Director of Curriculum Kim Evelti coordinates the Mount Holyoke College master’s degree program for Williston faculty. Meet a candidate in the program on the back cover.
2017-18 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REPORT
INVESTING IN OUR TEACHERS
“ The natural curiosity of our faculty and their desire to improve in their craft, combined with the generosity of Williston alumni and friends, has created a stimulating environment for professional growth on our campus.” —DEAN OF FACULTY PETER VALINE
Professional development funds supported science teacher Chris Pelliccia in his graduate studies at Montana State University. To earn his degree in science education, he traveled to Bozeman to research Rocky Mountain geology and the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park.
OUR COMMITMENT TO TEACHER EXCELLENCE Great teachers are the foundation of every great school. And as an institution dedicated to academic excellence, the Williston Northampton School recognizes that the best teachers are always seeking to improve their skills through professional development. Each year, funds generously donated by alumni and friends of the school allow this to happen. Thanks to your support, teachers at Williston have access to workshops, seminars, graduate programs, educational travel, and stipended faculty chairs and instructorships. On the following pages, you can read how these opportunities are directly benefiting the faculty—and the students—of Williston.
For the faculty at Williston Northampton, excellence begins in the classroom. But it does not end there.
Robert W. Hill III, Head of School
When the school day is over, teachers become coaches, bringing their leadership and instructional skills to the athletic fields, ice hockey rink, and cross-country course. In the evening, they transform again into dorm parents, offering students counsel and support. And whenever they can, they serve as colleagues and peers, collaborating with other faculty on crossdisciplinary projects that tap into our community’s rich resources, such as the Five Colleges. In this multifaceted environment, our teachers need to stay creatively inspired and student-focused, which is why we continue to invest in and actively promote professional development. We know that supporting our faculty on their academic
journey pays us back many times over, as they bring their experiences and learning back to the classroom, the athletic arena, and the campus community. This past year, your donations allowed more than 40 faculty members to take advantage of professional development programs. And while teachers are the direct recipients, students also reap the benefits. To be sure, instructors return with new ideas, sharper skills, and broader life experience. But, perhaps just as significant, the behavior they are modeling—continuing to pursue excellence in their careers—demonstrates to students what Williston means when we advocate living with purpose, passion, and integrity. —Robert W. Hill III
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MICHAEL DOUBLEDAY • History and Global Studies Teacher since 2012 • B.A. from Colby College, M.Ed. from Antioch University New England • Coaches swimming and football • Lives off campus with his wife and two sons
OUR FACULTY BY THE NUMBERS
94
Number of faculty members
2
100
Percent who serve as coaches, advisors, and club leaders
70
Percent with advanced degrees
55
Number who have been at Williston five years or longer
THE POWER OF ENDOWMENT When he received the Prigmore Faculty Chair last year, Michael Doubleday says the occasion was “an incredible honor and one of the highlights of my professional career.” But the award is more than just gratifying recognition of the five-year history teacher’s work, he says. It’s also a vehicle for his becoming an even better educator. Like the school’s numerous other chairs and instructorships, the Prigmore—which provides a $4,000 stipend for five years—enables teachers to pursue new areas of professional development and deepen their expertise through educational opportunities. “Just knowing that the money is there is incentive to get creative and do things that I might not do otherwise,” he says. In the past year, Michael has taken a weeklong seminar in American foreign policy at the University of Texas at Austin, taught by renowned scholar Jeremi Suri and sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He also spent a weekend in New York City, touring the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. Both experiences informed his classroom discussions on related topics, he says. But his efforts have paid off in other ways, as well. “I think it is great for the kids to learn that we as teachers are students also,” he says. “As a history teacher, I try to instill that desire to learn and teach that the subject of history is fluid. As new information becomes available, it changes what we think about events or people. That’s one of the most fascinating things about the study of history: There is always something new to learn.” Thanks to the Prigmore Chair*, Michael Doubleday has the resources to extend his mastery.
