Watkinson enrolls 240 students who come from 37 towns all around the Greater Hartford and Pioneer Valley area.

Originally led by noted Hartford educator Henry Barnard, school trustees built Watkinson's bequest to over $200,000 by 1880.

Feringa Hall is the oldest academic building on the campus, built in 1894-5 to a Queen Anne design attributed to Francis Goodwin.

Frances Goodwin Hall is a two-story brick classroom building with attached gymnasium, built in 1924.

While the film’s setting and story elements are fictional, they reflect the atmosphere and experiences Hemingson had during his time at Watkinson.