Brooks Bulletin, Fall 2024

B BROOKS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

President John R. Barker ’87, P’21, P’23

Wellesley, Mass.

Vice Presidents

Cristina E. Antelo ’95 Washington, D.C.

Charles F. Cornish ’06 Sudbury, Mass.

Secretary Phillip W. Field ’05 Boston, Mass.

Treasurer Valentine Hollingsworth III ’72, P’17 Dover, Mass.

Former United States

Congressman Rob Simmons ’61 now spends his days working on his family farm in his hometown of Stonington, Connecticut.

Please turn to page 64 to read a profile of Simmons’ remarkable career in public service.

TRUSTEES

Peter J. Caldwell

Providence, R.I.

Catalina Dib P’25, P’26

Boston, Mass.

Peter V.K. Doyle ’69 Sherborn, Mass.

Cheryl M. Duckworth P’22, P’23

Lynnfield, Mass.

Anthony H. Everets ’93 New York, N.Y.

Julia Saltonstall Haley ’88, P’25

South Hamilton, Mass.

Paul L. Hallingby ’65 New York, N.Y.

Kevin R. Hendrickson ’04, P’24, P’28 North Andover, Mass.

Monique Y. Johnson P’24, P’26 North Andover, Mass.

Booth D. Kyle ’89 Annapolis, Md.

Diana Merriam P’08, P’11 Boxford, Mass.

Sally T. Milliken ’88, P’22, P’24, P’27

Byfield, Mass.

Sunit Mukherjee P’15, P’22 North Andover, Mass.

John R. Packard Jr. P’18, P’21 Head of School North Andover, Mass.

Russell T. Pyle ’87, P’25

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Vivek Sharma P’24

Boston, Mass.

Isabella Speakman Timon ’92, P’26

Gulf Stream, Fla.

Alessandro F. Uzielli ’85

New York, N.Y.

Meredith M. Verdone ’81, P’19 Newton Center, Mass.

Christopher T. Wood ’85 Los Angeles, Calif.

ALUMNI TRUSTEES

Matthew Nash ’14

Dover, N.H.

Aron Xie ’15

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

TRUSTEES EMERITI

William N. Booth ’67, P’05

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Henry M. Buhl ’48

New York, N.Y.

Steve Forbes ’66, P’91

Bedminster, N.J.

Steven R. Gorham ’85, P’17, P’21

Ipswich, Mass.

H. Anthony Ittleson ’56, P’84, P’86

Green Pond, S.C.

Michael B. Keating ’58, P’97 Boston, Mass.

Frank A. Kissel ’69, P’96, P’99 Far Hills, N.J.

Peter A. Nadosy ’64 New York, N.Y.

Eleanor R. Seaman P’86, P’88, P’91, GP’18 Hobe Sound, Fla.

David R. Williams III ’67 Beverly Farms, Mass.

Head of School

John R. Packard Jr. P’18, P’21

Acting Head of School

Nina Freeman

Director of Institutional Advancement

Gage S. Dobbins P’22, P’23

Director of Alumni and Family Programs

Sara Bird

Director of Family Engagement and Giving

Mary Merrill

Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Bini W. Egertson P’12, P’15

Director of Communications and Marketing

Kate Moran

Director of Print Communications

Rebecca A. Binder

Design Aldeia

www.aldeia.design

Alumni Communications Manager

Emily Williams

Director of Digital Communications

Jennifer O’Neill

Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and not necessarily of Brooks School.

Correspondence concerning the Bulletin should be sent to Editor Rebecca A. Binder:

mail

Editor, Brooks Bulletin 1160 Great Pond Road North Andover, MA 01845 email rbinder@brooksschool.org

©

Celebrating Connection

This year’s Impact Report details the ways in which your philanthropic support of Brooks School allows students, faculty and our community to connect and engage in a meaningful educational experience.

30 Expanding a Signature Program

The school’s signature Students on the Forefront program, which previously focused on placing Brooksians in summer experiences across the sciences, expanded to also include experiences in the arts, government, advocacy and more. This year’s student participants shared the highlights of their summers.

38 Teaching the Election

Brooks approached the 2024 United States election cycle as a chance to educate students on the issues that matter to them, motivate them to learn more about the election process itself, and excite them to vote — and dozens of Brooks students voted for the first time.

