of 8.3. Its boarding students come from 25 states and 30 countries around the world. International students come from eastern Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Most teachers also take on the roles of dorm parents, advisors, and athletics coaches, fostering deep relationships with students. Arts programs at Williston include photography, filmmaking, drawing, painting, theatre, and dance. According to the school, 62% of students taking the 2009 AP exams scored 4 or 5, and 51 members of the class of 2009 gained admission at Barron's 75 most competitive colleges. Over a ten-year period, six students were published in The Concord Review. The campus The campus is located in Easthampton, Massachusetts, within view of Mount Tom. Many of the school's buildings and dorms are situated around the main quad. In 2017, construction began on a new dorm across from the main part of campus. The Schoolhouse, a former factory building remodeled in the 1950s to resemble the old schoolhouse building on the original Main Street campus, holds English and math classes and also contains administrative offices. In 1996, the former gymnasium, originally built in 1924, was transformed into the Reed Campus Center. In 2019, the athletic center was named the Sabina Cain Family Athletic Center. The Dodge Room is the setting for many guest speakers, including the school's Writers' Workshop series. After a fire destroyed the school's theater building in 1994, it was rebuilt adjacent to the science laboratories, Scott Hall. The Williston Theatre is a 250-seat performance space. The Robert Clapp Memorial Library is located near the center of the campus. The library has a 40,000+ collection. The Middle School is housed in the Whitaker-Bement Center. It was created in 1972 in honor of the Northampton School for Girls founders Sarah B. Whitaker and Dorothy M. Bement. The Phillips Stevens Chapel (1964) hosts both the weekly assembly in its traditional chapel and language classes in its basement. Life at Williston The school year begins in September and usually ends in the first week of June. Each student typically takes five classes at a time. 27 courses may be taken at Advanced Placement (AP) level. Classes begin at 8:30 a.m. and end in the early afternoon, when many students head off to their athletic practices. Upper school students attend Saturday classes every other week. Athletics Students are required to participate in after-school sports, although they may choose an alternative elective course.