April 30, 2013

 

Dear Parents,

 

As we get ready to turn our calendars to May, I am pleased to report that spring is taking hold of the campus with trees starting to pop, vibrant colors emerging at every turn, and winter weather feeling increasingly distant with each passing day. This is welcome news for all of us and adds to the excitement and spirit that will be in the air during the five weeks or so that stand between us and the end of the year.

 

A look back and a look ahead at this halfway point in the spring underline the busy pace we keep at this time of year. When I was last in touch, we were on the verge of a terrific "Relay for Life" held in the Athletic Center, and the Coffee House was still not open. In the former case, the relay raised an amazing $24,000 for the American Cancer Society! Beyond this fundraising feat, however, the spirit and energy of so many students and faculty members that evening was fun to be a part of. In the latter case, a substantially improved and nicely appointed Coffee House reopened, and we seem on track to finish the current year with a much better sense of how to use that space well. Longer-term questions about the Coffee House and other community spaces do remain, yet I am pleased we have made such progress in the past few weeks.

 

I also noted that our Emergency Response Team was planning an attendance drill for the entire school shortly after I was last in touch. This drill went off as scheduled, and we were pleased with the manner in which everyone at school communicated their whereabouts in modes that were spelled out ahead of time. We knew that accounting for everyone on and off this campus at a particular point in the day would be a challenge, and we learned a great deal about how we might improve this protocol going forward. A subsequent drill with a few more variables in play will be the next step in this effort to continually improve our practice.

 

Our Grandparents Day was great fun for all who attended. I was glad to meet a number of our guests during a reception in our home that afternoon, and the weather cooperated enough for some outdoor activity along the way. That evening, we welcomed "Mountain Film in Telluride" to campus and enjoyed a series of wonderful films brought to the school by Clara Brown '14, and her passion for this annual celebration of inspiring films. We were treated to award winning films that covered environmental matters, human triumphs of all kinds, and some extraordinary skiing! This was a fantastic evening for all who attended.

 

I was sorry to miss our Cum Laude induction ceremony on Wednesday of this past week due to travel commitments that had me in Atlanta and New York. This special ceremony is an important celebration of academic excellence at Brooks and this year's speaker, World Languages Department Head Deb Davies, used her love of Homer as a way into a talk about all she has learned and continues to learn by studying, teaching, and pursuing a life of the mind. If, like me, you missed the live version of this talk, you can have a look at the video HERE.

 

While traveling, I was pleased to visit with past, current, and incoming parents, along with a number of alumni and alumnae. In addition, we held a couple of different meetings in anticipation of the full Board of Trustees being on campus in May. A highlight of this trip, however, was an evening hosted by Ashley and Jason Bernhard P'15 with a wonderful mix of graduates, parents, and faculty members in attendance to share and celebrate the school with some who are not living this school's life in the way that we are. The highlight within this highlight was Georgina Ustik '12, who spoke about her Brooks experience with nearly one full year at Barnard College in New York now under her belt. I cannot imagine a stronger testament to the value of a Brooks School education than what Georgina shared that evening.

 

I appreciated the replies I received from some of you during the surreal events following the Boston Marathon bombings. We were fortunate to be some distance from the events themselves, yet felt the impact of these unspeakable acts in profound ways. My sense is that our students -- your sons and daughters -- have found helpful conversations where needed and are moving forward as we all must. Yet, I would be remiss if I did not point out my pride in the ways in which this school community processed acts we will never fully understand. We will aim to stay in touch and on top of any lingering effects felt on campus.

 

More recently, we inducted the class of 2013 into the Alumni Association during dinner this past Friday night with all sorts of confidence in the young men and women they will be on college campuses next fall and beyond. With more alumni and alumnae (including some current parents) in attendance than I can remember, the heart of the evening's message was delivered by Jay Scully '05, who challenged the class to be among those who make service and giving to others a priority in their lives. Jay is a graduate of the Naval Academy and has practiced what he preached since his graduation from Brooks. We all hope for great things for this nearly graduated class of 2013, and Jay's challenge was timely and inspiring for all of us in the Frick Dining Hall that evening.

 

Later that night, with Senior Prefect Ani Bilazarian '13 and fellow school prefects leading the way, we invited the Class of 2014 into my home for an evening of questions and discussion about the school prefect selection process and how this will work over the next month. Candidly, I was not sure how many students would come, but we had about half the class in attendance and so many good questions in circulation. I finished the night excited about the class of 2014 and appreciative of the commitment Ani and this year's school prefects are making to cultivate leadership in a school they will not be attending next year -- very much in line with Jay Scully's emphasis on selflessness and service.

 

Finally, I joined a few colleagues and hundreds of students at the prom Sunday evening at the Haverhill Country Club. While I cannot claim that formal dances were necessarily my preferred way to spend an evening when I was younger, I can claim with lots of evidence in hand that all who attended had a great time. Student Government President Daniel Smith '13 and many others pulled together a wonderful event, with Director of Student Activities Deanna Stuart supporting and moving the event along at every turn. It was fun to see the kids having so much fun.

 

I will plan to be in touch again in the middle of May with advanced placement exams and board meetings here on campus all behind us and Prize Day that much closer. Until then, take good care and please feel free to be in touch at any point.

   

John R. Packard

Head of School