Sunday's Winterfest featuring Brooks’ Rock Band and Advanced Rock Band in the black box theater was a showstopper! “There is certainly a lot of individual talent within these rock bands, but when they put their heads together in service of something greater than themselves, the result is more exciting than anyone can imagine," shared Music Director Michael Bruschi. "The sky is the limit with these musicians!" See video and photos from the concert.

Schedule Alerts

• Winter Concert: Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. in the Center for the Arts theater featuring Brooks' Jazz Band, Advanced Jazz Band, Chorus and Chamber Orchestra
• Exhibitions of Learning (EOLs) begin this Saturday, on Dec. 14. See the Semester 1 EOL Schedule.

Academics

People of Color Conference

Last week, eight adult members of the Brooks community represented the school in Denver at the annual People of Color Conference (POCC). The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) calls this conference the flagship of its commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning and sustainability for independent schools. According to attendee Science Teacher Michael Dixon, "The conference was timely in facing the many challenges we are dealing with right now as a country, but also inspiring to see how private schools all over the country have allies who are doing great things and inspiring each other to support all of the students we teach."

EOL Reminders

With EOL week upon us, we look forward to seeing our students demonstrate what they have learned this semester. Please note that EOLs on Saturday begin at 8:00 a.m., and EOLs on Monday through Thursday begin at 8:30 a.m. 

Students’ individual schedules are not reflected in OnBrooks, so if you’re wondering where they’ll be and when, please check in with them directly! Families of day students, please plan to be sure your student arrives at least 15 minutes before their scheduled EOLs begin. Reach out to your student’s advisor or to Dean of Academic Affairs Currie Joya Huntington with any questions about expectations or scheduling for the week.

Semester 1 Grades and Advisor Comments

The Semester 1 Report Card, including grades and advisor comments, will be available in the Progress > Performance area of OnBrooks for parents and guardians on Jan. 7 after 12 p.m. EST. If you need help signing into OnBrooks, please contact Lisa Saunders. You can find helpful information in our Understanding the Brooks Report Card document.

Luce Library

Season of Giving: New Books!  

This week, the library team shared a display of new books donated in memory of author Alex Hiam ‘76. Hiam passed away last February and his classmates honored his legacy by contributing several young adult and other books for Brooks students and faculty children to enjoy. 

Student Life

Planning Ahead: Lessons & Carols  

Our annual Lessons & Carols Chapel service and formal advisory dinner will be held on Dec. 19, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Chapel service and advisory dinner will likely end around 8 p.m. Students will be permitted to depart after the dinner. Dorms will remain open until Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. Please note: Some winter teams will remain on campus for winter tournaments on Friday night.

Community Service: Through Brooks Holiday Gift Initiative

Brooks School is partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence and is donating holiday gifts to the club and its students. "Through Brooks" is an annual community service initiative, similar to the "giving tree," that was started at Brooks in 2018.

How does it work? On the "Through Brooks" posterboard (see above) located outside of the Deans' Den there are cards with specific gifts that the Boys & Girls Club has requested. Students can take the card/cards of the gift they would like to donate. Once a gift is purchased, it should be delivered to the Deans' Den donation box along with the card so that the card can be reused next year.

The gift drive will run until Dec. 19, so please bring all gifts purchased to the Dean's Den by then. Thank you!

Winter Break Transportation

• Similar to Thanksgiving Break, Brooks will provide a shuttle to Boston's Logan Airport and South Station train depot. The shuttle will depart campus on Dec. 20 at 11 a.m.

• We will also offer a shuttle to C&J Coach in Seabrook, NH, which provides bus routes to the NYC area. The Brooks shuttle to C&J will depart on Dec. 20 at 8:30 a.m. 

Students will be asked to select the shuttle option on their Winter Break REACH request as their mode of transportation off campus. As an added measure, if your student will need to take this shuttle, please complete the Winter Break 2024 Transportation Shuttle Sign-Up at your earliest convenience so we can ensure your student is on our list! If you have more than one student to sign up, please submit the form individually for each student. For questions about attendance and travel about Winter Break, please contact Associate Director of Student Affairs Cora MacKenzie. 

Inclement Weather Policy

Brooks School does not normally suspend classes during snow storms or other extreme weather conditions. Day student families are asked to make their own decisions about the safety of travel and to notify the school in cases of absence due to weather conditions.

A student who is unable to travel to school due to weather conditions will be able to join class virtually in these circumstances. Likewise, a teacher who is unable to travel to campus for class will also be able to hold a virtual class and will communicate this decision directly to the students. Additionally, if the commute home is dangerous, we will partner with day students to stay on campus with a boarding student.

Weekend Bulletin

The last weekend of the semester! Don't worry, we are going out with a bang! Students can build a gingerbread house, decorate a cookie, hit the dance, then skate with a date, all in one night.

Saturday events: gingerbread house competition and Elf watch party (prizes for the winners), cookie decoration and a movie, “Winter Wonderland” dance and “Skate with a Date.”

Sunday opportunities: trips to the mall, cafes, Brooks’ Winter Concert and an NFL watch party for the New England Patriots game vs. Arizona Cardinals. View the full weekend schedule.

