As school and some semblance of a routine just begin to take hold this week, I want to check in and attempt to capture at least some of what has felt so good to us in getting the 2016-2017 year launched. To see your daughters and sons stepping into the school for the first time, or returning for a second, third, or fourth year, is incredibly energizing, and all of us are so pleased to be into the swing of things and finding our way forward. A number of us on the faculty have been experiencing school openings for some time now, yet the momentum and sense of possibility we feel at this time of year always exceeds expectations. We are off to a great start.

 

While the start has been terrific, I would not be at all surprised to learn that you are getting reports of fatigue after all the "beginning" we have been fitting into a relatively short period of time. This is particularly true for new students, who are simply trying to learn the campus, be on time to whatever is next on their schedule, and probably feel that they are experiencing multiple "firsts" every day of the week. In the midst of this unsettled state, it is always possible that some of what you are seeing or hearing is not what we are experiencing on our end, so do be in touch with your daughter's or son's advisor as things come up. We want to be as helpful as we can be.

 

We had a terrific opening day after beginning in Chapel on Friday of last week, and we enjoyed time together at our Saturday night beach party and Sunday afternoon field day activities this past weekend. After getting our feet wet with classes on Friday and Saturday morning, it was fun to enjoy some social time as we get to know one another better. I noted in Chapel that it is the arrival of your sons and daughters that brings the school to life and feeds the excitement we all feel. It was a lot of fun to see them relaxing and enjoying one another over the weekend.

 

The current week began with this year's senior prefect, Tamenang Choh, speaking in Chapel on Monday morning. He shared his own journey at Brooks with all of us, and reached some of our new students in ways that might resonate. It takes time to find one's footing at new places, and T's story gave all of us who are new and old at Brooks reason to look ahead confidently -- one step at a time, of course! We also enjoyed taking a day off during this first full week together to spend time within individual forms on trips and assorted activities. The Class of 2020 stayed on campus and split the day between some low ropes exercises and some mindfulness and inclusivity training. The Class of 2019 was at the Browne Center on the University of New Hampshire campus to do some low-to-medium-to-high rope adventure activities. The Class of 2018 went on a hike up Mount Monadnock on what turned out to be a perfect early fall day to be outdoors. Great views! And, the Class of 2017 ventured west to the Deerfield River and a day of white water rafting. Aside from the break and fun the day provided, it was a nice way for each class to have time to get acquainted and reacquainted with one another. ( Click here for pictures of the opening weekend and class trips.)

 

We have our first school meeting of the year today and a good part of this meeting is aimed at covering a lot of nuts-and-bolts issues that need attention. We are moving this year to a school meeting every other Friday in hopes of opening up the alternate Friday or clubs and other ad hoc meetings that our busy schedule does not always provide time for. We also hope that this will allow more time to do planning and programming for school meeting, which has become increasingly centered on students sharing talents, films, and initiatives with the community. To do this well requires time and thought. Ultimately, our goal is to improve the quality of the time we spend together in this setting.

 

For my part, I will speak to the purpose and tone we aim for when we are together as a whole school in school meeting. I will also cover the school's rules, disciplinary process, and the range of consequences one should expect when in violation of them. It is important to note that all of our rules exist to keep our students safe, and to position us to be able to take exceptionally good care of your daughters and sons. In this spirit, I will also spend some time on the school's policies and expectations for interpersonal student relationships. Our student handbook states: "The School does not endorse or condone sexually intimate activity among students and advocates postponing sexual intimacy until students are past adolescence." In emphasizing this position, I will also share Massachusetts law regarding sexual activity and consent in an effort to be as clear as possible about the issue. To be actively pursuing and promoting respectful and healthy relationships throughout the school is of paramount importance to us.

 

I will finish my school meeting thoughts with the introduction of the Hello Campaign, which is an attempt to kick off an active phase of saying hello to one another as we move further in the direction of knowing each other's names. I will continue my practice of awarding a $5 school store gift certificate to any student who asks me if I know his or her name and I fail to provide the correct answer. This will go live immediately following school meeting for all returning students, and I am a bit rusty on names at this time of year. For new students, I allow myself a one week grace period to take advantage of saying hello to everyone ahead of the Nametag Party in our home one week from tonight. For those unfamiliar with that event, we hold it each September for new students and school leaders. We all wear lots of nametags and work to expedite the process of getting to know one another. My grace period ends after this party and it is fair game for all students to ask me if I know who they are from that point forward. I will be studying the community directory as we go, and look forward to the challenge!

 

As this weekend takes hold, Kim and I are looking forward to our first open house of the year on Saturday evening -- in the midst of a whole series of fun weekend activities. We aim to have about one open house each month through the year, and enjoy some games, snacks, and Jimmy's calzones, which create a feeding frenzy at about 10 p.m. that is a sight to behold. After getting some rest, we will head into our first "normal" week of the year and begin to find some rhythm as we go. Our all-school picture is scheduled for Monday morning, weather permitting, and we will see a number of you here on campus at the end of the week between our Parents Committee meeting on Friday afternoon, and the launch of our Brooks Together effort that evening -- ahead of the Nametag Party beginning at 9 p.m. In between all of this excitement on Friday, we hope you will be able to visit The Robert Lehman Art Center here on campus in order to attend the opening of a show featuring the work of Georgina Ustik '12 and Annie McLoughlin '12 at 7 p.m.

 

I will spend some of the following week in New York at an admission reception hosted by Susan and Ace Crary, P'16, P'20, and an alumni event the following night. We will host our fall admission visit day on Saturday, October 1, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Wilder Dining Hall, and I want to thank all of you in advance for the help and support you provide as we get to know prospective students and families who are trying to learn as much as they can about the school.

 

I will be in touch again in early October. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me at any point. I am always glad to catch up.