The paper has experienced a renaissance under the deft direction of English teacher Mrs. Kim Belair and her Journalism and Advanced Journalism students. Organized with a professional mindset, members of the class divide the school into editorial beats and produce a publication that has earned great notices from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and the Quill & Scroll, the International Honorary Journalism Society for High School Journalists.
Mrs. Belair submitted the paper to both organizations with an eye toward garnering helpful feedback for future issues and came away with prizes from both. CSPA gave the Gold Medalist award to Williams (one of only 11 out of 1,860 entries). The judge’s summary highlighted The Blueprint’s writing and layout as “top notch.” Quill & Scroll awarded The Blueprint with International First place honors for 2007. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Blueprint editors Whitney Douglas ’08, Marissa Pulaski ’09, Bridget Biddle ’09 and Jaimie Wolman ’09 attended the National Journalism Conference with Mrs. Belair in Philadelphia to keep up with the latest developments in journalism.

by Morgan Haronian ’08

Messengers behind the scenes in Congress help keep our legislative branch ticking, and currently one of our own students from the Williams community is serving a semester in the Senate. Mallie Buffum ’09 is serving as a congressional page, or messenger, to Connecticut Senator Christopher J. Dodd in Washington, D.C.

The Congressional Page Program has been functioning for over 150 years, with about 100 pages selected each term. It is a highly selective process. Ms. Everett, Buffum’s advisor, said, “Mallie did all the research to get into [the Page Program].” She found the program online, contacted Senator Dodd, and applied. In order to work as a page, one must be sponsored by their Senator or Congressman and be accepted to the program. There are only twelve Democratic pages selected for the Senate.

Days start early and end late for a page. “We arrive at the Capital Building an hour before session starts or around ten, whichever comes first,” said Buffum. Session opens with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Page duties are wide-ranging, everything from “getting the Senators water on the floor” to “running amendments to 17 different rooms in the Capitol Building,” said Buffum. She then added, “We are on four hour shifts at a time, and the other hours we…do our homework.” “All her classes are early in the morning, and it takes a lot of work to adjust to that schedule, and adjust back to Williams,” said Ms. Everett of Buffum’s school schedule. As a page, not much time during the day and evening is allowed for schoolwork, but each page is expected to keep up with their lessons at the Senate Page School. “[Mallie ends up doing] a lot…on her own,” said Ms. Everett. “There are no Spanish classes, so she is tutored on Sundays and Sra. Ramirez just sent a packet to her.”

It is rarely dull in the Senate, and Buffum has learned a lot just “listening to all the Senators speak so avidly about an amendment.” She recently witnessed a passionate debate about “the expansion of a children’s health care program,” which she found “interesting to see both sides. Everything is crazy because everyone is talking to each other on the floor, trying to get people to vote for their amendment.” Sometimes session will last late into night, and pages stay the whole time, waiting to be called to run amendments.

Buffum has received support from the Williams community, especially her advisor group, and loves receiving mail.

Pages are isolated in the Capitol, without cell phones or email addresses. Anything sent to a page must go first through security, and is often delayed upon delivery. Ms. Everett said, “We [the advisory] sent her a packet of various notes which she got after a long day in Senate session and loved. We also have a Mallie Board in our classroom where we put her updates.” Buffum loves any letters from home.

The Congressional Page Program is available to any high school junior in good academic standing who is over the age of sixteen. Buffum has enjoyed her experience working in the Senate so far, and her work has inspired others at Williams who are interested in government.

Caroline Standke ’08, a Government student and Harvard Model Congress participant, said, “I’m so jealous of Mallie. It’s really cool that she gets to meet all those people.” Mallie is having the experience of a lifetime in Washington, DC, and inspiring her peers back home.

by Kristina Mazzola ’10

Renovations , expansion and demolition are due to begin for the Williams cafeteria this March, and are expected to be complete by the beginning of the 2008 school year. The current plans for expansion will cost approximately $1.3 million, but will hopefully improve the flow of the lunch line and clear the path to the tables. This way everyone can arrive much faster and safer, which as of now proves to be a challenge. The plans for renovations consist of extending the cafeteria walls to the courtyard outside the conference room, knocking down the walls, and adding a new spacious kitchen. Dubose, the hired architect, believes that all this work will be done by September 2008. All Williams needs now is to receive bids from the contractors, and hopefully the plans will be finalized by the end of November. Williams looks forward to seeing completely new furnishings, possibly a skylight or two and an easier, quicker and safer path to lunch.