You may have been walking to class and seen the Beaton kids playing outside Ford, or maybe heading to practice and you pass a Hanford kid cruising around campus on a bike or scooter, or perhaps you’ve sat among the Sawyers in an English class, with their parents just down the hall.

The upper school currently consists of 62% boarding students and 32% day students; faculty kids lie somewhere in the middle.

The Willistonian reached out to faculty kids and their parents who live on campus and uncovered how they feel.

Sarah Klumpp, a History and Global Studies teacher, as well as a mother of two at Williston, shares what she believes to be the advantages her kids have.

“The advantages are many,” she said. “Access to the field, rink, and pool, as well as WillyGras and the dining hall. Plus, they got to meet all of the kids on campus, many of whom played with them when they were younger.”

Klumpp has two kids, both Williston students, Calvin ’24, and Maddy ’27.

Calvin believes the best part of being an on-campus faculty kid is “being able to hang out with my boarding friends and still have the freedom to leave campus easily.” Among years of memories, Calvin shares that his favorite was “being able to hang out with boarders who were older than me and being able to use the pool and courts all the time.”

English Teacher Sarah Sawyer laughed as she recalled how “spoiled” faculty kids are, including her own.

“I think they were super spoiled on vacations,” she said. “When everyone is gone, they have a whole gym to themselves, and a rink to themselves, a pool, fields, etc.”

Her daughter, Anna Sawyer ’24, recalls her favorite memories growing up on the quad.

“One of my favorite memories growing up here was dressing up in princess dresses to see my babysitters in their prom dresses and taking pictures with my favorites,” she said. “Or going to my dad’s football practices with my brother and helping out/making forts with all the pads.”

Six-year senior and 18-year Wildcat, Sofia Michalski, reflects on what she will miss most about living on the quad.

“Being around my friends all the time and always having things to do,” she said.

Many of the faculty kids live in dorms, including Will Hanford ’30, ten-year-old ball boy for the Williston football team, and batboy for the baseball team. His favorite thing about living in John Hazen White are, “the elevators!” However, it is hard being a faculty kid, when, “the kids are up really late and I have the window bed, so I can hear everything,” he said.

Will added that he’s “usually up” late, so the loud dormmates are rarely a problem.

Will’s little sister, Taylor Hanford ’32, also enjoys the elevators in Hazen White.

“A lot of the kids are nice and it’s fun!” Taylor, who is seven “and three quarters,” said. “I wish I lived in a girl’s dorm though.”

Other than the elevators, Taylor is a huge fan of Willy Gras and is excited for its return to the quad this spring. The quad is a big place for faculty kids to see students and other kids. Taylor said it is the best part about living on campus is that “wherever you go you see your friends and you get to hang with them!”