April 18, 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we move through the middle of April, I am glad to have this opening to check in with some hope that the wintry spring weather we have been experiencing will eventually subside. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you on the sidelines in the coming weeks as we enter what is always a fast-moving stretch of the school year. We have a lot in store over the weeks ahead and are looking forward to all of it.

Since returning from Spring Break, we've been busy celebrating and connecting. Our winter teams capped their seasons on a high note, with girls squash and boys basketball both winning New England championships - each showing remarkable perseverance and grit. In the case of the former, the girls persevered through a challenging season and played their best squash when it mattered most. In the case of the latter, the boys accomplished a rare feat to earn the Class B championship, as they won three games on the road against higher seeded teams and overcame deficits in all three games. When Alex Wilkins '25 hit his long three-point shot for the ages to clinch the championship in the final seconds, the team’s celebration was a sight to see. It was fitting that our boys basketball coach, Kenya Jones, was named New England Class B co-coach of the year. Congratulations to both teams for their impressive performances and for representing the school so well in these tournaments!

Once April arrived, we welcomed roughly 125 admitted students and families back to campus over two Revisit Days in order to give these terrific students one final look at Brooks. On both occasions, I shared that these Revisit Days are two of my favorite days of the year because we have a chance to put our best foot forward and underline what we love about our school. These events, especially the student panels, showcased the warmth and authenticity of our community and played a big role in enrolling another strong class for 2025–2026. Thank you to all who supported the process, whether through volunteering, outreach or sharing your Brooks experience. It makes an important difference.

With Revisit Days behind us, we were able to return to our regular schedule and get back into the rhythm of having Chapel on Monday and Thursday each week. With some renewed emphasis on adhering to our formal academic dress expectations on these two days, led by this year’s school prefects, we welcomed Britt Hart '09 to be this year’s Kippy Liddle Chapel speaker last week. This service honors both girls’ athletics at Brooks, along with the memory of Kippy Liddle, a former faculty member who died tragically while coaching our crew team on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia in 1984. Hart was a star three-sport athlete during her years at Brooks and has been coaching our softball team with Andrea Heinze for a number of years. Her message about the power of team experiences and relationships forged on those teams resonated with all of us.

Looking ahead, and with our focus turning increasingly to the class of 2025 and celebrating all 91 of them leading up to Prize Day on June 1, we are excited to be moving into our “senior speech” phase of the year in Chapel. These reflective talks are full of inspiration, good feeling and wisdom we all draw from -typically our most memorable Chapel services of the year. For those of you who have a child speaking, we hope you will be able to attend. They are not to be missed!

On Wednesday of next week, we will hold our Cum Laude Induction ceremony in Ashburn Chapel and formally recognize the academic excellence of those in the class of 2025 who have earned this distinction. Our freshly minted recipient of the Prince Charitable Trust Chair, Tote Smith, will be the speaker and his message will surely celebrate the impressive work of this year’s inductees while giving all of us a glimpse into what has made him such an extraordinary teacher and coach.

This will be followed by our spring trustee meetings next weekend, where we will be furthering our centennial celebration plans, along with the academic space master planning work we have been engaged in this year. In addition, having trustees on campus opens time for the group to catch up with students and faculty in different sessions we schedule over the two days we are together. Among other things, my hunch is that they might hear a thing or two about this year’s prom scheduled for Sunday, April 27!

A bit further out on the horizon is Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Saturday, May 10, when we can be reasonably confident the weather will be better and our beautiful campus will be approaching its spring bloom. We hope to have lots of guests that morning and afternoon with classes, performances and games running through the day. If we can help with any questions about the day, please be in touch.

In the midst of all that is going on over these next seven weeks or so, I will continue to travel for a range of events with alums and friends. In early May, we will host the classes of 1975 and 2020 on campus for their 50th and 5th reunions, respectively, and I am also looking forward to time with a number of you at points along the way. We are certainly eager to enjoy this spring with all of you who have a soon-to-be graduate in the class of 2025. Lots to celebrate!

For those who are observing Easter or Passover, I wish you a meaningful and joyful holiday. And, as a Lexington, Massachusetts native well versed in Patriots Day activities, I hope this 250th anniversary year proves to be a lot of fun for those enjoying that holiday. 

As always, many thanks for your support and partnership. If I can help with any questions or anything that is on your mind, please let me know.

Best,

John R. Packard

Head of School

Brooks School • 1160 Great Pond Road, North Andover, MA 01845