It is no secret to the Hollis Brookline community that we lose athletes each year to the neighboring private schools, but the majority of students leaving attend Bishop Guertin, which is located just 15 minutes away from Hollis Brookline High School. Each year the amount of kids that transfer to Bishop Guertin varies, but many of the Hollis Brookline sports team continue to thrive, especially this year.

The athletes of Hollis Brookline are well aware that there are great competitors who chose to leave after eighth grade, many of which they are friends with. It is known that although there are students that attend Bishop Guertin for academics; a lot of them enroll for athletics specifically to be  recruited because according to Abbey Magnuszewski ‘21 “They are a private school playing in a public school brackett.”

Out of 17,245 nationally ranked high schools, Hollis Brookline is number 1,117, and number five out of 96 public high schools in New Hampshire. The students at Hollis Brookline receive a good education, and although the student to teacher ratio at private schools may be lower than Hollis Brookline’s 14:1, the price doesn’t compare. The annual cost to attend Bishop Guertin is $14,775 and it increases each year. Over at Derryfield, another private school where some Hollis Brookline students choose to attend, is $33,620, their website states that families should expect a 3%-5% increase in price each year. For some, the cost may not be a problem, but for those where it is, is it really worth the switch?   

Tasha White ‘20 revealed that when she was in eighth grade, she looked at Bishop Guertin and other private schools to attend for athletics. White expressed how grateful she was that she had stayed here at Hollis Brookline to pursue athletics. “I look at those kids who did make that decision, and they are on great sports teams, but our programs have grown enormously because the groups in these recent years have stuck together,” White said. After a few very successful seasons of soccer, swimming and lacrosse since her freshman year, White is pretty content with the way things turned out.

Student-athletes here at Hollis Brookline understand the importance of being a community. “Bishop Guertin sports teams are comprised of students who have been recruited for that sport whereas in Hollis Brookline we are more of a community that comes together,” Sal Fabbio ‘20 says.

Hollis Brookline’s teams consist of players that have been playing together for years, whether it had been since middle school or even before in the youth years. In the end, playing on sports teams within your community and forming a bond is an aspect of sports that kids who transfer don’t get to experience.