Boarding school life is anything but a punishment for Williston students.
For years, boarding school has been portrayed in the media as somewhere kids go when their parents can’t handle them anymore.
In an article written by The Guardian in 2021, a new term, “Boarding School Syndrome” was used to identify the feelings of “anxiety, difficulty communicating, and maintaining intimate relationships,” among boarding school alumnae.
University of Sheffield Professor Joy Schaverien, who coined this term, also made the “A.B.C.D” acronym: “A for abandonment, B for bereavement, C for captivity, and D for dissociation.” Schaverien was specifically speaking about British boarding schools, but it can be easily applied to those in the States.
In another article written by Buzzfeed in January of 2024, contained statements from boarding school alumnae all over the world. Buzzfeed claims that these statements “revealed some surprising stories and eye-opening experiences.”
Although Buzzfeed didn’t directly call these experiences bad, most if not all of the statements shared, have negative undertones. As this article is not marked with a bias, it could damage an outside perspective on the life at every boarding school, as not every school is alike.
Two examples of this in the media include “Wild Child” and “Dead Poets Society.” “Wild Child,” starring Emma Roberts, from 2008, follows a young teenage girl who gets sent away to boarding school by her father for being too rebellious. From 1989, “Dead Poets Society,” starring Ethan Hawke, Robin Williams, and Robert Sean Leonard, is about a new teacher who brings hope to his students who haven’t had a positive experience with a teacher at the school prior.
It’s easy to get caught up in what you read and see about a lifestyle you don’t live, especially when it’s negative. Williston students, when hearing all about the negative media, immediately disagree, as life on campus has more pros than cons.
Skyler Walker, a sophomore boarder from Barrington, R.I., heard about these ideas, and immediately shut them down, as she loves living on campus.
“It was my idea to apply for boarding school,” said Skyler, a three-sport varsity athlete in soccer, basketball, and softball. “I love it here, [and as a boarding student] I feel like day students miss out on so much.”
Jessica Rohan is in her 12th year teaching English at boarding schools, and appreciates the positive benefits boarding school provides.
“The life lessons learned are invaluable and cannot be replicated anywhere else,” she said. “[Life as a boarder] teaches a student how to truly become an independent leader as the journey is different for each individual.”
Katherine Garrity, the Associate Dean of Students and mother of two, also raves about the benefits boarding school provides a student.
“A school like ours offers everything in one place. For students who are used to driving to sports, music lessons, tutors, counseling appointments, etc., they find that they save quite a bit of time having everything on campus,” said Garrity. Regarding the benefits of having exposure to the world, “having a roommate from a different country, class partners who speak different languages, and friends from various cultures is an amazing part of our school – absolutely the type of community I want my kids to grow up in!”