Entering a new school is an experience all people face at some point in their life. What is not very usual is leaving home as a young teen to live at your school. Every year, Williston invites new students into the ninth grade, along with returning middle school students.

Ms. Allison Marsland is a Ninth Grade Program Co-Coordinator and a 194 Dorm parent. She says that “nervousness, excitement, optimism, energy, [and] humor,” are common factors of students first moving into Williston. Ms. Marsland also works with Williston’s Middle School admissions, and has first hand experience watching middle school students transition into the high school. “Former middle schoolers are well versed in Williston’s academic expectations, daily schedule, technology, and the afternoon program. That gives them an advantage,” she notes.

Entering a rigorous community like Williston’s can take some time to get used to. Remembering your schedule, finding your way around campus, and participating in the afternoon program are just some of the parts of Williston new students have to adjust to. Ms. Marsland recalls an experience with one student: “I had an advisee who struggled to manage his time in ninth grade; his mom threatened to pull him out of school if his grades didn’t improve. Through reflection and prioritizing, he grew as a student and became an honors student and two-year proctor– a terrific role model for younger kids who could identify with his story.”

According to Ms. Marsland, The Ninth Grade Program aspires to “help students understand how much support they have available to them, and how best to use that support to make the entire Williston experience fruitful. It also aims to foster powerful and lasting friendships among ninth graders and between day and boarding students.” Their theme is Curiosity, Organization, Reflection, and Empathy or C.O.R.E. Each factor is essential in a Williston student’s life.

Before classes begin, the ninth grade sets out on an annual camping trip to introduce the idea of C.O.R.E. Through various outdoor activities and team building activities, the new class, along with teachers and faculty members get to know each other and exercise the idea of C.O.R.E. In a recent survey sent to the Class of 2019 ninth graders, about 75% of participants said the trip was fun and helped them get to know the Williston community.

Students come from all around the world to attend Williston. Students from America, international students, and even people who live in Easthampton all come together at Williston. Emma Demerath ’19, a ninth grader, says she came to Williston because her father is a member of the faculty and she enjoys the community and the theatre program. Although Emma was a former Williston Middle School student, she notes, “Adjusting to homework/general work load is a difficult factor during the first trimester.

In the survey sent to the Class of 2019, every participant agreed that their experience at Williston during their first trimester as a ninth grader has been positive. None of the boarding    students who participated in the survey said they were homesick, and one in particular explains, “Boarding is honestly a great experience for me. I didn’t think that I would adjust this quickly to living in a dorm. I have never stayed away from home this long. My roommate is really friendly, he helps on homework if I’m stuck. We hang out a lot together.”

Mr. Ben Thompson, Williston’s Director of Psychological Counseling Services says, “It often takes time for new students to adjust to coming to Williston–the busy schedule, homework, food, people they’ve never met before, [and] the New England climate.” Mr. Thompson also discusses when a student starts boarding, the “adjustment can be heightened.”

Mr. Thompson notes, “It is not unusual for new students, regardless of what year they are in, to experience homesickness. If they can hang in there, let some time pass, and get involved with others and the overall program as much as possible, the homesickness almost always subsides within a few weeks.”

In this year’s sophomore class, there are many returning students as well as new ones.

Many freshmen say their biggest struggle in their first trimester was time management. Returning sophomores say that once you’ve learned your schedule, your way around campus, and how to balance your academics and athletics, time management can become easier.

Sophie Carellas ’18, a returning student, says “I think the best part about this year is that I have a stronger connection with my teachers after being here for a full year already.” Max Livingston ’18 is a new student to Williston this year. Max says “[Williston] is awesome, supportive, and the people are respectful and kind. Adjusting to Williston was easy because of the people.”

Carellas’ advice to new students is to “put yourselves out there and to not be afraid to try new things or meet new people, because in the end we all have something in common.”

Mr. Thompson reminds students to “stay connected with other people and activities, especially when feeling homesick.” Also, as for academic advice, he notes “Start strong, academically. The first weeks of the trimester are just as important as the later ones.”

The majority of Williston students are used to a private/prep school environment. Despite that, there are still difficulties, even from transitioning from Williston’s Middle School to the Upper School. Some former middle school students even decide to board once they enter the high school.

Ms. Marsland, who has much experience with both middle school and ninth grade students, says “Former middle schoolers are well versed in Williston’s academic expectations, daily schedule, technology, and the afternoon program. That gives them an advantage! When any day student decides to board, it is usually a combination of wanting to eliminate their daily commute and to access the school’s resources more fully.”

In a recent survey sent to the Class of 2020, Williston’s current eighth grade class, about 60% of students said they would definitely go on to attending the upper school, while 25% said they have already decided to leave, and 15% are still undecided.

Charlie Fogg, an alum of Williston who graduated in 2015, attended Williston for all four years of high school, boarding every year; freshmen year he was in 194, sophomore year in Clare, Junior year as a proctor in 194, and senior year in Ford Hall. He now attends Hamilton College, a small liberal arts school in upstate New York.

Fogg says “[Hamilton is] roughly 1,900 students, much larger than Williston, but still has a similar community feel. The campus is much larger but I was definitely comfortable from the first day I stepped on campus, feeling at home after spending the last four years at Williston.”

When asked about how Williston prepared him for his college life, Fogg notes, “I absolutely think Williston helped prepare me. College has much more freedom and personal responsibility but I think Williston gave me good reason and skills to use my time productively.”

He added, “The biggest difference [between Williston and Hamilton] is the change in the amount of structure and between the two. There is less class here, much more independent work and very little athletic requirement, which is very different from Williston, which was very busy all the time. I sometimes forget that I don’t have study hall from 8-10.”

Much like his experience at Williston, Fogg’s current school had orientation. He notes his first year at Williston vs. his first year at Hamilton are “actually quite similar. I came into each knowing no one and spent my first few days of each on orientation trips getting to know my new classmates.”

The Williston Northampton School, founded in 1841, inspires students to live with purpose, passion, and integrity. Williston also values academic excellence, individuality, responsibility, collaboration, and community. While excellence is of course expected in the classroom of a prep school, Williston also encourages the community to challenge themselves intellectually in everyday situations.

Williston offers a variety of extra-curricular to inspire student’s individuality. Whether it is playing lacrosse, rowing in crew, writing for The Willistonian, or joining the dance ensemble, students can find plenty of people in the community to connect with.

Williston cultivates strong student-student, student-teacher, and teacher-teacher relationships. Through living in the dorms, attending classes, and daily afternoon programs, students really get to connect with each other. Teachers really get to know students through small classroom setting interaction, as well as coaching teams after school and living as dorm parents.

The Williston Northampton School is the perfect fit for any middle school, high school, or even post-graduate student who values a balance of academics with a tight-knit community. In a recent survey sent out to the Class of 2019, one student said when asked how they chose Williston, “it chose me.”