On Saturday, a grandfather of Jules Giordano '26 treated the French AP class to some homemade croissants. Si délicieux!

Schedule Alert

• Thanksgiving Break will begin on Nov. 23 at 12 p.m. Our dormitories will close and all students are expected to depart campus no later than 3 p.m. that afternoon.

• Save the date for our coming concerts: Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. — Winterfest in the black box theater, featuring Brooks' Rock and Advanced Rock Bands, and Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. — Holiday Concert in the Center for the Arts theater, featuring Brooks Jazz Band, Advanced Jazz Band, Chorus and Chamber Orchestra.

• Exhibitions of Learning (EOLs) begin on Dec. 14! See below for details.

Academics

Exhibitions of Learning

Our Exhibitions of Learning period runs from Dec. 14 through Dec. 19. Students will have a variety of EOL types: extended exams, presentations, complete projects and reflections. Please view the EOL schedule and know that we will work with students in Self in Community classes and advisory meetings to ensure they are well-prepared for the demands of the week. Reach out to your student’s advisor or to Dean of Academic Affairs Currie Joya Huntington anytime with questions.

Farewell to Exchange Students!

Hungarian Exchange program students Eszter, Bence, Mina and Botond shared a heartfelt goodbye to the Brooks community during the school assembly on Tuesday (watch it here) and send-off gathering last night in Wilder Dining Hall.

Student Life

Dining Hall FYI

To support our sustainability efforts on campus, the school has stopped supplying single-use, to-go containers in Wilder Dining Hall. We recognize this can present a problem when students have a late afternoon activity practice and would like to have a second meal or snack afterward. Students are welcome to bring their own reusable containers to take food to go. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles.

On Tuesday, Whitney House celebrated a “Friendsgiving” dinner courtesy of their families who provided catering by a local restaurant. During the meal, each resident shared what they were thankful for with the group. Dorm parent Babs Wheelden said, “It was super sweet!”

Planning Ahead: Lessons and Carols  

Our annual end-of-year Chapel service, Lessons and Carols, and formal advisory dinner will be held on Dec. 19 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The service and meal will likely end around 8 p.m. Students will be permitted to depart after the dinner.

Dorms will remain open on Dec. 20 until 3 p.m. Please note: Some winter teams will stay on campus for tournaments on Friday night.

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. 

The Peer Advisors hosted a hangout in the counseling office of the Health and Wellness Center last night for students to come chat, de-stress and enjoy snacks and Shirley Temples!

Arts

Artists Reception in the Lehman Gallery Tonight

Join us tonight in the Robert Lehman Art Center to celebrate the progress of our visual arts students. A reception for all visual artists, friends and family will be celebrated from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a closing reception designed for students to stop in, check out the exhibition and then take home their works. We will welcome back Hannah Latham ’17 for her photography exhibition, "Bring Me A Dream," after the Thanksgiving holiday.

District Music Ensembles Audition Results!

On Nov. 16, 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 around 1,000 students from around the region auditioned to be part of them.

We are proud to announce that three Brooks students were accepted into Senior District music ensembles this year: oboist Ivy Zhao '26 made the Senior District band, and altos Ava Valianti '27 and Phoebe Dooling '27 made the Senior District chorus. For the second-straight year, Dooling also received a recommendation to audition for the All-State chorus, since her audition score was in the top ~25-30 percent of all auditioners.

The Senior District Festival, as well as All-State auditions, will take place in January. Please be sure to congratulate these students on their amazing accomplishments when you see them around campus!

Congratulations also to Ava Valianti '27 on the release of her new single, "Wishing Well," available on Spotify starting on Nov. 22. This is her fourth single!

Winterfest: Dec. 10

Come rock out in the black box theater! This one-night-only event – Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. – will feature performances from Brooks' Rock Band and Advanced Rock Band. Both groups have been working hard all term to be able to present their full setlists to you. You'll hear some Blondie, Bruno Mars, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam and more. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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 is open to all members of the extended Brooks community: employees, family and friends. You don't want to miss it!

Last weekend's fall musical Mean Girls: High School Version was a showstopper! View an album of images from the production, thanks to photographers Leo Charlamb '26 and Chair of the Arts Department Babs Wheelden.

Athletics

Continuing On!

Last night, we honored eight members of the class of 2025 who have committed to playing a D1 sport next year (listed below in order of their appearance at the event). Congratulations to these students on their amazing athletic accomplishments and contributions to Brooks School as student-athletes:



• Alex Wilkins, basketball, Furman University
• Bella Mondolfi, ice hockey, Merrimack College
• Mary Adams, field hockey, University of Virginia
• Cat Casey, crew, University of Miami
• Lauren DuBarry, crew, University of Pennsylvania
• Kata Clark, cross country and track, Brown University
• Henry Hebert, baseball, Merrimack College
• Lydia Tangney, lacrosse, Ohio State University

“The road to get here is not an easy one," Director of Athletics Andrea Heinze said at the event (view an album of all the signing photos). "It is a testament to your commitment, practices and your energy over the years that you and your parents have supported. Congratulations to you all.”

We will hold a similar event in the spring for all student-athletes who plan to participate in a collegiate sport following graduation. 

Family Programs

Starbrooks is on Dec. 17

Does your student love those decadent drinks from Starbucks? If so, they will be excited for our second parent-sponsored lunch event: Starbrooks!

Starbrooks is our version of Starbucks, featuring an expansive hot chocolate bar, donuts, chocolate-covered pretzels and more. In order to bring this festive event to our campus on Dec. 17, we are asking for parents and guardians to please consider one of the following options:

• Check out the SignUpGenius to sign up to volunteer at the event, purchase donuts for the event or purchase a gift card to be used as raffle items.
• Purchase candy or other winter-themed treats for the day from our Amazon Wishlist. Stay tuned for more details about the wishlist in future newsletters!
• Venmo a donation in an amount of your choice to underwrite the cost of the event and the raffles. Please Venmo your donation to Aybike Crott (@Aybike-Crott).

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.

Save the Date: Grandparents and Special Friends Day: May 10

As you might be seeing family and friends over the holidays, we ask you to save the date for this year’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day on May 10, 2025. More details to come in early 2025.

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.