Middle School Viewbook

Brimmer and May is a PK–12 all gender day school that upholds high academic standards while implementing innovative ideas in a supportive and student-centered community. We develop lifelong learners who are informed, engaged, and ethical citizens and leaders in our diverse world.

Inspired to Learn

We inspire students to be active learners, confident problem-solvers, and critical thinkers who work both independently and collaboratively.

to

We encourage students to engage their curiosity, expand their creativity, explore their interests, develop their voices, and strive for their personal best.

Empowered to Lead

We empower students to embrace opportunities, develop their intellect with character, and lead in the global community.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

THE BRIMMER ADVANTAGE

Ideal in Size and Scope

Brimmer is big on academic resources and offerings for students in PK to Grade 12: From core subjects to creative arts to social-emotional skill building. From interdisciplinary study of world cultures and languages to hands-on STEAM-related design and service learning. (Have you seen our Curriculum Guide?!)

Yet our smaller scale is perfect for fostering a sense of community and a culture of equity. Meaningful relationships enhance teaching and learning here. Our size is ideal for nurturing the intellectual development and personal potential of each student.

Our Middle School students benefit from a curriculum of fundamental skill building and active, hands-on learning experiences taught by dedicated middle school educators. Our approach does more than prepare students for high school–level work. It purposefully cultivates the kind of intellectual curiosity, engagement with global perspectives, and self-direction that positions them well to take advantage of the Upper School’s Signature Diploma Programs and other opportunities for specialized or in-depth study.

THE BRIMMER ADVANTAGE?

That’s about the size of it.

Grow in Every Way

Our students’ everyday experiences at school happen within a climate and culture designed to validate their individuality and help them become their best selves. Caring adults promote independence but provide support, academically and in every other way. Core Values underpin our community where—as diverse as we are—everyone has a sense of belonging. Brimmer proves every day that it’s possible to make students feel both safe and challenged at the exact same time.

Being in the middle of the Brimmer educational journey gives students key perspectives about their growth and their potential. They can look where they’ve been, see how they’ve progressed, and know they are de facto role models to younger students. They can also look forward and take inspiration from the Upper School’s exemplary scholars, artists, athletes, leaders, and good citizens. Brimmer’s Middle School is designed to provide adolescents with the academic and enrichment opportunities they need to become the people they want to be.

ENGAGED

Whether

into an in-depth

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

Putting It All Together

Our students do indeed develop discipline-specific strengths, such as completing Algebra I and either French I, Mandarin I, or Spanish I before ninth grade. But with an emphasis on educating global citizens, we help students construct a holistic, sophisticated view of their world and the achievements and inequities of historical and modern societies. Our integrated science curriculum of physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science relates to

real-world issues and to societies studied in the interdisciplinary humanities curriculum. In those courses, students examine, read, write, and create individual projects about ancient and modern civilizations, dovetailing with arts classes that explore these same cultures through art, music, and drama. Our global world is a mosaic. Piece by piece, Brimmer students develop a coherent picture.

A Message from Head of School Judith Guild

A good education provides foundational knowledge.

A great education develops critical skills, strengthening students’ sense of competence and shaping their aspirations.

Two hallmarks of a Brimmer education do just this.

Exhibitions of Knowledge, which are culminating events for units of study, demonstrate that our students know how to gather, process, and synthesize information, work independently, and share their

knowledge through visual, written, and oral communication. Additionally, our integration of STEAM and creative design into every grade level’s curriculum ensures that our students can apply knowledge, work collaboratively, and use creative and practical problem-solving strategies. Both of these Brimmer traditions confer transferable skills that prepare our students for challenging work in high school and beyond.

Brimmer students know that to find out whether your hypothesis is correct, whether you like drawing, or whether you can score a soccer goal, you just have to be open to trying.

LEARN EVERYWHERE

Yes, This Is School

Imagine shaking up the regular schedule for a full week of fieldwork, guest speakers, and service activities related to the theme of global citizenship. Or imagine spending one whole day immersed in the arts, and the next in robotics research and engineering challenges. We concoct such adventures every year for Exploration Week. While the seventh grade goes to Washington, D.C.— a

culmination of their study of American history and civics— the rest of the Middle School gets out to tap our area’s arts, science, business, and community resources. Grounded in our philosophy of offering the widest possible range of experiences that catalyze learning, Exploration Week is a highlight of the school year.

DO EVERYTHING

Boatloads of Opportunities

To be, or not to be, an athlete/ artist/enthusiast of some sort… At Brimmer, it’s not even a question! Our activities schedule is designed to eliminate conflicts—meaning students can be everything. Our interscholastic sports teams have different levels to ensure everyone gets to play. And if students love flexing their creative muscles in visual and performing arts classes, they

can join the cast or crew of an extracurricular dramatic production or take individual lessons through the After School Music Program. What’s more, students can participate in the Photography Club, the Math Club, the Creative Technology Club, or another group to explore an interest, make friends, and perhaps discover a lifelong passion.

WE BELIEVE IN OUR STUDENTS FROM THE START. OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTICE LEADERSHIP HERE PROMPT THEM TO BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES.

CONFIDENT

Yes, you can grow confidence in a lab—or a classroom or a theater or a ropes course. We do it by introducing challenges within a caring community in which every student is known and supported.

A CARING COMMUNITY

On a Personal Level

No one should have to navigate the quagmires, quandaries, and questions of life as 21st century adolescent by themselves. Brimmer students don’t. Positive relationships with adults and peers create a culture of acceptance and a platform of support. At the center is each student’s advisor, the go-to adult they can seek out for guidance and input, and their small

advisory group, which meets weekly in an atmosphere of kindness and trust. Required Growth Education courses build upon this foundation, helping students develop the critical reasoning and ethical thinking skills to be responsible decision makers. At Brimmer we’re invested in knowing and growing our students, both as learners and as people.

It All Adds Up

Every Middle School grade level has its culminating experiences. The eighth grade has two that showcase students’ ability to form thoughtful opinions and take meaningful action. One is Inspirations, a reflective exercise and a formal speech through which each student works with a faculty member to develop an eight-minute presentation about a person, group, or movement that is a

source of inspiration. The other is the Independent Service Project. With guidance from a faculty advisor, students set up and complete an eight-hour individual service initiative, keeping a journal of their efforts, and preparing a presentation about it. Able to think, speak, and act for themselves, eighth graders demonstrate they are ready to launch.

“ONE OF BRIMMER’S MANY STRENGTHS LIES IN THE QUALITY OF ITS TEACHERS AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT INDIVIDUALIZES ITS APPROACH WITH ITS STUDENTS.” MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT

© Design: Peapod Design, Norwalk, CT

Leslie Virostek

Peapod Design and David Barron