ENDOWED CHAIRS, INSTRUCTORSHIPS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDS • Jon P. and Russell S. Adams Art Fund • Anonymous Faculty Development Fund • Sandra Bashore ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship • Elizabeth Kassel Brown ’51 Summer Faculty Fellowship Fund • John Seely Brown ’58 Faculty Chair • Cain Family Sabbatical Fund • Roger S. Clapp Faculty Salaries Fund • The Class of 1957 Faculty Professional Development Fund • Faculty Professional Development Fund • Faculty Salaries Fund • Martha Galbraith Faculty Enrichment Fund • A. J. Giacomini Audio/Visual Photo Fund • Giacomini Faculty Enrichment Fund • David H. ’35 and Edward J. ’37 Goodman Science Chair • Charles Gardner Granniss ’29 and Eugenie Williams Granniss Faculty Chair • Adah Judd Green Endowment for Teaching Excellence • George E. and Catherine B. Gregory Instructorship • Richard C. Gregory Faculty Chair • Dennis H. Grubbs Faculty Chair • Hagedorn Family Faculty Chair • John L. Hall (1890) Faculty Salaries Fund • A. L. Hepworth History Chair • Kluger Family Summer Faculty Enrichment Fund • Henry ’42 and Amy Liss Faculty Development Fund • Northampton School for Girls Instructorship
* The Prigmore Faculty Chair was given by G. Daniel Prigmore ‘61 and Kristin J. Prigmore ‘88 in memory of his parents and her grandparents William H. Prigmore and Dr. Mildred J. Hausmann. To be given to a member of the History Department selected by the Headmaster who is considered most able to “teach history with a perspective that encourages students to seek out all of the contributors leading up to the events history has recorded”.
• Karin H. O’Neil Instructorship • Allen S. Olmstead (1875) Fund • Prigmore Faculty Chair • The Schreyer Family Lectureship • Taiwan Fund for the Arts • Emily N. McFadon Vincent ’49 and Bob E. Vincent Instructorship • Emily N. McFadon Vincent ’49 Faculty Professional Development Fund
43
Number who used professional development funds last year
78
• Henry M. ’52 and Judith M. Zachs Faculty Chair
Percent of faculty who live on campus
3
MATH IN REAL LIFE
JOSH SEAMON • Head of the Mathematics Department • Teacher at Williston since 2013 • B.A. from Pomona College, M.S.T. from the University of New Hampshire • Coaches math team • Lives on Payson Avenue with his dog, Mabel 4
This fall, Joshua was awarded the Sandra Bashore ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship. Established in 2001, this three-year instructorship recognizes a young faculty member’s initiatives in and out of the classroom.
“ I live the phrase, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’ which pushes me to stay challenged.” At the Tanteidan Origami Convention in Tokyo last year, Math Department Head Joshua Seamon had the rare opportunity to take a lesson from Satoshi Kamiya, a world-renowned master. For two hours, Satoshi taught Josh how to fold a bewilderingly complex dragon head, though neither man spoke the other’s language. They communicated using only hand-drawn sketches and Satoshi’s focused instruction. For Josh, an origami devotee who uses the art in his classes to demonstrate mathematical principles, the process underscored one of his beliefs about teaching. “We know that the best learning environment we can create is one where we act as facilitators, setting up our students for success and getting out of the way,” he explains. “Satoshi’s classroom drove that home. You don’t need to say much— or anything at all—as long as you choose what you do say and how you do direct your class in the most helpful ways possible.” Williston’s professional development program funded Josh’s trip to Japan, and Josh says the experience continues to inform his classroom work. “I use origami at the end of my Multivariable Calculus class to continue our exploration of surfaces and volumes,” he explains. “My students walk away from my class with a much better handle on working with paper in three dimensions, thanks to my time with Satoshi.” Josh came to Williston in 2013 from St. Johnsbury Academy, in Vermont. But he was already well-acquainted with the Pioneer Valley. Raised in Amherst, he was a member of the high school’s national champion Ultimate Frisbee team in 1998, and his passion for the sport, like origami, continues to guide his life. In addition to coaching at Williston, he serves on the board of directors for USA Ultimate, the sport’s governing body, and runs coaching development at Camp Ultimate Peace, a summer camp in Israel that brings Israeli and Palestinian teens together through the sport. Using origami to teach math. Using Ultimate to promote intercultural understanding. Both reflect Josh’s teaching philosophy: “Show students cool things and get out of the way!” Williston’s professional development program helps Josh do just that. “I live the phrase, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’ which pushes me to stay challenged, put myself into uncomfortable situations, and to travel. Constantly learning about all of the awesome in this world is deeply inspiring.”
MEET A FEW OF OUR NEWEST FACULTY MEMBERS They come from as far away as California and as close as Amherst College. David Cunningham joins the Williston faculty from Amherst College, where he earned his B.A. in English and last year was a Hitchcock Fellow, coaching both ice hockey and baseball. A standout goalie and first baseman, David will teach seventh grade English, coach in the ice hockey and baseball programs, and live in Logan House. Ashley Jenkins taught English and coached for the past three years at The Pine School, an independent day school in Florida. She earned a B.A. in Secondary Education from Bowling Green University. She will teach English, coach track and field, and live at 15 Payson. Karla Schaffer taught math at the Webb School in Tennessee for the last six years. She earned a B.A. in mathematics and psychology at Mercyhurst University and has a M.Ed. in teaching and learning from Vanderbilt University. She will teach math, coach in the girl’s soccer program, and live in Clare House with her husband, Teddy. Teddy Schaffer is also a math teacher from the Webb School in Tennessee. He earned a B.S. in mathematics and economics from Furman University and an M.S. in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech. He will teach math, coach Ultimate Frisbee and water polo, and live in Clare House with Karla. Dr. Rajendra Shrivastava has taught math, physics, and computer science at both the high school and college level. Most recently, he has been teaching math and computer science in high schools in California. He holds several advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. in computer science from Louisiana State University. Raj will teach math and computer science, lead the Robotics program, and live on Main Street.
