October 25, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been an action-packed October and your students continue to lean into school life, learning how to balance their many responsibilities and expectations. I remain impressed with the momentum and positive energy at Brooks, especially during one of the busiest months of the school year. It certainly helps that the weather has been close to perfect and our campus backdrop includes a magnificent display of fall foliage that we haven’t witnessed in years. There is quite a bit to share since my last letter and much to look forward to in the upcoming four weeks leading to Thanksgiving Break. 

Family Weekend was a hit! Thank you to those who attended and participated in our various programming. It was special to see all of you in the hallways and walking down Main Street with your students. From attending classes to learning about our three signature programs, Exchange, Winter Term and Students on the Forefront, we were moved by your enthusiasm and engagement. Highlights were Friday evening’s cookout and football game under the lights as well as several musical performances throughout the night. What a spectacular showing of school spirit and a demonstration of a wide range of student talents. It was a pleasure to connect with you and to share about the year thus far. Hopefully, you found our Family Weekend experience to be informative and memorable, allowing you to capture a glimpse into your student’s routine on campus. 

In my State of the School address that weekend, I attempted to cover all areas of school life and highlight the general strength Brooks holds both financially and programmatically. Additionally, I spoke about the success of the cellphone and smartwatch policy. It’s been a relief to see a decrease in reliance on these devices, and our students are discovering and learning new routines and life skills. In a recent in-house survey, 100 percent of Brooks faculty said that the policy has been effective in increasing student engagement. Ninety-eight percent said it's been effective in decreasing distractions and improving student behavior, and 96 percent report effectiveness in strengthening our community. Thank you to those of you who completed the family survey, which echoed our faculty sentiments. We will continue to discuss suggestions and ways to tweak the policy to best suit our needs. Social Awakening’s visit to campus illuminated all the reasons why we should continue to move in this direction. It was affirming to hear we are creating a space for immersive learning without distractions.

As you know, we’ve made a concerted effort to encourage student engagement and participation in our programming, particularly around weekends. To that note, I want to address rumors that I’ve heard of unsupervised, off-campus gatherings that some of our students attend on Saturday nights. Aside from our preference that they spend Saturday nights here on campus with one another, the notion of unsupervised, off-campus gatherings with the potential for alcohol and drug use concerns us a great deal. There are obvious health and safety risks in such circumstances, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has very clear social host laws outlining additional liability concerns. Outside of the health and legal risks involved, hosting such gatherings works against our intention of upholding a vibrant and meaningful boarding school experience. The ripple effect impacts many in our community and our hope is that, with your partnership, we can continue to promote safe and positive on-campus engagement. This rumored behavior also goes against the values of our school and our commitment to upholding them. Please encourage your students to stay on campus and participate in the various activities offered; it’s this time they have together that will be most memorable.

One of my favorite things about being acting head of school is meeting alumni and learning about their time at Brooks. This fall has included many visits from alumni attending trustee meetings and the Brooks Athletic Hall of Fame induction. Thankfully, we’ve been honored to have two graduates return and speak in Chapel, as well. We recently welcomed Trevor Potter ‘74, who is the founder of the Campaign Legal Center, an organization dedicated to advancing democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels. His Chapel speech focused on integrity and the life lessons he gained from Frank D. Ashburn’s leadership. Ashburn was our founding head of school, who was in the role for 46 years and for whom our Chapel is named. Our second alum to return was Henry Hollingsworth ‘17, who is a 2024 Olympic medalist in rowing. He spoke about the training that was needed to achieve a spot on this exceptional crew, and how they prepared for their race in Paris. He inspired not only the rowers in the room, but everyone with the notion that when you put your mind (and body) towards a goal, it is achievable. Next month we look forward to welcoming graduate Evelyn Addo-Wallace ‘98 to speak on her work in medicine and how her efforts tie back to our summer reading of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. In my opinion, alumni have the most powerful ability to connect with our students as they are linked to the school’s history and legacy in the same ways your students are. The Brooksian connection is deep.

We also held our third annual Brooks Clean, which is one of the most fun nights on campus. In years past, John Packard and I have had the honor of being judges. Without my partner in crime, I hope I am able to deliver the same level of recognition of student efforts. Thankfully, Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles and my own two children joined me. Your students did not disappoint. Not only were they tasked to collaboratively create a theme, they also had to have the cleanest dorm. Starting in PBA, we were greeted by two Holmes-like detectives to help solve a murder mystery within. With the help of clever clues, we were able to get to the bottom of things and celebrate with a bucket of candy. Next stop was in Peabody, where we were greeted by a casino host who walked us around the facility, which included a visit to the secret “high-roller” room in the basement and a cheater being escorted off the premises. Following that, we headed to Hett West for a Roblox-inspired fashion show, and then to Hett East for another murder mystery; this time Clue-inspired. Following the Hetts, we were greeted at Chace by the warm owner of the Chace Links Country Club, where we were wooed into becoming members due to their exquisite cuisine, pickleball courts and magnificent links. We were treated like royalty. Then we were swept away to Blake following Elmo on a sit-down scooter, who brought us to the Blake residents lined up outside to greet us with a bedtime poem before falling fast asleep in their very tidy rooms. Up next was Thorne, where we went on a Candyland-themed adventure meeting many exciting characters along the way. Next came Whitney, who athletically presented their gold Olympic medals for a variety of events. Merriman wowed us with their Merriman’s Got Talent performance involving guitar playing, singing, Rubik's Cube completing and acrobatics. And lastly, we were present for a marriage ceremony in Gardner. There were many laughs and giggles throughout the night and, most notably, the dorms were immaculate. A difficult decision had to be made, but Peabody (bronze medal), PBA (silver medal), and Chace (gold medal) were the top choices. What a night!

I cannot reiterate enough what an honor it’s been to see your students thrive on campus in a variety of ways. With midterms done and only a few weeks left until our next break, I hope to see you on campus as we wrap up our fall athletic season and debut our theatrical performance of Mean Girls on November 14, 15 and 16. I appreciated seeing many of you at our recent New York City event. I hope our paths cross at our upcoming event in Washington, D.C., or one of the parent/guardian dinners. Wherever it may be next, I look forward to it and thank you for sharing your children with us at Brooks. It’s been a fall to remember.

With appreciation,

Nina Freeman

Acting Head of School

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