As we hit the final stretch of this year's Winter Term, I am glad to be in touch before we pivot to the second semester next week. This has been a fun and full Winter Term over the past couple of weeks, and we are looking forward to sharing our work with all of you during this Friday night's Winter Term Symposium in the Classroom Building between 7 and 8:30 p.m. I would also like to take a look ahead to some of what is on the calendar for the final days of January and first few days of February. There is a lot going on!

 

Our Winter Term got off to a great start two weeks ago with a terrific talk about the school's history from Associate Head for Academic Affairs, Lance Latham. He sprinkled in some old Brooks School pictures for all of us to enjoy, and underlined the opportunities we have during these three weeks -- namely, to dive deeper into subject matter, projects, and experiences we are challenged to access during the run of school in the fall and spring. From my seat, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time John Fahey and I have had with our students in The Complexity of War. To be able to engage in a wide range of questions and perspectives regarding American presence in the world has us eager to share some of our thinking with all of you on Friday night. I suspect you will be thoroughly impressed by the work faculty members and students have done together when we gather on Friday.

 

Ahead of this Friday's symposium, we have had all sorts of Winter Term work culminating in fun ways. Sabor Latino hosted the Greg Coles Dance and Drum Group on Monday night for some dancing and drumming. The Titanic Winter Term class has been preparing its performance for Wednesday night. On Thursday night, the Robert Lehman Art Center will open a Winter Term exhibit from 7 to 9 p.m., and it will remain up for viewing during our parent reception from 8 to 9 p.m. on Friday night. In sum, there is a lot culminating this week, and we hope you will be able to take in much of what still remains.

 

We have also enjoyed the flexibility that Winter Term provides for speakers and visitors who have been with us. We welcomed Wired Magazine Senior Editor Peter Rubin to campus this past Saturday as part of our ongoing exploration of this year's all-school read, Ready Player One. In his role, Peter oversees the magazine's pop culture and entertainment coverage. He shared a terrific talk and series of slides with us about the evolution of virtual reality, while speculating on when something resembling the OASIS from the book might become reality. The answer is much sooner than I had thought! Many thanks to Peter's friends, Randy and Julia Hesse, for helping us get him to campus, and to Laura Hajdukiewicz, who continues to keep Ready Player One on our minds.

 

On Monday, we had a wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Chapel with singing group, Confirmation, sharing its talents with us. Director of Diversity Initiatives Shaunielle McDonald is a member of the group, which by its own description "fuses gospel with tinges of pop and shades of jazz, blues, hip-hop, funk, and soul -- even classical -- as it creates a brand new flavor" of music. The group also includes former faculty member Crystal Dixon, and we were all drawn to their talent, passion, and enthusiasm for the power of song. We also took a look at Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech and another talk he gave later in life about poverty in America. It was an uplifting morning and a super way to begin our final Winter Term week.

 

Looking ahead beyond this week, we are in the final stretch of interviewing in the admission office and applications are coming in. We shift entirely to reading and rating applications in February and early March before posting decisions on March 10. We know well that the counsel you provide to the many families you meet as volunteers in the waiting room or at open houses and receptions is essential to informing families. Many thanks for all you have done to this point in the year, and for all you will do over the next couple of months.

 

On Friday of next week, Kim and I will look forward to welcoming all of you who are fifth-form parents to a reception at our home on campus to kick off the college counseling workshop scheduled for the next day. Incredibly, we have arrived at a point in our lives when we will be attending this workshop with our older daughter, Kate, in the Class of 2018. I find myself in a state of moderate disbelief that this station in life has arrived, and assure you that I am no further along in the process than any of you. We will start together next Friday night! Hope you can make it.

 

Looking beyond next weekend, our Boston Reception is coming up on Thursday, February 2, at the Boston College Club, and we hope a number of you will be able to join alumni, alumnae, and some faculty members for what is always an enjoyable evening. Our Board of Trustees will be in the next morning for our winter meetings where we will be focused on The Campaign for Brooks, in general, and the progress we are making on our arts facility, in particular. We will also be setting tuition, financial aid, and compensation pool budgets for the coming year. This will be a busy and productive few days.

 

Finally, you all received the letter we sent to the entire school community regarding the passing of George A. "Alexi" Whitney '96 while he was serving his country in Afghanistan. We will be hosting what promises to be a large and moving memorial service in his memory this coming Sunday, January 22, at 2 p.m. in the Ashburn Chapel. Aside from reminding you that you are welcome to attend, I also want to alert you to the fact that the campus will be very busy that afternoon. While a somber occasion, I am so pleased that we will be having it here.