A Reflection

My experience as acting head of school over the past six months was transformational for me and it was filled with joy, reflection and opportunity. I treasured the opportunity to see all areas of the school from a new perspective, and I thank you all for the care you showed to me and to Brooks. I most appreciated being able to connect with students and community members in more nuanced ways while exploring the roots that extend well beyond Great Pond Road and continue to nourish life-long relationships. I had the chance to meet so many of you and listen to your stories and reminiscences about your time at Brooks.

One of the highlights of the role was having the opportunity to travel and meet alumni, parents and former faculty members. They spoke honestly and openly with me in a way that deepened my understanding of our history. In all the stories I heard, there were lessons learned and a desire and call for the school to adapt and make changes to best support our student experience. I hold close the idea that these conversations came from a collective love of the

A Note From John Packard

school and the desire that we continue to evolve to support the next generation of students and leaders, while preserving the essence of the Brooks that so many know and love. I will take all of this with me as I return to my role as assistant head and cannot thank you enough for your openness and warm reception over the last several months.

We opened the year with “Integrity” as our theme, which is one of our core school values. We were able to navigate the election season and cellphone/ smartwatch policy rollout smoothly and with positive gains. With the addition of stellar Chapel speeches given by alumni that spanned four decades, our students had the opportunity to hear from people who once walked the same hallways as they and have since embarked on incredible and meaningful careers that will resonate with and inspire our students for years to come. Student-led conversations and programming around the election, ongoing work in affinity groups, afternoon activities and stellar academic courses continue to anchor our student voices and experience as they embrace

their identities, histories and unique perspectives. I am incredibly grateful for the commitment to integrity that each community member brought to campus this last semester and I’m certain will carry into the next.

When I accepted the opportunity to work at Brooks, I was immediately drawn to the mission, values and people. It was a joy to carry these forward, and it provided me with a deeper appreciation and respect for what John Packard has done for almost two decades at Brooks as head of school. I’m even more grateful that he trusted me with the responsibility of stewarding the school in his absence. As we welcome John back to campus, I will enjoy processing, reflecting and leading with a renewed sense of inspiration and purpose. Thank you!

As I return to campus and all that has been going so well at our school this year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement. I cannot thank our board of trustees enough for allowing me to step away from the day-to-day of Brooks life in order to pursue some experiences and adventures that will be with me for the rest of my life. The time, dedication and support our trustees share with the school never ceases to amaze me, and I am looking forward to digging into the work ahead with all of them. I also cannot thank Nina Freeman enough for so ably and seamlessly stepping into the acting head of school role she has held and fulfilled flawlessly. As those of you who have spent time with Nina this fall and early winter will surely attest, she is a consummate educator, exceptional leader and person, and always centers her work on putting students first. We are incredibly fortunate to have her at Brooks and I am excited about working with her in new ways as she resumes her role as assistant head of school.

My time away began with immersive experiences with educational and nonprofit leaders from all over the world that filled me with inspiration, motivation and an even deeper belief in our school’s mission. From there, and with additional thanks to my wife, Kim ’87, who rearranged her own professional life and commitments in order to accommodate the latitude I enjoyed over these past six months, we were able to travel from Maine to Florida and from Montana to New Mexico at different points in time. Our children, Kate ’18 and Elizabeth ’21, joined us along the way and I don’t know that I can put into words how extraordinary it was to visit and see so many beautiful places together. The five weeks Kim and I spent in this country’s Mountain Time Zone were especially memorable, with postcard views around every corner and too many wonderful experiences to count. I return to campus eager to hit the ground running and do all we can to position the school to run into its second century, confident anything we imagine is within reach. I look forward to seeing all of you as 2025 takes hold.

Women’s health nurse practitioner and Georgetown University professor Dr. Evelyn Addo-Wallace ’98 (pictured here, left, with Acting Head of School Nina Freeman). Addo-Wallace visited campus in November in conjunction with this year’s All-Community Read, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot. The book recounts the story of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells — now known as “HeLa” cells — were taken without her knowledge or consent during cancer treatment in 1951.

Addo-Wallace addressed the full student and faculty body in a Friday evening presentation in Ashburn Chapel. While on campus, she also met with members of the school’s affinity groups to discuss her experience as a student of color at Brooks in the 1990s. AddoWallace’s chapel talk was titled “The Great Unlearn: Confronting the History of Racism in Medicine,” and it addressed several examples of racism in healthcare and the multitude of health disparities that exist as a result. “We have to understand how disparities exist because of these injustices that we see in history,” she said. “These are the foundations of what we need to be talking about today.”

