July 26, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe that it is already mid-summer, but I hope it’s been a restorative and satisfying one thus far. I am honored to write to you as Acting Head of School. It’s a privilege that I do not hold lightly, and I am excited to steward Brooks from this new perspective alongside an incredible team of caring educators and leaders. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at various campus events and have worked with your students in multiple capacities both in the classroom and as a crew coach, and I’m eager to see and meet more of you in the near future. 

To those new to Brooks, welcome! We are lucky to have you and are so pleased that you’ve chosen to start your next chapter with us. As with any transition, there are likely many questions on your mind. Please feel free to reach out to me or others on campus for clarity. We want to ensure that your students have the smoothest of transitions to Brooks. As a reminder, we will have a New Family webinar on Monday, August 19 as well as a New Family reception on Monday, August 26. 

When I first started at Brooks, I was not only drawn to our powerful mission statement but also to our core values that are embedded in the foundation of the school. You can find them written on the walls of our academic building as well as on banners around campus, reminding us that engagement, integrity, passion, empathy, confidence and creativity are at the heart of who we are as Brooksians. Although these values intersect with one another, each carries its own meaning and significance in the day-to-day life of school. To kick off the 2024-25 academic year, I’ve chosen to highlight INTEGRITY as our theme. To me integrity represents how we carry ourselves authentically and honestly; it is our aspiration to be our best self, make good and courageous choices and be a caring and supportive citizen to others. In the upcoming school year, messaging around this core value will permeate the campus and we will each honor it through our words and actions. I’m excited to see the ways in which we embrace integrity as we begin afresh this fall. 

When I reflect on integrity at Brooks, I immediately think of how we connect with one another. As many of you know, research and data continues to grow about the importance of digital wellness, and how cellphone use has added unhealthy social pressures and distractions on teenagers, in particular. In an effort to curb these negative effects, we are implementing a Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy. Last spring, we sought student feedback through focus groups, spent hours exploring challenges and solutions as a faculty in our June closing meeting and assembled a committee this summer to thoughtfully and intentionally find ways to increase engagement and minimize distractions during the academic day. We included parent and guardian voices in this process as well, and we are proud to roll out this new Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy.

We understand that introducing a new policy brings up questions, concerns, and perhaps even strong feelings on both sides of the decision, so we’ve included this FAQ to help answer outstanding questions. As we continue to iron out details, we welcome your feedback, thoughts and suggestions, which you can submit here. 

We are very excited that Social Awakening will join us on campus during Family Weekend on October 4. Social Awakening will present to faculty, families and students on digital wellness and the importance of us all partnering together. After that time, we also plan to engage with all stakeholders - students, faculty, and you - to see how things are going. We will be prepared to adjust things if necessary as the year progresses to ensure we have support and buy-in from the community. This can only be successful if we all commit together. As a school, we feel strongly that this is the appropriate direction we need to take and admire many of our peer institutions that have developed similar plans with much success. As a boarding school, we celebrate the opportunities to build community and this is one step closer to ensuring our students have the most meaningful educational experience of their lives. 

In addition to rolling out a new Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy this fall, we’re heading into a fraught election season. Recognizing that each day brings about new information and uncertainty, we intend to create programming that is educational and informative for our students to learn about the election process and hold thoughtful and respectful conversations with one another with integrity at its core. I will have more to share in my August communication. 

Lastly, I want to thank those of you who contributed to our Brooks Fund. We raised $2,520,373 which will further support our signature programs and our mission. I am moved by the generosity within our community and am grateful to you all for the many different ways you support the school. 

The July Community Newsletter from Director of Family Engagement and Giving Mary Merrill will be in your inboxes on Sunday - be sure to check it out for more information on the opening of school. Enjoy the coming weeks of summer! 

With appreciation,

Nina Freeman

Acting Head of School

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