Upper School
Grades 10-12
The Upper School community is supportive and inclusive.
Upper Schoolers are collaborative and encouraging as they work through difficult course material and topics, and students are coached to share different viewpoints with respect and the aim to listen and understand each other. Many students who have been at the School for five, six, and seven years know one another deeply and with a shared sense of growth and pride in themselves and each other.
Students are prepared for college with a skillset that will serve them in any field they plan to pursue: organization and time management, writing and communication, as well as interpersonal and self-advocacy skills. This empowers them to take on higher level course material in college and connect with professors and get involved in research opportunities at the undergraduate level.
A Williams Requirement
Co-Curricular Activities
As part of the School’s graduation requirements students must participate in two co-curricular activities each year. Students can choose each season to be involved in a sport or arts production (Fall Play, Compchorea (Student-Composed Music & Student-Choreographed Dance, or the Spring Musical as a performer, or in production or pit band). Students show up to support one another at arts performances and athletic games showing a great sense of connection between all students.
Students are prepared for college with a skillset that will serve them in any field they plan to pursue: organization and time management, writing and communication, as well as interpersonal and self-advocacy skills. This empowers them to take on higher level course material in college and connect with professors and get involved in research opportunities at the undergraduate level.
Upper School Programming
Advisors, Counselors & Specialists
Each student is offered valuable support, from their faculty advisor, counselors, and learning specialist (as needed) to help them navigate academic, extracurricular, and social-emotional growth over their high school years. Through individual advising, students have options in building their schedules and choosing their courses and rigor of study—from college prep to honors, and advanced courses—as well as the option to pursue an Interdisciplinary Certificate or the College Acceleration Program.
Upper School Programming
Advanced Courses
In 2016, the School introduced an Advanced Courses Curriculum that provides the rigor and accelerated speed of a college level course. This set of curriculum allows faculty to explore topics and projects that go beyond a traditional “AP” course, while also preparing them to take an AP test in that subject if they feel motivated to do so.
Upper School Programming
Senior Project
Students’ culminate their learning experience at Williams with a Senior Project. Students are given two weeks to explore a passion project or internship to help inform their major choice in college. Recently, in the Class of 2022, students endeavored on projects like, translating the Tao Te Ching, taking a course on direct-to-consumer brands, creating a photography portfolio, and exploring astronomy.
Meet the Dean
Chelsea Rallis
Dean of the Upper SchoolI’m incredibly excited to work closely with students in creating a community that is theirs and one that brings us all together.
Chelsea Rallis was appointed Dean of the Upper School in Fall 2022. She joined Williams faculty in December 2019 as an English teacher and quickly found herself involved in the tight-knit community. She attended Providence College for her undergraduate degree in English and received her Masters’ in Education from the University of Rhode Island. Mrs. Rallis created a new course in 2021, British Literature, which is her favorite to teach. She also loves to be involved in student activities and events and enjoys working with students on projects to expand and enrich student life.
Upper School Learning
Curriculum
Williams Upper School balances rigorous coursework and content with dedicated faculty support to ensure students are well prepared for college and a lifetime of learning.
Each year, course offerings are honed based on the needs and interests of the student body and faculty. New Courses added since 2018 included, Computer Science, Isms in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Human Geography, British Literature, Dangerous Women in Literature, Finance and Economics, Score to Stage (Music Composition and Performance), Voice Lab, and Science and Society.
Students are required to take courses in each of the academic departments over the course of their Williams career in the Arts, English History, Modern and Classical Languages, Science, and Math. There is a unique and tailored course progression for each student based on their interests and abilities.
Our Approach
Our approach to teaching is individualized and inspiring. Students are well supported while taking appropriate risks.
Williams Stories
Hear from Parents, Alumni & Students:
Meredith Adler
Parent 2022, 2024
Every day provides opportunities for academic rigor, creative exploration, and leadership development. It is a playground for the mind!Close Story
Colleen Reardon Shay '87
Parent 2025, 2027
As an alum, I was keenly aware of the exceptional education my children would receive at Williams.
I wanted my children to be challenged academically and I wanted them to receive the same classical education that my husband and I did. The sense of community and family created by the teachers and staff at the School will allow my children to thrive socially and emotionally, as well. I knew that Williams would help to shape my children into kind, caring, successful, and productive members of society.
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