Athletics

Fall Season Recognition

On Dec. 6 the  Brooks community gathered in the Center for the Arts theater for the second of two fall afternoon activities awards celebrations. Congratulations to the honrees below!

Cross country: Coaches Awards, Ady Duval ’25, Sam Oblak ’27; ISL First Team, Phoebe Cogan ’26; All NEPSAC, Phoebe Cogan ’26

Girls 1st field hockey: Field Hockey Prize, Kamryn Shumsky ’26; ISL First Team, Mary Adams ’25; ISL Honorable Mention, Kyleigh Matola ’25, Elsa Wood ’26; All NEPSAC, Mary Adams ’25; All NEPSAC Honorable Mention, Elsa Wood ’26

Football: Timothy E. Keating Award, Tristan Yepdo ’26; Coaches Award, D.J. Thibeault ’25; ISL First team, Jagger Carreiro ’26, Tristan Yepdo ’26; ISL Honorable Mention, Liam Corman ’27, Sam Lubick ’25, D.J. Thibeault ’25; All NEPSAC, Tristan Yepdo ’26; All NEPSAC Honorable Mention, Jagger Carreiro ’26

Boys 1st soccer: ISL First Team, Zach Amato ’25 and Tristan Warner ’25; ISL Honorable Mention, Latu Kayira ’27, Carter Leonard ’25, Raphael Odubanjo ’25; All NEPSAC, Zach Amato ’25; All NEPSAC Honorable Mention, Tristan Warner ’25

Girls 1st soccer: Amy E. Broadhead Award, Ella Whelan ’25; ISL First Team, Maile Lung ’26; ISL Honorable Mention, Delaney Bertos ’27, Sydney Cohen ’26, Jill Hamilton ’26; All NEPSAC, Jill Hamilton ’26, Maile Lung ’26; All NEPSAC Honorable Mention, Delaney Bertos ’27, Natalia Clark ’27

Theater: performances, Matt Bencivengo ’25, Emilie Pratt ’25; tech, Mithaniel Diaz ’25, Veronica Seok ’25

Volleyball: Coaches Award, Kiara Rivera-Valdez ’26; ISL First Team, Lauren DuBarry ’25, ISL Honorable Mention, Summer Warren ’26; All NEPSAC Honorable Mention, Kiara Rivera-Valdez ’26

Arts

Brooks musicians went to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops concert on Sunday!

Winter Concert: Dec. 15

Join us in our Center for the Arts Theater on Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. for our annual Winter Concert! There will be performances by the Jazz Band, Advanced Jazz Band, Chorus and Chamber Orchestra, plus a big combined holiday-themed number at the end featuring all these groups playing together at the same time. The concert will last about 75 minutes and it is open to all members of the extended Brooks community: employees, family and friends.

Hannah Latham '17 will return to Brooks as a Winter Term visiting artist in January to share her photography expertise with students. Come see her work on display now in the Robert Lehman Art Center gallery and join us at a reception celebrating her new exhibit on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.

Latham's "Bring Me a Dream" photography, recently featured in The New York Times, navigates the profound impact of Alzheimer's disease on her family, addressing questions about memory loss and its repercussions on identity, heritage and the human experience. 

2025-2026 Calendar

Save the Dates for Next Year

The final calendar for the 2025-2026 school year will be shared in early 2025, but for your planning purposes here are a few important dates:

• Opening of school: 
• Early arrival (by invitation only): Tuesday, Sept. 2
• Regular arrival: Thursday, Sept. 4
• Semester 1 begins: Friday, Sept. 5

• Family Weekend: Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25
• Winter Break: Friday, Dec. 19 - Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
• March Break: Saturday, March 7 - Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026 
• Lawn Ceremony: Saturday, May 30, 2026
• Prize Day (graduation): Sunday, May 31, 2026

Family Programs

Starbrooks is on Tuesday

We are just a few days away from Starbrooks on Dec. 17! If you were not able to sign up to volunteer at the event before all the slots filled up on the SignUpGenius and would still like to volunteer just email Director of Alumni and Family Programs Sara Bird. We can always make space for extra volunteers!

Our next parent-sponsored event will be our annual Treats for Your Sweets cookie extravaganza on Feb. 14 - stay tuned for more details about that event in the new year!

Thank you to co-chairs Aybike Crott P’25, P'28, Jaclyn Olivieri P’26, Elena Foster P'26, P'27 and Adrienne Principe P’26, P’27, P’28 for coordinating this event! Questions? Please contact one of the co-chairs or Director of Alumni and Family Programs Sara Bird.

January Zoom Calls with Head of School John Packard

In early January we will be sharing more information, but in the meantime please save the date for the following international Zoom calls:



• Jan. 13 at 8 a.m.(EST), families in China
• Jan. 15 at 8 a.m. (EST), families in Korea

Registration is Open for the Boston Reception!

The greater Brooks community is invited to join us at The Lenox Hotel in Boston on Feb. 4, 2025 for our annual Boston Reception. You can register online via our Boston Reception page. We are grateful to Brooks alumnus and The Lenox Hotel owner Gary Saunders '73 for welcoming Brooks alumni, parents, guardians and friends to this special annual celebration.