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THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIFFERENCE Thanks to professional development resources, 43 Williston Northampton teachers attended classes, workshops, seminars, and other educational events during the summer of 2017. A sampling:
Associate Director of Athletics Melissa Brousseau (appointed in 1997) traveled to Houston, Texas, in June for the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Symposium.
Visual and Performing Arts Department Head Natania Hume (appointed in 2003) attended the Progressive Education Lab Conference at the Putney School in June and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts summer conference in July.
Visual and Performing Arts teacher Charles Raffetto (appointed in 2010) learned about video projection mapping at the Guildhall School in London, England, in July.
Language Department Head Beatrice Cody (appointed in 2008) traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in early July for the American Classical League Institute at Grand Valley State University.
Visual and Performing Arts teacher Steve Berlanga (appointed in 2016) took part in the Conductors Retreat at Medomack in Maine in July.
Testing Coordinator Molly Ward (appointed in 1999) received training in the Orton-Gillingham Program in June and July.
Language teacher Rita Plouffe (appointed in 2016) attended the STARTALK Teachers Training Program at the Chinese American International School in San Francisco in June.
English Department Head Sarah Sawyer (appointed in 2000) took part in a novelwriting workshop at Tin House, in Portland, Oregon, in July.
Science teacher Liz Kay (appointed in 2013) explored Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest and attended the What Drives Winning conference in Boston.
Middle School math teacher Mimi King (appointed in 1986) attended the Anja S. Greer Conference on Mathematics and Technology at Phillips Exeter Academy in June.
Math teacher Kurt Whipple (appointed in 1996) traveled to Washington, D.C., for the AP Calculus Institute.
Dean of Faculty Peter Valine (appointed in 1998) attended FIRST 2017: The Institutes for Better Learning, a conference held in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in August.
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A SCHOLAR OF TEACHING
RACHEL CURRIE-RUBIN • Class of 2001 • Academic Support Coordinator since 2016 • B.S. from Ithaca College, M.Ed. and Ed.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education • Coaches ice hockey • Lives in Memorial Hall East with husband (Mark Esposito, class of 2001) and three daughters
“ Going to conferences helps me to push my thinking and change the way that I approach tasks.” With a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s and doctoral degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Rachel Currie-Rubin, Williston class of 2001, has spent most of her adult life exploring the latest educational approaches and strategies. But even after devoting all those years to the study of teaching, she is still eager to learn more. “It’s so important to try out new things,” says Rachel, who returned to campus last year to run the Academic Support program after working for an educational research and development firm. “Going to conferences and trainings helps me to push my thinking and change the way that I approach tasks. I really appreciate the opportunities. I always come back with new ideas, a huge to-do list, and a feeling of re-engagement.” Last year, for example, at a conference on Learning in the Brain, the discussion turned to the best ways to support working memory in the classroom. Rachel found herself frantically making notes. “I needed to go back through my newly designed class and make sure that I had a clear goal for each class, and that I was really focusing on what I wanted my students to know and be able to do.” More recently, she completed training in the Orton-Gillingham program, a support system designed for students with dyslexia. “It’s really an approach to analyze and figure out exactly what a student needs,” she explains. “The training helped me to consider the types of support we are giving at Williston, and if we can be more specific about the approaches we use.” As much as she has gained from the conferences and trainings, Rachel notes that she takes a particular pleasure in the learning that takes place right here on the Williston campus. “The most satisfying part of my job has been the opportunity to collaborate with my students and colleagues to find out what works for students,” she says. “I definitely don’t have all the answers, so collaboration will continue to be what I rely on to grow.”