Cellphone Policy Introduced

Brooks School put an “away for the day” cellphone and smartwatch policy in place this fall that supports students in their desire to interact with each other, engage in the campus around them and break free from the addictive and deleterious pull of social media. All-school speaker Max Stossel from The Social Awakening engaged the faculty, students and a group of parents over Family Weekend to further educate the community on the positive effects of the policy.

THE CELLPHONE AND SMARTWATCH POLICY

• Students are not permitted to have cellphones or smartwatches with them during the academic day

• Third- and fourth-form boarding students must check their cellphones in with their dorm parent during study hall

The data is clear across the board: Cellphones, smartwatches and other similar technology create a huge distraction for students. In addition, social media has been shown to have negative effects on the mental health and self-esteem of teenagers. Brooks responded to these concerns, which have been gaining ground in high schools across the country, by putting into place a cellphone and smartwatch policy this summer. Students are no longer permitted to have cellphones with them or wear smartwatches during the academic day. And, boarding third- and fourthformers are asked to check their devices in with the dorm parent on duty during nightly study hall.

The policy, drafted by a faculty committee led by Chair of the History Department Michele Musto P’26 this summer, followed a spring of Director of Student Affairs Ingrid Knowles receiving data from Brooks students via a survey and opportunities for students to voice their opinions. “The students I spoke with actually like it,” Knowles says. “They were like, ‘Look around. People are talking to each other.’”

The purpose of the policy is to support student health, increase student engagement, decrease distractions and foster community. The exceptions to the policy are few and carefully considered:

A handful of students are permitted to keep cellphones with them for medical reasons, and students who leave campus during the day must have their cellphones with them for the purposes of emergency contact.

“The goals of the committee were to try and build community,” says Musto. “That’s part of why we made the policy in effect the entire day, so that in those in between moments students would interact with each other instead of being on their phones. That was the overriding philosophy.”

While the cellphone policy is still new, early returns are clear: It’s given students

space to engage with each other, enjoy the tangible world around them, and stop devoting as much mental space to their digital profiles and constant social media streams. “I realize that it’s not the amount of time that I’m spending on my phone that matters; it’s the apps and the things that I’m doing on my phone. I’m thinking about how I should prioritize things that make me feel happy and not those that make me feel bad,” says Catherine Casey ’25. It’s also helped students stay focused in class and supported teachers in implementing new ways to engage with their students. Current parent Cindy Kuechle P’26 agrees. “Max

Stossel’s presentation was incredibly engaging and informative for students and parents alike,” she says. “He offered concrete evidence of how social media is both positively and negatively impacting various aspects of our lives, and how putting the phone away for the day helps to promote enhanced communication, socializing amongst peers and overall mental health, among a few.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information and advice on how to survive and thrive in the digital world, please visit www.socialawakening.org.

BY

THE NUMBERS

The school surveyed the faculty in early October to receive feedback on the Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy. The results were overwhelmingly positive:

100% of faculty report that the policy has been effective in increasing student engagement

98% of faculty report that the policy has been effective in decreasing distractions

96% of faculty report that the policy has been effective in strengthening community

98% of faculty report improvement in student behavior and engagement

Faculty perceive that 71% of students have responded positively to the policy

93% of faculty believe the policy should continue in its current form

Brooks students engaging without their devices.

Introducing the New Faculty

Eight dynamic educators with a variety of perspectives and past experience started at Brooks this fall.

Ulises Alaniz joins the world languages department as a Spanish teacher. Alaniz is a native of Nicaragua, and he has taught language for 17 years. He spent seven years at the English Access Program, a micro-scholarship program funded by the United States Department of State that provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged students in their home countries. The program, according to its literature, prepares students for jobs and potential study opportunities in the United States. When Alaniz is not teaching, writing poetry or doing literary translation, he enjoys dancing and working out.

Jenny Carroll joins the mathematics department following 15 years at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, where she taught, served as a form dean, dorm parent and girls cross-country and lacrosse team coach. Carroll was named Delaware Coach of the Year for cross-country in 2015 and led the program to its first state championship in 2022. Carroll was also named the Delaware Coach of the Year for lacrosse in 2012. A student-athlete herself, Carroll ran cross-country and played lacrosse at Hamilton College. She captained the 2008 NCAA national champion lacrosse team and earned All-America honors. Carroll went on to earn a master’s degree from Dartmouth College. At Brooks, she lives on campus in Hettinger West with her husband, new faculty Matt Carroll ’05; their children Finnegan, Teagan and Jack; and two dogs, Mick and Maggie.

