November 22, 2024


Dear Parents and Guardians,


Tomorrow we head out on a highly anticipated Thanksgiving Break. Your students have worked tirelessly in all aspects of their school life, and they are eager to depart for the holiday. I could not be prouder of their efforts during the last several weeks, which has been one of the longest stretches of the school year without an official break. They have remained steadfast in their academics, afternoon activities and residential life, and we are all excited for them to take a break, enjoy unstructured time and catch up with loved ones. 


Our fall athletic and afternoon activity season recently concluded with several noteworthy highlights. Our girls 1st soccer team qualified for the NEPSAC Class B playoffs, and although they ultimately fell to Tabor 3-2, it was a hard fought game in windy and cold conditions in Marion, Massachusetts. Additionally, Phoebe Cogan '26 took 17th place out of 129 in the NEPSTA Division 2 Cross Country Championship held on campus with more than 400 runners present. It was an absolute joy to watch all teams this fall on the field and on the court and I hope our student athletes felt pleased and accomplished in their season.

Our Firetrail Theatre put on an outstanding musical production of Mean Girls: High School Version. The talent of both cast and crew were on display and the quality of the performance rivaled professional productions. All three nights were sold out, highlighting not only the popularity of the show, but also school spirit around supporting classmates (and a teacher!) onstage. The cast and crew launched a kindness campaign around the show, reinforcing integrity, respect, gratitude and compassion as values we aspire to uphold at Brooks. 


Our core Brooks values were also exemplified in our community service program, which continued partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lawrence and Haverhill, SquashBusters, Windrush Farm and Cor Unum. This fall, we hosted a community clothing drive for the Community Giving Tree, which resulted in record-breaking donations, and a Blood Drive that collected 20 units—enough to save up to 60 lives. What an extraordinary accomplishment!

We have been blessed with warm weather throughout the fall, but as you might have heard in the news, it’s brought a drought to Massachusetts and brush fires in surrounding towns. We are incredibly grateful to the firefighters who have been battling these fires for weeks. We’ve had occasional smoky days, but in general, we’ve been safe and our security committee remains vigilant about staying on top of the news and local warnings. On Wednesday of this week, North Andover declared a state of emergency related to the area's wildfires. For Brooks School, there is no direct impact. However, we are watching the situation closely and will be sure to communicate any impacts or important updates. 


As I have mentioned in previous communications, it has been a pleasure to attend alumni events this year and we were most recently in Washington, D.C. Turnout was strong and I loved hearing stories from graduates who attended Brooks over the span of the 1960s to the 2020s. It was also days before the election and the atmosphere around the city was buzzing. A few days later, we were proud of our eligible students who voted in their first presidential election. We encouraged all of our students to think about their civic involvement by engaging in conversations and political issues that they are passionate about both locally and nationally. 


Student interest in impactful topics was resoundingly evident when Dr. Evelyn Addo-Wallace '98 returned to Brooks to speak about inequality in our medical system. After an advisory seated dinner, Dr. Addo-Wallace delivered a talk to students in Chapel. Many students and adults remained after her talk for 45 minutes to ask additional questions. Dr. Addo-Wallace made a profound impact on our community. Students were inquisitive, respectful and some quite moved by her work and words.

To add a little fun in these final days leading up to break, we kicked off the Chipotle Challenge: Puzzle Edition. I shared with students in Chapel that I am a big puzzler and was inspired to design a scavenger hunt with five logic-puzzle challenges. If they complete all challenges successfully by Saturday at noon, they will earn a special, invite-only Chipotle dinner upon their return from Thanksgiving break. It has been fun for me to see how students have engaged with the challenges and I look forward to celebrating with them in early December. 


I want to thank you all for an incredible fall. Your children have been amazing and it has been an absolute honor and privilege to serve the school in this capacity. As my time in this acting role winds down, I continue to be grateful to be a part of such an amazing and supportive community. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and I have a lot to celebrate and be grateful for.


With appreciation,


Nina Freeman

Acting Head of School

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

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