Williston Northampton School
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| Head Master | Dr. Brian R. Wright |
| School type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | None |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Location | Easthampton, Massachusetts, MA, USA |
| Enrollment | 568 |
| Faculty | 114 |
| Campus surroundings | Suburban |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| School colors | Blue, Green, and White |
The Williston Northampton School, or "Williston," is a private co-educational preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts for boarding and day students from grades seven through twelve.
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[edit] History
Founded in 1841 as Williston Seminary by the industrialist Samuel Williston, the school has undergone many changes to become the Williston Northampton School it is today. Coeducational until 1863, the Seminary was comprised of two faculties: classical and scientific. It is arguable that the school offered one of the earliest high school scientific curricula in the U.S. In the late 19th century the dual curricula had evolved into a more modern comprehensive course, and in 1924 the school was renamed Williston Academy. Students at the all-male institution were widely regarded as some of the most promising in the country, and quite often matriculated at our nation's most prestigious universities. During the 1960s Williston began to examine possibilities for coeducation and in 1971, merged with its longtime sister school, the Northampton School for Girls, to become the Williston Northampton School. Starting as a preparatory academy for those seeking the clergy, the school now prides itself on "integrating a core college preparatory curriculum with exciting electives and special opportunities, while emphasizing mastery of language, clarity of thought and academic integrity," according to current headmaster Dr. Brian Wright.
[edit] Students and Faculty
Williston Northampton is comprised of the middle school (7th and 8th grade) and the upper school (9th-12th).
The school has 552 students in the 2006-2007 academic year, including 78 in the middle school (7th and 8th grade), all of whom are day students. The boarding students come from 26 states and 23 countries around the world. A sizable portion of the international students come from eastern Asia and the Middle East, especially in connection with the Saudi oil company Aramco. Every year, a dozen or so post-graduate students – students who have graduated from another high school but take an extra year before college – matriculate into the 12th grade.
Williston employs 114 teachers, making for a student-teacher ratio of approximately 4.75:1. The average class consists of 12 students. Most teachers also take on the roles of dorm parents, advisors, and athletics coaches, fostering deep relationships with students.
[edit] The Campus
The beautiful, well groomed (due to the diligent and affable grounds crew) campus is spread out all over Easthampton. The Phillip Stevens Chapel, circa 1967, hosts both the weekly assembly in its traditional chapel and language classes in its basement. The "schoolhouse," a former factory building remodeled in the 1950's to resemble the old "schoolhouse" on the original Main Street campus, which had been across from the then town hall built as a Civil War memorial, holds English and math classes, and classrooms for history, the arts, and music are spread throughout the Reed Campus Center building (an interesting product of the conversion of the school's old gymnasium into a student center.) In the main lounge area, the "Stu Bop," one can still see parts of the old pool). After a fire destroyed the school’s theater in 1994, it was rebuilt as a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the science laboratories, Scott Hall. Other classes, especially electives, are held in parts of various dormitories and other buildings. Williston also has a library, the Robert Clapp Memorial Library, located near the hub of the campus. The school's impressive archives are in the basement of the library. While touring campus, one would come across many more buildings, but these are the most important of note. There is a parking lot for day students with cars behind Scott Hall, and the middle school is housed in the Whitaker Bement Center, kept fairly separate from the action of upper school life. The school also boasts impressive athletic facilities, including a recently redesigned Athletic Center, and a state of the art football field/lacrosse field. By the start of the '07 term, Williston Northampton will have also completed construction of 12 new tennis courts, a new track and a new soccer field.
[edit] Life at the School
The school year begins about a week into September and usually ends in the first week of June, with several long vacations in between. Each student typically takes five classes at a time. Students take four year-long English classes and almost always four year-long math classes, along with history courses, science courses, language courses, and electives. 17 courses may taken at Advanced Placement (AP) level, and many more at the honors level.
Classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end in the early afternoon, when many students head off to their athletic practice.
Athletics play a large role in the school, and rather than attending gym class, students are required to participate in after-school sports, including 19 interscholastic sports. Sports practice, even for the less competitive teams, takes up a sizable portion of students’ afternoons. After this, many day students go home, but some stay on campus through supper to participate in more activities, especially theatrical and music ensemble rehearsals. The theater program at Williston is incredibly strong, and, currently under the direction of David Nields, have sent many of their more talented student to the Tisch School of Performing Arts at NYU.
Wednesday classes finish at 12:10, early enough for most teams to make it to their afternoon athletic competition. Williston often plays rival schools such as Northfield Mount Hermon, Deerfield Academy, or Suffield Academy. Athletic competitions are also held on weekends. Much to the chagrin of most students, the half-day Wednesdays are made up for every other Saturday, by way of a half day of classes.
An informal dress code is enforced during the academic day - boys must wear non-cargo pants/shorts with a tucked in collared or button down shirt (or a sweater) and girls must wear either pants of the same regulation or skirts falling to near the knee with a blouse, collared or button down shirt. Failure to comply will result in a unit, as described later.
[edit] Williston Traditions
The weekly Williston assembly is the site of many school traditions. Most of the Tuesday gatherings are for general announcements and presentations by both outside speakers and by students, often addressing their peers as part of class assignments. However, there are four special awards assemblies per year: one for each of the three sports seasons and one for academic awards.
At the last assembly of the year, the graduating seniors (seated at the front of the chapel) traditionally leave first, the juniors fill their places, and so on as each class files downward, signifying their move to a new grade.
Beginning in the 1990s, a disciplinary measure was instituted whereby an infraction of a rule would result in the student being given a “unit.” A unit or units will be imposed for misconduct ranging from a dress code violation to being caught smoking. Depending on the number of units accumulated, the student must attend a study hall, perform extra community service, or even face suspension or expulsion.
Also familiar to many graduates of a particular era was the annual “Do Good Well” speech, given each year at an assembly by a former headmaster. The quote was a particular favorite of his, handed down from one of his predecessors by way of the story of a small child asking an adult if one should “do good” or “do well.”
As spring arrives each year and 12th graders prepare to graduate and move on to college, the tradition of the senior prank is revived again and again. These are usually fairly benign affairs, often spoofing teachers and school administrators or, during his tenure, the headmaster’s “Do Good Well” speech.
By far one of the most ubiquitous and enduring traditions at the Williston Northampton School is the painting of the school lion. At least several times a year, boarding students sneak out of their dorms (breaking the strict curfew regulations) or day students sneak back to campus late at night and spray paint the statue of a lion on the center of campus. These art projects sometimes have a theme, such as the patriotic colors the lion displayed for the entire fall semester following the events of September 11, 2001, but more often, probably due to time constraints imposed by the necessity of remaining unseen, they are simply random colors.
