elegant Origami, and perhaps most famously for his irrepressible passion for all things mathematical.

His students admire and respect his deep and versatile mathematical aptitude. He has a genuine enthusiasm for teaching, and models his own curiosity and love of learning each day. His classes are engaging, interactive, and also innovative as he is a leader in the integration of technology in the classroom. His students know that he will challenge them, and that he will require them to be prepared and fully committed to the learning process. They know he will stretch their thinking, while simultaneously displaying the patience and support to nurture their success. His math lessons often involve cooperative learning and the development of teamwork strategies that are effective skills not only for math, but for life. In a recent student feedback survey, one of his students described his artful approach by writing that “He explains each question with much detail to make us truly understand the essence of the problem.”

Williston has also been fortunate to have him apply his unique talents and skills in the leadership of the math department and the school’s math team. In his department head role he is extremely committed to creating a productive, successful, and forward-looking department. He has strong work ethic, and his willingness to question and challenge traditional approaches have led to healthy dialogues both within the math department and the school community. His colleagues in the math department have found him to be generous with his time, and strongly supportive of their professional growth.

His love of mathematics really knows no bounds; and is not confined or limited by the classroom walls or by the second floor of the Schoolhouse. He has been known to share this passion in school meetings or with anyone who happens to be nearby. For example, we know that 73 is his favorite number because it is the 21st prime number and its mirror, the number 37 is the 12th prime number. He is a huge fan of the number 120 because it is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, and he absolutely revels in the number 142,857 which is the phoenix number because its first six multiples are anagrams of that number. He possesses an incalculable zest for life and math-and for that we are grateful.

It is my privilege to present the Sandra Bashore class of 1955 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship to Josh Seamon.

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