Proctor Workshop

It is the time of year when students apply to be proctors. Proctors are leaders on the hall who enforce rules, motivate their hallmates, act as role models, and much more. This Saturday was an opportunity for each proctor candidate to showcase her strengths and personality. There were activities such as the “hot cocoa bridge,” where the candidates had to use teamwork and leadership to guide everyone across the untouchable floor, and the “juggling circle,” where the candidates had to work out a strategy so that the objects thrown do not get jumbled up. They saw the less visible roles of proctoring and left with a smile!

Submitted by Annie Leung ’12

Fair Trade Assembly

On Wednesday, March 23, students gathered in Kiggins Hall to take part in the Fair Trade assembly. It was an informative chance for students to hear from Fair Trade and Slavery No More members what the program was about and why it’s wonderful that Emma Willard is supporting it. The Emma club SlaveryNoMore works with the  Fair Trade group at Emma Willard and works towards informing the student body about both Fair Trade and modern day slavery, working towards helping these causes. Students were shown what was needed to qualify as a Fair Trade high school, which Emma Willard School succeeded in doing last fall. A video was  shown with real reactions and thanks to Fair Trade from Nicaraguan coffee farmers interviewed by students on their spring break trip.  After the assembly two of the Fair Trade flavors of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream was served! It was a very informative (and tasty) program.

Hartford Service Trip Day 1

Day 1 of the Hartford spring break service trip found us packing up lots of food at Foodshare in Hartford. 1000s of onions, green peppers, squash, and spuds kept us busy from 8:30 until 3:00 pm. Everyone had fun and emerged surprisingly exhausted.

Yearbook for 2011 is done!

On Friday, March 4, the yearbook for the 2010–2011 academic year was officially done with all pages and finished editing. Gargoyle staff was excited and looks forward to getting the published book in May. Guess what the topic is for our yearbook. You may be surprised when you find out!

Submitted by Sherry ’11

3,491 Feet Above Sea Level

The Emma Willard Outing Club made its sixth trip this year up to Mt. Greylock for a seven-mile snowshoe hike. A group of four students and chaperones got to the Cheshire Harbor trailhead at 10 am. The temperature was a balmy 25 degrees, and there was fresh snow from the night before. They made it to the top at around lunchtime where they enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the dining hall and the spectacular view provided by Massachusetts’ highest peak, towering 3,491 feet over the towns of Adams, Cheshire, and Williamstown. After lunch, they headed down the mountain, enjoying a gradual descent along part of the Appalachian Trail. It turned out to be an awesome day trip for the Outing Club!

224th Birthday Challenge Update

We had a very successful student phonathon on Wednesday night in honor of Emma Hart Willard’s 224th Birthday and the 224th Birthday Challenge. Student callers secured 114 alumnae gifts totaling $4,389 for the EWS Annual Fund. Gifts in support of the 224th Birthday Challenge are still being accepted.

Thank you to all of our student callers: Sam Evans, Karen Muhl, Anna Schroeder, Liana Baker, Anika Verma, Annie Roome, Sophia West, Sarina Verma and Fatima Johnson.
Sarina raised the most money
Sam secured the most gifts
Anika is the runner up for the most money raised
Sophia is the runner up for most gifts secured

Thanks to everyone who helped out at the phonathon and participated in the challenge!

Science Interns at AAAS

Seven Emma Willard science interns traveled to the American Association for the Advancement of Science meetings in Washington, DC, with science instructor Jon Calos and practicum director Anne Mossop. Attending the largest general science conference in the world, these students (Ashley Cho, Alexis Leanza, Jia Lee, Mayan Wu, Meryl Lindsay, Taz Holliday, Christina Lin) heard preeminent scientists discuss their work, including John Holdren, science advisor to the president of the United States. Highlights included the microbiome of bacteria living in our intestines, the math behind crowd behavior, the science of tasting, the brains of bilingual speakers, and ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. When asked for her impression of the meeting, one intern replied, “I wished we could have stayed longer!”

Emma Idol

For the past few weeks, Emma students have been taking the spotlight on stage during Morning Reports for Emma Idol! Generally, there are three contestants every Tuesday and Friday morning and the audience (students) vote on their favorite of the day. It’s a blast to see the different singing and dancing performances done in a solo or groups. Check out the videos page for highlights.

Field Trip to NYC

On February 17, the Ancient and Medieval and AP Art history classes went to New York City to visit The Cloisters and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The A&M class toured the Cloisters and saw the wonderful pieces of history there. Students saw a lot of beautiful, historic sculptures, as well as other types of artworks that were exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum.  It was a very nice and exciting day.

Bonding through a relaxed time…

Doing homework together with good drinks...

On Wednesday night, February 16, dormitory hall Sage 3 Long took a trip to Flavor Café in downtown Troy for a relaxed time to enjoy chatting with hall mates, do homework, and have delicious drinks (and some cakes). On weekdays, boarding students usually have study hall, quiet study times, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm on campus. But this time, girls had an amazing time to do their work in a different environment with  friends on cozy couches. Having a nice and relaxed time, girls bonded.

Submitted by: Kotoha ’12