Reunion Weekend is coming up next month on May 13th and its slightly different this year. For the first time, school will be in session while alumni are on campus to reunite with their past peers. The reason for this is because as we all know by now, Williston is celebrating 175 years.

Having reunion weekend during the school year will allow alumni to see how Williston is today compared to when they were here many years ago. The town of Easthampton has developed from a factory town to a town filled with thriving businesses and food establishments. The way the students dress has also changed. Many years ago males were required to wear jackets and ties to school everyday.

For some alumni the last time they came to Williston was when it was an all boys’ school. So the reunion Weekend will be a real eye opener for them.

The three-day celebration will begin on Friday with a series of events that involve both the past and present students of the school.

Some of the major events include the Ward Medal Assembly on Friday morning, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the 175th Anniversary Gala Dinner on Saturday night for students, faculty and alumni.

Something unique about the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is that current students at Williston will introduce inductees. Usually adults introduce them, however since students are on campus the inductees will be introduced by a current athlete that plays they same sport they did. Some of these students are Mike Dereus ’16, Nick Garofano ’16, Maddy Scott ’16 and Rachel Rockwell ’16.

In addition to the major events, alumni will be around campus all weekend, even during the class day. Some alumni will be speaking in the middle school assembly about their career paths while others will be speaking in upper school classes.

Some speakers include Merideth Morgan ’03, a fashion blogger, Kevin Burke ’00 who is in the US Army in Iraq and David Partyka ’75, a forensic psychologist among many others.

Since Easthampton and Williston have changed quiet a bit over the past 175 years there will be a campus tour, a visit to the former Northampton School for Girls Campus, and a hike to Mt. Tom. Alumni will also be able to attend the many athletic games that take place on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday morning there will be numerous alumni seminar series on different topics.

This reunion weekend will be filled with many activities and will surely be one to remember.