With October drawing to a close, we have a lot to feel good about when reflecting on all that has been accomplished this month. Your children have been working hard in and out of the classroom. The routine and rhythm we were just beginning to feel earlier in the month has taken hold. You all have had some time to consider academic comments, effort marks, and grades, and think with us over Parents Weekend about the best ways to approach the balance of the first semester. We are moving at an impressive clip as we head for November and our final push through the fall. There is a lot to look forward to before we break for Thanksgiving in a few weeks.

 

In taking a look back at the past few weeks, the combination of our fall trustee meetings and Parents Weekend made for a busy and full middle of the month.

 

Our trustee meetings were excellent. We had terrific discussions about the beginning of the year, the state of the school, and the progress we are making on the Center for the Arts. Yet, the highlight of the weekend for many was time spent with students. A number of your children attended dinner with the full board of trustees and alumni board two weeks ago tonight, and that was a huge success. While I was not surprised, all of the student leaders who attended impressed alumni, alumnae, parents and faculty with their poise and thoughtfulness about the school. It was time well spent. The school prefects shared some thoughts the following morning with all trustees regarding characteristics of the school they appreciated most, a moment in their experience here that best defines Brooks, and one suggestion about something they think we could improve. Here, too, the group's poise was impressive and their words echoed so much of what I hear from students through the year in Chapel talks, presentations of various kinds, and when listening in on what admission tour guides share with prospective students and families. The four words that emerged most frequently were community, engagement, relationships, and opportunities. That so many of your children and our students use these words first when thinking about their lives at Brooks felt great.

 

We will be getting a survey out to all of you regarding your Parents Weekend experience, and I hope that time you spent on campus with your child was both fun and productive. The program evolves a bit year over year, and we very much enjoyed the Friday morning Parent Summit that a number of you attended. The hope that morning was to familiarize many of you who are new parents with The Campaign for Brooks, and with the impact we are experiencing and anticipating as a result of this effort. Here, too, we would welcome feedback and thought from any of you who attended the balance of that session. From my seat, the concept of spending time thinking about the school's hopes and needs with all of you on Parents Weekend made great sense, and perhaps we will find a way to evolve this approach moving forward. Above all, I hope that time with your child's advisor was useful, and that you felt more informed and connected to the school and all that is happening this year by the end of the day on Saturday.

 

Both our trustee meetings and Parents Weekend coincided with a visually satisfying phase in the construction of the Center for the Arts. The steel frame of the building has risen from the foundation over the past few weeks, and it has been a lot of fun to get a feel for the size and presence this facility will have on Main Street. This morning, we all had an opportunity to sign a steel beam scheduled to be installed at some point over the next month, and all who participated will now be part of the facility forever! I am anticipating that there will be additional opportunities to engage with the building as it moves closer to completion. We continue to be so excited about what this step forward will mean for the breadth and depth of our arts program.

 

As part of our ongoing effort to take a look at socioeconomic difference and poverty through the year, we were privileged to welcome four guests to Ashburn Chapel yesterday to participate in what we called "Proximate to Poverty." The panel included: Dr. Marija Bingulac, senior project manager of the On Solid Ground Coalition and a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts - Boston; Leslie Lawrence, associate director of Emmaus House in Haverhill, Massachusetts; Father Paul O'Brien, pastor of St. Patrick Parish and chair of the Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts; and Bridget Shaheen, executive director of Lazarus House in Lawrence, Massachusetts. These impressive panelists have spent their lives studying poverty and working with the poor in a wide range of ways. Our hope is to illuminate the fact that many in our midst endure incredibly challenging circumstances that emanate from an embedded economic insecurity that often goes overlooked. Our hope through the year is to heighten our awareness about these circumstances, leaving all of us more inclined to engage in helpful ways. It was certainly true that our guests provided us with a lot to think about as we move further into the year, and I am looking forward to additional opportunities we will have along these lines leading up to Unity Day in late March. Many thanks to Shaunielle McDonald, Eddie Carson, and our Diversity Leadership Council for all the work that went into pulling yesterday's panel together.

 

 

The following week will have a number of us in New York for our annual reception on Monday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m. I want to thank Alex '86 and Liz Carey P'19, P'20 for hosting all of us for a third consecutive year at Doyle, located at 175 East 87th Street. We have had a wonderful time there during each of the past two years, and I hope that some of you who live in the New York area will be able to join alumni and alumnae that evening.

 

Before closing, and with admission visitor season in mind, I want to take this opportunity to thank so many of you who have contributed time and thought about the school as a volunteer in the admission office waiting room, as an attendee at a reception or open house, or in conversations you find yourselves in with families thinking about Brooks. We would not draw the great students and families to Brooks that we are able to each year without your support and belief in the school.

 

Finally, I also want to thank those of you who have participated in our Brooks Together effort for your support. We succeed in running the school due in large part to your care and generosity, and I hope that we are on our way to earning your support at a level that is within your reach. Your participation matters a great deal to us.

 

I will be in touch again as Thanksgiving vacation gets underway in a few weeks. We plan to make great use of the time we have between now and then. As always, if you have questions or thoughts you would like to share with me, please do. Take good care.