The Tabor Academy squash program isn't like most other high school sports. Most high school teams are made of kids from the same town or same region, but most of the kids on the squash team aren't even from the same country.

The squash program dates back to 1963 where it began from humble beginnings and has grown every year since. Today, the program is made up of four teams, boys and girls varsity and junior varsity.

Squash program director Guillermo Moronta said there are a little over 100 high school squash teams across the country with the Tabor boys being ranked 11th in New England and the girls being in the top three.

He added that while there is some local talent on his teams, in order to compete with the best, he needs to recruit internationally.

"The trend is a lot of the former British colonies are dominating squash because that is where the sport comes from," Moronta said. "The game has also trickled into South America, Mexico and many Asian countries."

Across his program, Moronta said there are players from the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Egypt, Peru and Colombia and there are over five different languages spoken in the program.

"It's really important to me to have diversity within the group because I feel like it just enhances the student's experience to be able to work with people from everywhere," he said.

Salma Hasan is a member of the girls team and is originally from Egypt but now lives in Canada. She said she got into squash because of her dad and came to Tabor to "join the community."

"I felt that Tabor was going to push me to be my best," she said.

She added that while she and many of her teammates do not come from the same place, they still have a lot in common and bonding together has come naturally.

"Coming here has actually been really easy. They teach me about their language and culture and I teach them about mine," said Hasan. "I started listening to a lot of Spanish music. Some of my teammates are Peruvian and Colombian and now I really enjoy their music."

Hasan added that she is hoping to continue her squash career at Harvard once her time at Tabor is up.

Seif Elgazzar is also from Egypt and he came to Tabor looking to improve on his squash abilities. He said the first two weeks of being away from home were the hardest but he has learned a lot about himself.

"I learned that I am a hard worker," he said. "Sometimes I come here before school to train and I train again after school. I had to get my grades up in the first month of school, but I was able to do it."

He added that he has been able to make good friends to help him accomplish his goal of playing collegiate squash at the highest level.

"Amaro Castillo from Peru has become a great friend of mine and we have a lot of fun training together," he said.

But not all of the players come from other countries. Taylor Myers is from Buzzards Bay and she came into the squash program knowing nothing about the sport, but said she has learned a lot about squash and the world.

"It's awesome getting to see everyone's perspectives and getting to train with some of our best players," she said. "One of my best friends, Luciana, is from Peru and she has taught me a lot about her culture and food."

Moronta added that because the kids come from all over the world, he puts an emphasis on creating a feeling of belonging in his program and "wants the students to feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves."

"Every year we start the year by coming up with a list of core values as a group and generally they're about community, respect and commitment," he said. "By living by those things throughout the season the students really buy into what it is they're trying to accomplish."

And what they're trying to accomplish on top of creating a community is to push each other to be the best they can be. Moronta said many of his players will go on to play for some of the top collegiate squash teams in the country like the University of Virginia, Yale University and Princeton University.