Winterfest rocked! See videos/shots from the rock bands concert on Tuesday in our photo album.
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- Our annual Lessons and Carols Chapel service and formal advisory dinner will be held on Dec. 14, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Chapel service and advisory dinner will likely end around 8 p.m. and be followed by an all-school dance. Students will be permitted to depart after advisory dinner, however, we strongly encourage students to stay for the dance!
- Planning ahead to Winter Break, dorms will close on Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. There is no academic programming on Dec. 15.
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Planning ahead to the 2024-2025 school year, our calendar of important dates has been finalized. Please review it as some of our traditional dates have changed for next year including our opening day and Commencement Weekend.
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Winter Break Transportation
Similar to Thanksgiving Break, Brooks will provide a shuttle to Boston's Logan Airport & South Station which will depart campus on Dec. 15 at 12 p.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 this form at your earliest convenience so that we can ensure your child 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 around Winter Break, please contact Associate Director of Student Affairs Cora MacKenzie.
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Weekend Activities
Casino Night is coming to Brooks! Saturday evening in Wilder Dining Hall there will be poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and more. Students don't need any money to play and win big. Since this is the last weekend of activities for the semester the prizes have been amplified -- in quantity and quality.
Prior to Casino Night, students can head over to the Chapel to watch the Jackson Jills of Tufts University perform an a cappella concert.
Sunday's activities include a coffee-loop trip, Chipotle trip, Salem, NH trip, Loop trip, Bills/Chiefs watch party with pizza and open fitness hours. On top of all that, the Winter Concert will be happening in the theater Sunday afternoon. Get all the details in the Weekend Activities Bulletin.
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Students Attend Leadership Conference
Daniel Min '25, Isabella Soto '25, Shelley Osafo-Grant '25 and Dri McClintock '25 recently returned from the National Association of Independent Schools' Student Diversity Leadership Conference in St. Louis. The theme of the annual conference -- held this year from Nov. 29 through Dec 2 -- was "Bending the Arc Toward Justice: Radical Optimism, Transformational Joy, Resilience, and Brilliance."
Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Terri Ofori (who attended the event along with Mathematics Teacher Juan Hurtado) called it a "transformative experience," that fostered students' "leadership skills in a multiracial and multicultural environment."
Students "participated in workshops and discussions that emphasized self-reflection, community building and the formation of supportive alliances," said Ofori. "Through the guidance of trained facilitators, they honed their cross-cultural communication and designed actionable strategies for social justice advocacy. The students also immersed themselves in the arts to explore and express social issues. The intimate 'family' and 'home' groups provided them with a unique platform for deep dialogue, allowing them to share personal experiences and learn from their peers."
This conference, she added, was an "invaluable opportunity for them to learn the foundations of allyship and networking, which are essential skills for their future endeavors as student leaders committed to diversity and inclusion."
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All-School Photo Ordering
For those families interested in previewing and ordering the all-school photo taken at the beginning of this year, you may do so here. Please know that the company recommends activating that link using Safari, Edge, or Firefox (not Chrome).
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The Learning Center's "Power up for EOLs" event was a big success on Tuesday! Students reviewed schedules and study tips and enjoyed treats, stress reliever toys and accessories (including sleep masks) designed to help students feel prepared for EOL week. |
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December Exhibitions of Learning
Exhibitions of Learning (EOLs) are debates, discourses, presentations, portfolios, exams or other class experiences that occur in special, extended A-H blocks from Dec. 9 through Dec. 14. Every major course has an EOL.
Attendance is required for all students and elective absences are not allowed. Students should plan to be on campus through the end of the Lessons & Carols programming on Dec. 14. Find the EOL schedule here.
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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/guardians on Dec. 21 after 10 a.m. If you need help signing into OnBrooks, please contact Registrar Lisa Saunders.
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Sneak a peek into an Arts Exploratory class in the latest Deans' Den Blog post.
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Congratulations, Singers!
On Nov. 18, several Brooks students traveled to North Andover High School to audition for various all-district music ensembles (chorus, orchestra, band, and jazz band). These ensembles are comprised of the very best musicians in all of Northeastern Massachusetts, and more than 900 students from around the region auditioned to be part of them.
We are proud to announce that four Brooks students were accepted into the Senior District Chorus: bass Tony Ke '26, and altos Tessa Darke '24, Phoebe Dooling '27 and Ava Valianti '27 (shown below).
The three altos also received recommendations to audition for the All-State Chorus, since their audition scores were in the top 30 percent of all auditioners. The Senior District Festival, as well as All-State auditions, will take place in January. Congratulations to these talented vocalists!
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A Cappella Night This Saturday!
Brooks is excited to welcome the Tufts Jackson Jills to campus on Dec. 9 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. for an a cappella performance and vocal workshop in the Chapel. All students are invited to attend.
As Tufts University's oldest all-femme-identifying a cappella group, the Jackson Jills have had a long tradition of strong musicianship and empowering women since 1963. Their repertoire covers numerous genres, including pop, country, jazz, folk and many more. You can listen to their most recent album, Couches and Crosswalks, on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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Winter Concert This Sunday!
Join us in our Center for the Arts theater on Dec. 10 at 4 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 plus our two rock bands. View the program here. The concert will last about an hour, and it is open to all members of the extended Brooks community – employees, family, friends and more. You don't want to miss it!
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Fall Afternoon Activities Awards
On Dec. 1, the campus community gathered in the Center for the Arts theater to celebrate student achievement and teamwork in fall afternoon activities. View photos from the morning ceremony and check out the list of all award winners. Go Brooks!
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Boys 2nd basketball triumphed over Pingree School on Saturday. Assistant Coach Michael Dixon reports that with the 54-44 victory, “we matched last year's total in our first game!” |
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Last Chance to Donate to Starbooks!
We are just a few days away from Starbrooks on Dec. 12 and we still have a few last-minute needs. Due to the short turnaround time to Tuesday’s event, our top request would be for people to drop off donuts or Venmo a donation to support the event, including the raffles. Please Venmo your donation to @Jessica-Kelleher-3. Thank you!
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"Through Brooks" Holiday Fundraiser
To help support the Haverhill and the Lawrence Boys & Girls Clubs during the holiday season we encourage students to pick up one or more tags from the bulletin board outside the Deans' Den. Some of the tags are acts of service, so not all have a monetary commitment.
If students want to participate but feel stuck on how to get a gift in time, their advisors can help!
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- Dec. 10 at 4 p.m.: Winter Concert
- Dec. 12: Starbrooks
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Dec. 13 at 8 a.m. (EST): Winter Zoom with families in China (link for the Zoom)
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Stay in touch: Follow Brooks for news + photos! |
Not on social media? Visit the Brooks Social page to see what we've shared!
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