By now, I hope your son's or daughter's spring vacation has gotten off to a great start and that you are finding your way to more family time than is within reach during the run of school. I was really pleased with how students and faculty members finished during the couple of weeks leading up to spring vacation. The stretch from late January to early March is always a challenging one, and we all worked hard over the final few days on tests, papers, projects, and the like. In sum, all of our students have earned the break they are now enjoying, and we will aim to return rested and ready to go when classes resume on March 28.
I would like to try to capture a bit of the strong finish we had before this vacation began, and also take a look ahead to some of what awaits us when we return to school at the end of the month.
For starters, I spoke in Chapel on Monday of last week and had an opportunity to share a look at the plans we have in store for our Student Center expansion and renovation. This will be a substantial upgrade to a space that is a bit tired and in need of the improvements this work will bring to fruition. In addition, we had a member of the Ann Beha Architects team, Lee Berman '07, join us in Chapel to talk about the new visual and performing arts center we are going to begin working on in June. With the help of some fun software that allowed us to "fly" through the building and see it from the inside, we all had a chance to experience this exciting facility up close. The audible enthusiasm in the Chapel was fun to hear.
Finally, I found myself a bit overwhelmed when reflecting on all that students and faculty members have given to the school from the time Winter Term ended to the moment spring vacation began. Between Super Bowl fun, a successful Model UN venture, a wonderful performance of Cabaret, and impressive, inspiring, and courageous talks given by sixth-form students, we had a full six weeks. When we add all of our athletic team triumphs, sportsmanship, perseverance, fun, and individual and team championships at all levels, we have much to be proud of. Our 1st boys basketball team won a second consecutive New England championship and a third consecutive ISL championship after completing an undefeated season. And, I concluded a letter to students we have admitted to come to Brooks in 2017-2018 with what follows:
"The success and perseverance of our girls basketball team was perhaps the story of the winter. Led by a fantastic group of seniors, this team fought its way to a New England tournament berth after getting better and better over recent years. In my view, their persistence and resilience defines what Brooks athletics are all about."
We are fortunate to have a school full of students who engage in a wide range of passions in the way these girls did on the basketball court, and this leaves me feeling great about the winter that is now behind us. I am looking forward to more of the same once the spring takes hold in April.
Looking ahead, we are excited about what we have in store once we return to school at the end of the break. On Wednesday, March 29, during our first week back, we will engage in this year's Unity Day program with a wide range of activities focusing on gender awareness. Our keynote speaker, Alex Myers, is both a member of the English Department and a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, and has spent the better part of his adult life working in schools. He is an author and speaks regularly at schools and conferences about his life and experience as a transgender person. You can learn more about his work at www.alexmyerswriting.com. In addition to Mr. Myers, we will have Eric Barthold with us that day to share his Man Up and Open Up presentation with us. Mr. Barthold speaks routinely at schools and colleges and his discussions "aim to unmask the pressures on young men in today's society." You can learn more about his work at www.manupandopenup.com. We will also have Cindy Pierce presenting to us on Social Courage and Hookup Culture. You can learn more about her work on high school and college campuses by looking at
www.cindy-pierce.com. Finally, there will be some films, and a series of workshops designed and led by students and faculty members on a wide range of gender topics. All told, we anticipate a full day of thought and learning about gender awareness in ways that will contribute nicely to our ongoing effort to do better and better at appreciating differences at Brooks.
After Unity Day and getting the spring off to a great start, much of our attention will turn to our Second Visit Program scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, and Friday, April 7. We are very excited about the students we admitted to Brooks on Friday of last week, and these opportunities to revisit the school before final decisions are made are critically important. I know that many of you are making calls over these next four weeks to our admitted families. Thank you for making the time to do that. To hear from current families about your daughter's or son's experience at Brooks is as important as any factor in our effort to yield an incoming group that will add nicely to all of our students who are returning in the fall. I also know that some of you will be here on these revisit days, and that will make an important difference, as well. In sum, I want to thank you for your help in supporting our efforts to welcome some wonderful students and families to our school.
Finally, I want to apologize in advance for missing the employee appreciation luncheon on Monday, March 27 -- my favorite lunch of the year. I will be traveling to France toward the end of the break in order to attend School Year Abroad board meetings in Rennes, and then will be stopping in London for a Brooks event at about the time all of my colleagues will be enjoying the incredible range of food you are so kind to prepare for us at this annual feast. I will try to plan my travel more carefully next year!
Enjoy the balance of spring vacation. I will look forward to being in touch again in early April with hope that spring will have arrived by then.
Best,
