WORTH REPEATING

“At Harrow, if you were caught within a hundred miles of a girl, even if it was your sister in a co ee shop, you could be had up. Then I found myself at Williston kissing a girl in the bushes, and the master’s lights go on. And in the classroom the next day they think it’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened. So all of this structure and security of England was gone. I was free.”

—Anthony Willoughby ’70, reflecting on his year abroad at Williston Academy, after his experience in British “public” schools. Read more about Willoughby’s many life adventures on page 44. “When we’re outside we often compete with tra c from Park Street and fighter jets flying overhead. Who knew singing would be so adventurous?” —Colin Mann, director of choirs, describing choral practice this fall.

“I’m so thankful and honored to be living in the first dorm named after a woman! Our dorm is full of wonderful girls and I’m so happy to be here.”

— Abby Vassallo ’22, a resident of Emily

McFadon Vincent House, in a thank you card to Emily McFadon Vincent ’49

“We decided to revise pieces of the show, because we wanted to modernize it. We wanted to bring it back here, into this century, and make it a little more timeless.” —Hannah Cannizzo ’21, a member of the acting company of Antigone, which was filmed and screened in December

“There is much for you to go do. There is a world out there that desperately needs people to contribute. The world is broken at the exact moment we are graduating another class of fixers. How convenient! I look forward to staying in touch and living in the world you and the class of 2020 make.”

—Shaun Chapman ’98 in a note to a graduating senior last spring, as part of an alumni initiative to pair new and past graduates at this momentous time

“Physical pain and psychological pain register in the same areas of the brain, and to the same degree.” —Guest speaker Rosetta Lee on why we need to engage in courageous conversations to mitigate racial harm (see more on page 5)

“I’m wearing a clear mask because we realized that you need to see lips and the mouth when learning pronunciation.”

—Language Department Chair and French teacher Adeleen Brown on adjusting to new classroom measures to fight coronavirus spread

SCENES FROM OUR NEWEST DORM

Opening in September, Emily McFadon Vincent House is now brimming with 40 students, four faculty families, countless best friends, study breaks, mug nights, and dorm mascot, Pretties the Cat.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Dorm parent Erin Davey’s morning motto is: Have mug, will travel.

BOARDING BULLETINS

This wall in the light-filled common room is information central for dorm denizens.

MATCHY MATCHY!

Roommates Abby Vassallo ’22 and Poppy Deluzuriaga ’22 embraced their inner twins.

GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS

A welcoming message in front of EMV House captures the dorm’s friendly vibe.

STUDY SPACE

Girls set up their desks for maximum concentration— and inspiration.

BESTIES

Roomies Ella Mattocks ’22 and Meryl Sesselberg ’22 pose in front of their wall of photos.

STICKS DOWN

The lacrosse team has a mini playing field on their doorstep: the new residential quad.

SPOOKY SNACKS

The pandemic couldn’t stop fun dorm celebrations and holiday-themed goodies.

CERAMIC TREATS

Sari Yamagata ’22 loves Mug Night: Decorate a cup; when it’s done, fill it with sweets!

#HUGLIFE

In their EMV House pod, Grace Bean ’22 and Teaghan Hall ’22 found friendship.

SPOOKY KITTY

Dorm Head Christa Talbot Syfu ’98 made sure Pretties’ costume was purrrfect.

NIGHT NIGHT!

At the end of the day, Kaitlyn Williams ’23 and Annika Yeung ’23 are ready to hit the hay.

FALL 2020 Rising to the Moment The fall trimester was anything but normal—and utterly amazing as a result

If you have ever been behind in the final moments of a championship game or started your term paper the night before it is due or literally broken a leg on opening night, then you know that challenges can be, well, extremely challenging. But you probably also know that moments like these force you to dig deep—and sometimes, if the stars align, can result in their own against-all-odds synchronicity and beauty. That is the story of this fall at Williston.

After a remote spring trimester, Williston spent months answering the question: How the heck do you run a boarding school during a pandemic? The answers—masks, distancing, testing, Plexiglass, and a lot of rules—required tremendous sacrifice, discipline, and resilience from our faculty and students. Was it hard at times?

Yes! Did we miss normalcy? Absolutely! But, as you will see on these pages, the sheer pleasure of just being able to live, study, compete, and have fun together resulted in a spectacular kind of joy that we will always remember.

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DINING OUT(SIDE)

Mealtimes looked di erent this fall, with partitioned picnic tables, safari-style dining in tents, grab-andgo lunches, and our very own food truck (above with college counselor Emily McDowell’s new pup, Marvel)

ACTIVITIES With traditional events like indoor dances and shows on hold, Director of Community Life Erin Davey (above right) got creative with activities. Students bonded over costumed kickball on Sawyer Field (left), outdoor movies, al fresco trivia contests, and a haunted Halloween Schoolhouse. Weekend s’mores sessions around firepits on the Quad became a cherished part of pandemic life.

ROOM TO GROW

Ever resourceful, students and faculty adjusted to new norms such as masks and widely spaced desks (as in Mr. Liebowitz’s AP English class, right) and outdoor learning (below, AP Biology students run an experiment at Williston Pond). We’ve never been so grateful for our spacious campus.

To ensure proper distancing, large spaces such as the athletic center, the dance studio, and the chapel were pressed into service as classrooms. At left, students gather in the Dodge Room for class. Also di erent was the hybrid nature of many classes, with students who couldn’t be here in person Zooming in from around the world.

Boys soccer #2

GAME TIME

In place of interscholastic competition, Wildcats players and coaches embraced a robust mix of scrimmages, strength-training exercises, and team-building games. Clockwise from below, the football team flexes on a tractor tire, a field hockey player hustles downfield, and the volleyball team serves up a rare outdoor practice.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Spurred by restrictions, the arts program took creative leaps throughout the term. Clockwise from right: dancers turn the Parents Bridge into a studio as director Debra Vega shoots video; choral students under the direction of Colin Mann rehearse on the chapel steps; and a visual arts class gets comfortable with en plein air techniques.

In place of public performance, the fall dance concert, Distant Dream (left), and play, Antigone (below), were taped without audiences and shared with viewers at home. As much as possible, the goal was to recreate the experience and feeling of live events. “The whole company collaborated every step of the way,” says Theater Director Emily Ditkovski. “I commend them for being such open-hearted theater-makers!”