Welcome From the Director of Admission

Director of Admission Chris Dietrich

Thank you for your interest in The Williston Northampton School.  If you’ve been exploring our website, you already know quite a bit about us: how our school fosters passion, purpose, and integrity; how we encourage intellectual challenges; and how we believe in collaboration as a founding principle.

Now here’s the thing you should remember most about us: Williston is the most authentically medium-sized school you’ll find.

That may seem like a surprising message for a director of admission to have, I know. But as someone who has worked at other private schools in New England (and was the assistant director of admissions at Williston from 2000-2003), it’s what holds true about this place for me.

What does authentically medium sized mean? It means that our campus is walkable and friendly, close enough to the city of Easthampton that students can watch a movie at Popcorn Noir, grab a pastry at Shelburne Coffee, or take a ride along the shaded bike path—learning as they go what being a part of the fabric of a community is all about, without losing the safety and security that a tight-knit school can provide.

It means that the faculty gets to know students as individuals. Encouraged by their mentors, Williston students have interned at local newspapers, written and co-directed independent films, and built robots for competitions.  Academic success is only part of the reason we believe personal attention is key. The real goal is to cater to students’ own strengths, interests, and goals. Students describe this feeling as being surrounded by faculty who are always rooting for them. I often think if it as students having a  constellation of adults surrounding them, helping them to navigate their journey.

But being authentically medium sized also means that students have opportunities that do not exist at some of our smaller peer schools. With over 20 AP courses offered, three Williston Scholars courses slated for the 2012-2013 school year, over 60 clubs, and 61 competitive teams in 32 sports, Williston offers opportunities that are usually only available at schools with much larger student bodies.

Most of all, it means that Williston is in the unique position to not only embrace students for who they are, but also provide exactly what they need for who they want to become. 

We look forward to sharing more about how Williston’s small school culture with big school opportunities makes us a place unlike any other. For further information about Williston, contact the Admission Office at (413) 529-3241, or admission@williston.com.

Best,

Christopher J. Dietrich
Director of Admission and Financial Aid