Category Archives: Student Speaker

Commencement Address by Miranda Gohh ’13

Good morning and a big hello to the Williston Northampton School Class of 2013, teachers, parents, grandparents, siblings, bagpipers, webcast-watchers, and kids. Welcome and thank you all for showing up to our high school graduation.

Speaking in front of a crowd of 1000+ people is something that not a lot of people get to experience in their lifetimes and being awarded this opportunity today is a really special honor. Some people try and picture the audience in their underwear to get the nerves down. I just stuck to not wearing contacts, so if something comes out wrong, well sometimes you can’t see the whole picture in widescreen vision.

So, what’s next? Seriously though, did we get that figured out? I need to let my mom know…

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Senior Class Dinner Speech by Matthew Freire ’13

Editor’s note: These remarks were delivered at the Williston Northampton School’s Senior Dinner on May 10, 2013, by Matthew Freire ’13, senior class president.

Good Evening Everyone,

During our first Senior Dinner we had just come back from summer vacation. We were excited to see our friends, and brag about how awesome each of our breaks was. We were also excited to meet new students, and excited about simply being seniors, being the leaders of our school. At the same time, we were anxious about applying to college and waiting countless days to hear back from them. And now that we’ve been through all that, we can finally take a deep breath and say “We did it.”

And so here we are, months later, at our last Senior Dinner. We only have a couple weeks until graduation, and many of us can’t wait to embark on the next phase our lives. But, at the same time many of us will also miss the treasured memories that we’ve had during our high school careers. The close games we’ve won, the lifelong friends that we have made from around the US and the world, and the unique connections we’ve had with our teachers are all memories that will be embedded in our minds for years to come.

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The Laramie Project Interviews

The Williston Theatre’s spring production this year is The Laramie Project, a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project that was based on a small town’s reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shephard, a University of Wyoming student.  During a recent break between rehearsals, Emily Ditkovski, the director of the Williston production, and Persis Ticknor-Swanson ’14, a cast member, sat down to talk about preparing for the play, audience empowerment, and bullying.

The Williston Theater’s production of The Laramie Project opens on April 25 at 7:00 p.m.   Performances continue on April 27 and May 2-4 at 7:00 p.m. and April 26 at 7:30 p.m.  Click here to purchase tickets online.

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This is a poem of, by and for Williston

Editor’s note: The following poem was read during Upper School Assembly on Wednesday, February 20.

To a few factory buildings now used to mold minds
To these teachers who give it their all every time
To students who strive as no others have striven
Allow me to speak of your gift that keeps giving.
Unique stands our passion, diverse our pure purpose
Collected comprising a community of courage.

Hot air blowing through white curtains on a summer morning,
I sleep and eat and play games, ignoring mom’s warnings,
that I should instead do some chores;
but it’s real nice to take a break every once in a while,
and get ready for the upcoming trial.

From cool autumn mornings to dark winter nights
Tirelessly working to achieve new heights.
Though it’s not always simple each attempt keeps us reaching,
Stretching and hoping,
To find a new answer, a reason, a meaning

As the final days of the school year approach
We will all buy our dresses and ties
splashing in muddy puddles where snow used to be
Reminds us that we are just past childhood
But the books we read
The opinions we form
And the world that awaits
All promise a bright future.

By Evan Jacobson, Jiwon Lee, Mika Chmielewski, and Laura McCullagh

Governor General’s Academic Medal Acceptance Speech

The following speech was presented by Gabriel Archambault in French as an acceptance speech for the Governor General’s Academic Medal ceremony on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

English (translation)

Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and graduates.

I would have liked to be with you this evening.  I’m not there in person right now because I’m studying at Williston Northampton in Massachusetts.  When you see this video, I’ll be playing in a soccer match.  I hope we’re winning.

I would like to thank at my teachers at Saint-Paul who taught me a great deal  I would also like to thank my friends who added to my great experience at school. In addition, I thank my parents, brother, and friends who encourage me from afar.

I knew that we were going to receive our high school diplomas.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was the recipient of the Governor General’s medal. I am truly honored by this recognition.

To all the graduates: Good luck for the start of the CEGEP term. I’ll be thinking of you.

To my friends, I’ll be in Québec for 10 days in November to celebrate American Thanksgiving.

See you soon; I’m thinking of you fondly.

French (original)

Bonsoir a vous, messieurs, mesdames et diplomes

J’aurais beaucoup aime etre parmi vous ce soir.  Si je ne suis pas physiquement avec vous c’est parce que j’etudie au prep school Williston Northampton dans l’etat du Massachusetts.  Lorsque vous verrez ce video, je serai en train de jouer un match de football.  J’espere qu’on est en train gagner.

J’aimerais remercier tous les professeurs du College Saint-Paul qui m’ont permis d’acquerrir un grand bagage de connaissances.  J’aimerais remercier aussi mes amis qui ont contribue a ce que l’atmosphere au College soit si agreable pour moi.  Je remercie aussi mes parents, mon frere et ma blonde qui m’encouragent peu importe la distance.

Je savais que nous allions recevoir notre diplome d’etudes secondaires.  J’ai ete agreablement surpris d’apprendre que je recevais aussi la medaille de gouverneur general.  Je suis vraiment tres honore de cette marque de reconnaissance.

A tous les diplomes; Bonne chance pour votre session de CEGEP qui debute.  Je pense a vous.

A mes amis, je serai au Quebec en novembre pour 10 jours pour feter la thanksgiving americaine.

A Bienttot, vous etes dans mon couer.