Matt Carroll ’05 returns to Brooks as associate director of admission, alumni relations officer and the head coach of the boys 1st soccer team. A Brooks graduate, Carroll spent 15 years at St. Andrew’s School in admission, as director of athletics, director of residential life, history teacher and dean of students as well as academics. Carroll received both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Dartmouth College. He was also soccer captain and an All-Ivy League Team selection as an undergraduate.

Kelly Moroco joins the mathematics department and the Learning Center team. For the past decade, she has taught in the Boston area and in New York City, focusing on mathematics and special education. She went to college at the University of WisconsinMadison, where she studied Chinese and East Asian Studies before joining Teach for America. Moroco earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Boston University. She lives on campus in

P.B.A. Hall with her son, Michael Angelo, and husband, Mike, and enjoys coaching basketball and crew.

Maia Peele is on campus this year as a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) field education fellow. She is currently a master’s degree candidate at Harvard University and recently earned her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College. At Brooks, Peele will work within the DEIB office and collaborate with affinity groups, Self in Community classes and the school’s elective course in the English department, “Race and Literacy.”

John Slefinger joins the English department after teaching English and history for 15 years. He earned a doctorate from The Ohio State University and then taught at Derryfield School. When he’s not teaching or “nerding out,” according to him, on Chaucer, Slefinger spends his time off campus drawing with his young son, playing rugby and hunting for new board games.

Amo Weld joins Brooks as a member of the Learning Center team and a Self in Community teacher. A graduate of Blair Academy, Weld has an undergraduate degree from Elon University and a master’s degree from Gonzaga University. He spent six years working at boarding schools, including Hebron Academy in Maine, where he served as assistant athletic director, academic guidance teacher and coach. He took the Hebron boys basketball program from a winless record in 2023 to a NEPSAC tournament appearance in 2024. Weld lives on campus in Whitney House with his girlfriend, girls 1st field hockey coach Hannah Southard, and their dogs, Alfie and Mia.

Allison Wilner ’01 returns to Brooks as a member of both the English department and the world languages department, in which she will teach Latin. She graduated from Brooks and Davidson College, and then founded an arts and writing program for high school students in Brooklyn and discovered her love for teaching. Wilner then taught English in New York City public schools, earned a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and served as the director of curriculum and instruction at a college access nonprofit. She is excited to return to her roots as a teacher at Brooks. Wilner lives on campus in Merriman House and enjoys yoga, meditation, writing, photography, painting and spending time in nature.

Heard On Campus

Brooks students had the opportunity to workshop with Berklee College of Music a cappella group Upper Structure on October 12. The hour-long event saw Brooksians breaking into vocal part groups to learn the song “Fishbowl” by Alessia Cara under the instruction of the Berklee singers. Then, the group gathered back together to sing the complete work together.

“This event was a cool opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn more from some of the best in the business about how a cappella arrangements and performances are put together, and how each individual part has a specific role that contributes meaningfully to the whole,” says Director of Music Michael Bruschi, who organized the event. “The absolute highlight for me was seeing the looks on students’ faces when we sang through the arrangement as a large group at the end. I think a lot of people surprised themselves with how quickly they got the hang of their part and how great we sounded all together!”

A group of football players attended the workshop and came away excited about the presence of singing in their lives. “I loved the opportunity to do something different,” says Caleb Hatch ’26. “As a football player, you wouldn’t really picture me coming down here to sing, but I did it! And, I had a fun time doing it.” Noah Humphrey ’27 had similar thoughts: “I had an absolutely wonderful time here tonight,” he says. “I learned a lot. I never thought I would be at something like this, but I had a great time and I’m ready to come back if I can. I hope we do more events like this.”

“I never thought I would be at something like this, but I had a great time and I’m ready to come back if I can.”

Noah Humphrey ’27

Ranking Scholars

Brooks recognized last year’s ranking scholars in a September gathering. These students achieved the highest grade point averages in their respective forms last year. The Prize for Prima indicates the highest grade point average across the school: Third Form Prize: Jimmy Nagle ’27, Fourth Form Prize: Emma Nagle ’26, Fifth Form Prize: Serena Trojer ’25, Sixth Form Prize and Prize for Prima: Sonakshi Ghosal Gupta ’24. Congratulations to these excellent students and community members!

