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This weekend, we will formally dedicate the George and Evanthea Demoulas Family Boathouse on Saturday ahead of taking in Brookstock and all sorts of student musical performances on Saturday night. In the coming week, our final week of classes this year, we will be wrapping up athletic tournaments and seasons and putting the finishing touches on all of our graduation festivities beginning with our Donning of the Stoles ceremony on Sunday, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. in Ashburn Chapel. You can learn more about commencement weekend here.
We are also looking forward to some dinners with sixth formers at the head of school’s residence, along with the alumni induction dinner on Tuesday night of next week. Jason Gold ’18 will be speaking to the group about lessons learned and his journey since graduating from Brooks six years ago. I am certain he will have some great advice to share. On Thursday night in the Keating Room, we will host parents and guardians of students from the class of 2024 one final time in an effort to extend our thanks for all their support through these years, beginning way back in the fall of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. We are deeply grateful for all of your engagement with and belief in the school.
Above all, we are intent on doing everything we can to appropriately celebrate all 88 in the current sixth form in ways that capture and appreciate the many contributions they have made to the school. In speaking with a number of alums over the past weekend, I found myself continually referencing our students when reflecting on the school’s strengths and all we are trying to do. This class of 2024 has gone above and beyond and it will be fun to celebrate them together next weekend.
After the last student departs for the summer, we will be holding our final faculty meetings during the first week of June and setting a course for the work we will move forward between the school years. As you know, we have implemented a revised approach to weekends during this second semester, and will be sharing an updated approach for the 2024-2025 school year early in the summer months. The goal is to continue moving in a direction that enhances the weekend experience on campus for boarding and day students alike.
I also want to thank all of you who responded with votes of approval and support, along with helpful suggestions as to how we might take a substantive step in the direction of implementing a cell phone and social media policy that curbs the level of use we are currently experiencing. Our faculty will be discussing ways forward during our final meetings in June and that will lead to crafting a policy over the summer and in time to socialize and implement in the coming school year. Our goal is to find our way to take an incremental step that we are highly confident can be successful. We will have more to share as the plan takes shape.
Once the summer begins, I will be traveling with Gage Dobbins, Director of Institutional Advancement, to Asia with stops in Seoul, Beijing, Qingdao and Shanghai. We look forward to seeing many of you at family events, and visiting with a number of alums, some incoming students and families, and even some prospective students and families. My wife, Kim, and I had a wonderful visit last summer, and I have enjoyed the privilege of traveling to Asia a number of times over the years. Each time, it has been such a treat to see and spend time with Brooks School families and alums who care and do so much for the school. While hard to believe, we will be there in just over three weeks!
Finally, we are drawing within two years of the beginning of the school’s 100th year in 2026-2027. Our board of trustees and many here at school have been hard at work sharpening centennial campaign plans with the school’s mission and our three campaign pillars of immersive learning, culture of exploration and genuine belonging leading the way. We are looking forward to sharing some updated thinking with our entire community as we move into the summer and throughout the coming school year.
As always, thank you for all you do on behalf of the school. Please do be in touch with any questions. Here is to a great finish to the year!
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