Greetings from campus!
The spirit of community has been alive and well during the first few weeks of September. Following Welcome Days and Orientation, we enjoyed Convocation in the Phillips Stevens Chapel. The inspiring speeches and the sounds of the Alma Mater ringing through the pews reminded us of the strength of the Williston community.
Campus is now abuzz with classes, practices and athletic contests, and our annual Club Fair. It's great to be back in the full swing of things here. As always, please come visit us this fall! After attending the annual White Out football game this Saturday, I can confirm the Williston spirit is strong. There is a level of school pride that brings energy and excitement throughout the entire campus. I encourage everyone to come and check it out for yourselves!
Speaking of school spirit, Wildcats truly stepped up last year to support Williston. I am excited to share our 2022-23 Impact Report, which illustrates the profound influence of your support for the Williston Northampton School. Check it out and know how grateful we are for all the different ways you directly impact our entire community.
Always proud of the Green and Blue!
Steve Hoyt '95, P'25, '25 Director of Alumni Engagement
Calling All 'Cats: To LinkedIn
We've revamped our LinkedIn page and are excited to further connect with our alums. If you don’t already, be sure to follow us and add Williston to your Education section. Already a follower? Invite your other classmates to follow!
Sharing and spreading the word about Williston Northampton increases our profile on the platform. When we post something, please like, comment, share, and repost. Our alums do some incredible things, let's build the network and show the professional impact you are making!
Our alumni base has a vast array of professional experiences. LinkedIn is a great way to network, search for alums in your field, or join groups such as Williston Northampton Alumni, Alumni of Color and Women of Williston. Check them out and ask to join today!
On Monday, October 9, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., the Williston Northampton School will host an open house event on campus in Plimpton Hall for all those interested in future faculty positions. This is an open recruitment event for anyone considering a teaching career at Williston. All are welcome, regardless of whether there is an opening, across all departments. We look forward to seeing you! Details can be found here.
Notes From Campus
At Convocation, we welcomed back Miranda Gohh '13 to address the school. She spoke about her pathway to becoming a Broadway producer, and how you "can't predict where life will take you." Karla Schaffer was awarded with the Granniss Faculty Chair, given each year to a faculty member who personifies the pure joy of sharing the process of learning, and Williston chairs were given to Nat Simpson, Sue Michalski, and David Koritkoski for their 25 years of service to the school. See pictures from the night, and watch the full ceremony.
The Wildcats returned to play over the weekend, including the annual White Out football game under the lights against Deerfield. See photos here. As always, you can livestream games here. Don't forget to follow the school's new athletics Instagram page. Also, please join us October 20-21, when all fall teams have home games. There will be food trucks, an alumni lunch, and all Wildcats are welcome! See a full schedule here.
A Celebration of Life honoring Rick Francis will take place on Saturday, September 30 at 1 p.m., at Phillips Stevens Chapel on Williston's campus. A reception will follow in the school’s Dodge Room inside the Reed Campus Center. The service will also be available via livestream here. All are invited to attend both the service and the reception. Guests are also welcome to attend a 3:30 p.m. home football game vs. Hotchkiss on Sawyer Field which will include a pregame tribute to Coach Francis. Campus Store hours will be extended on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Over the summer, the Physical Plant team was hard at work making upgrades all across campus. You can read about the updates here, or watch our YouTube video as the Wildcat shows us all of the work they and the rest of the staff did over the summer break. Enjoy!
Alumni Spotlight
The Art of the Photo: Mitch Epstein '70
For 50 years, photographer Mitch Epstein ’70 has exposed the American psyche in pictures. Here, he tells the story behind three shots from his newly reissued book, Recreation, and how it all began with the Williston Log.
Alumni Spotlight
She's Here to Help: Migdalia Gonzalez ’85
Over her 30 years in the private and public sectors, Gonzalez has brought her boots-on-the-ground approach to a host of social problems: from food-stamp abuse, to mortgage red-lining, to disaster response.
Read the full article here.
Alumni Events & News
It was great to see everyone at our Massachusetts South Shore event on Thursday, September 14. Trustee Ellen Livingston ’86, P’18 welcomed the guests—including a future member of the class of 2041! See photos from the event here.
The Wildcat Weekend will take place in Mystic, Connecticut, on September 28-30. The luncheon will be at noon on Friday, September 29, at The Fisherman at Long Point. Visit our events page for more information.
We have a slew of alumni events this Fall! In October, we will be in Denver and Boston. On campus, we are "Welcoming Back Wildcats" for the Fall Sports Weekend on October 20-21. Register today on our events page!
We’re extremely proud of our newest alumni from the class of 2023, who are now a few weeks into their college classes, sports, and activities. View our matriculation list to see where they landed—you may just see your alma mater on the list! If you’re a current student at one of these colleges or universities, we’d love to connect you with other Williston alumni at your school so that you can expand your network and keep those Wildcat connections strong. Contact Corinne Briggs, Assistant Director of Alumni Giving and Engagement, at cbriggs@williston.com for details.
If you graduated from Williston between 2018-2023, we want to hear from you! Academic Dean, Kim Polin has prepared a short 4 question survey that will help in understanding how Williston’s curriculum prepared you for college. Your anonymous responses will help guide Williston’s academic offerings moving forward, so your feedback is appreciated!
We are hard at work on producing the fall edition of the Bulletin, but it's never to early to think about the next! Send us class notes or photos for use in the spring issue of the Bulletin! Click here to submit! Extra points if you are rockin' your Willy gear. Show that Wildcat pride wherever your travels take you!
BUILD IT FORWARD
Throughout its history, Williston has been propelled forward by its people. The same is true when we ask you to support the Williston Northampton Fund—we cannot do it without you! Your gift, multiplied with gifts from more than 2,400 alumni, parents, and friends, makes a Williston Northampton education possible. Join us and make your gift today!
Thank you—always proud of the Green & Blue!
Ellen Rosenberg Livingston ’86, P’18, Roy Henwood ’65, Tommy Reed ’10
Chairs of the 2023-24 Williston Northampton Fund
Questions? Comments? Ideas? We want to hear from you! Email us: alumni@williston.com