Out of all the possible prep schools in the area, The Willistonian sought to find out why students chose Williston.
There are 3,626 boarding schools in the United States, and 86 prep schools in New England. Williston ranks high on several lists, including: 8th best high school for athletes in Massachusetts; 14th best boarding high school in Massachusetts; 21st best private high school in Massachusetts; and 67th best boarding high school in America, according to Niche’s 2024 Best Schools rankings.
Daniel Argueta, a junior on the soccer team from Guatemala, said the main reason he came to Williston was because he knew a lot of the people here, and knew how welcoming they were.
“I was recruited here from IMS (Indian Mountain School), which is a junior boarding school [in Lakeville, Conn.], and I knew the other guys from Guatemala,” he explained.
Daniel also considered Berkshire, but did not like its remote location and the lack of Hispanic representation.
“I did a visit here and something that I liked about Williston that my other option didn’t have was the accessibility to the town,” he said. “Berkshire was also a school that doesn’t have much Hispanic community.”
Senior Soleil Richardson, from Bermuda, is a talented dancer, and had the opportunity to peruse her dreams and go to a dance school, but came to Williston for a full academic and artistic experience.
“I was between Williston and Walnut Hill School for the Arts [in Natick, Mass.],” she said. “I got into both schools, but at the time I wasn’t 100 percent sure I wanted to just be in a dance program. I wanted a full experience, both academically and artistically. At Williston I could do both.”
Eddie Howell, a senior from Switzerland, was lured by the proximity to town.
“I also really enjoyed the community I felt when I first came to this campus,” he said.
Eddie’s other two options were St. George’s School [in Middletown, R.I.] and The Loomis Chaffee School [in Windsor, Conn.]. “St. George’s was a little too far away from my family, and I chose Williston over Loomis because Loomis is in the middle of nowhere and doesn’t have a lot to do,” he said.
Luca Fantasia, a sophomore, was deciding whether to even attend boarding school; his main reason to come here was to get out of his comfort zone.
“I chose Williston because I heard it was a great community and they have really good sports,” he said. “I could have stayed at public school, but I wanted to try another experience.”