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A MATTER OF DEGREES Professional development funds have allowed numerous Williston teachers to pursue advanced degrees. A sampling of recent graduates and those currently enrolled:
BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE
2016
Carey Baldwin—Master of Applied Statistics, Colorado State University Erin Davey—Master of Science in Sports Management, Southern New Hampshire University Dave Koritkoski—Master of Education, Westfield State University Lori Pelliccia—Master of Fine Arts, Vermont College of Fine Arts
2015
Kyle Hanford—Master of Arts in English, Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English Christa Talbot Syfu—Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Wesleyan University Ryan Tyree—Master of Arts in English, Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English
CURRENTLY ENROLLED Derek Cunha—Master of Business Administration, Southern New Hampshire University
Kate Garrity—Master of Science in Psychology, Child and Adolescent Development, Southern New Hampshire University Lee Greener—Master of Science in Higher Education Administration, Baypath University Sue Michalski—Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Mount Holyoke College Emily McDowell—Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Mount Holyoke College Chris Pelliccia—Master of Science in Science Education, Montana State University Alex Rivenburgh—Education Specialist in Teacher Education and School Improvement, University of Massachusetts Amherst Jacob Rivers—Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Mount Holyoke College Andrew Syfu—Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Mount Holyoke College Alex Tancrell-Fontaine—Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Mount Holyoke College
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SARAH KLUMPP • Head of the History and Global Studies Department • Teacher at Williston since 2001 • B.A. from Hamilton College, M.Ed. from Westfield State • Coaches field hockey • Lives at 194 Main with husband and children
“ Teachers want to be better at what we do. It’s really wonderful to have the school support us in that effort.”
Sarah was recently awarded the Richard C. Gregory Faculty chair, a five-year-award, which supports faculty salaries, benefits, and professional development expenses.
For Sarah Klumpp, the process of becoming a teacher began with a love of being a student. “I was a day student at Northfield Mount Hermon, but most people thought I was a boarder because I spent every weekend there,” she explains. “I was there until 8 p.m. every night because I loved it so much. I grew up in Greenfield, Mass., which at the time was not very diverse. So when I went to boarding school, there were kids from all over the world and I thought, ‘Whoa! This is cool.’” After earning her B.A. in history at Hamilton College, she kept thinking about that experience at boarding school and decided to give teaching a try. She came to Williston after cutting her teeth at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School and soon realized she needed to continue to grow as a teacher. “I really had no idea what I was doing,” she laughs. “I knew the content way better than I understood any of the philosophy behind classroom instruction.” Her solution was to return to Westfield State University to get her master’s in education, taking summer and evening classes as she continued to teach. Williston covered her costs, and the investment has clearly paid off. Sarah now heads the History and Global Studies Department, teaches AP European History (among other classes), and mentors history students in the Williston Scholars program. She has been a teacher at Williston for 17 years. In that time, Sarah has come to appreciate the professional development opportunities that the school provides. She received an instructorship a few years ago and used the funds to tour the World War I battlefield sites of Europe. “Just to see those trenches and see the shells was amazing,” she says. More recently, she and other Williston Scholars teachers took part in a seminar on project-based learning through technology. She hopes to offer the same workshop to her whole department this year. “We’ve got our Microsoft Surfaces, so I feel like we have to put the technology to good use.” And next summer she plans to travel to Poland to see the concentration camps, witnessing in person the places she has been covering in her Hitler and Nazi Germany class. This, too, is made possible through school funding, specifically the Cain Family Sabbatical Fund. “Teachers want to be better at what we do,” she notes. “It’s really wonderful to have the school support you in that effort.”
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English teacher and master’s degree candidate Jacob Rivers
EDUCATING OUR EDUCATORS The Williston–Mount Holyoke partnership continues to inform and inspire teachers Two years ago, Williston and Mount Holyoke College launched a new master’s degree program designed to better prepare educators for careers at independent schools. Three faculty members (Emily McDowell, Sue Michalski, and Andrew Syfu) are now in their final year of the two-year Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership program, which is coordinated by Director of Curriculum Kim Evelti. Two more faculty members began their coursework this summer, taking online and in-person classes. One of the new candidates is third-year English teacher Jacob Rivers, who was accepted into the program this spring, along with English teacher Alex Tancrell-Fontaine. Jacob says he was initially hesitant to apply, but discovered that the program was just too well suited to his needs to pass up. “It was fully funded, and it was built for my schedule,” he explains. “It was specifically designed not only for a boarding school teacher but for a Williston boarding school teacher.” Jacob reports that his first course has already given him new strategies that he’s looking forward to using in the classroom. He particularly appreciates the caliber of the program’s guest speakers, and the connection he’s able to make with master teachers with years of experience. “Even the casual things they say have little nuggets of information that are really helpful and change the way I think about things,” he says. “Which, in turn, changes my classes.”
Many thanks to members of the Williston Northampton School community who have helped to establish, sustain, and enhance these endowed funds. Your commitment to the Williston Northampton School is greatly appreciated and will impact generations of students and faculty. To discuss supporting faculty professional development at the Williston Northampton School, please contact Director of Advancement Patrick J. Burke at (413) 529-3305 or pburke@williston.com