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

Brooks offers a full slate of weekend activities that give students a chance to socialize, have fun, connect and relax. Here’s a sampling of what the school has offered this fall:

Main Street Block Party featuring art, games, food, music, pumpkins and a bounce house.

Spa Night Alianza Latinasponsored

Halloween Dance

Boathouse Bash featuring yard games, firepits, a cookout and an underwaterthemed dance

Screamfest at Canobie Lake Park

On-Campus movie showings in the theater

Sunday morning coffee trips

Open gym

Trips to Assembly Row (Somerville, Massachusetts), Lynnfied Market, local restaurants and eateries, Kimball Farm, Dave & Busters, and Topsfield Fair

Patriots watch parties

From left to right: Jimmy Nagle, Emma Nagle and Serena Trojer following the awarding of the ranking scholar designations. Sixth Form Prize and Prize for Prima winner Sonakshi Ghosal Gupta graduated in May 2024 and currently attends Dartmouth College.

A group of Brooks singers learning and rehearsing their vocal part with singers from the Berklee College of Music a cappella group “Upper Structure.”

MID-AUTUMN Festival

The Asian Student Alliance hosted a late-September MidAutumn Festival event that brought scores of students to the lower level of the Science Atrium to sample mooncakes, mochi and classic Asian snacks like pocky. The group also served boba. The festival, which is traditional in Chinese culture, is held when the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with the autumn harvest. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and similar festivals are celebrated across East and Southeast Asia. Mooncakes, a rich pastry, are traditionally eaten during this festival.

IN THE LEHMAN

A Full Fall Season

The Robert Lehman Art Center hosted three wonderful exhibitions in the Lehman Gallery space this fall. First, Christopher Isles ’77 showed his ceramics in the exhibit called “Passion for Pottery” in September. Isles meshes together functionality and design while drawing inspiration from traditional and contemporary Japanese, Korean and Chinese design. His work, he says, reflects the acceptance of transience and imperfection; ceramics can break and are imperfect, and the creative process involves a delicate balance of taking control and letting go.

The Arts in Progress student exhibition took over the space from Family Weekend to Thanksgiving. This collaborative exhibit showcased work in progress from more than 150 students exploring the themes of integrity and passion. Finally, Winter Term visiting artist Hannah Latham ’17 brought her “Bring Me a Dream” photography exhibition to the Lehman in December. Latham currently teaches photography at Noble and Greenough School, and her work investigates themes of memory, family, patriotism and the environment.

The Lehman Gallery “Arts in Progress” exhibition included this piece by Francesca Maitino ’25 titled “Tiger in the Tub?”

Making Fetch (and Kindness) Happen

The limit did not exist for this year’s fall musical,” Mean Girls High School Version.”

The three-night November run of the musical version of the iconic movie packed the Center for the Arts and let the stars of the Brooks stage shine once again.

Comedian and writer of the 2004 hit film Tina Fey also wrote the book for “Mean Girls High School Version.” The musical, which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards during its Broadway run, is adapted from the film. It follows the story of high school student Cady Heron, who grew up on an African savanna and is unprepared for the social dynamics of her new home: suburban Illinois. The naive newcomer rises to the top of the high school pecking order by taking on The Plastics, three uber-popular girls led by the ruthless Regina George. When Cady and her friends plot to end Regina’s reign over their school, they learn the hard way that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Fey says in the musical’s production notes that she set out to write “truthfully and with humor about relational aggression among girls. I hoped that if we could recognize this behavior in ourselves, and laugh about it, it would be easier to stop doing it.”

“Spoiler alert: I did not fix the world!” Fey continues. “But I still believe that this story can help us cope through humor, and also now through singing.”

Emilie Pratt ’25 played Karen, one of The Plastics, and says that while she had grown up watching the movie, she had never thought before about how the plot translates to her own life. “With everything that goes on in our lives, we rarely get the chance to step back and think about why others behave a certain way,” she says. “So many students have their own insecurities and problems that are known only to themselves.”

THE KINDNESS CAMPAIGN

To accompany the musical run, Director of Theatre Meghan Hill organized a “Kindness Campaign” that allowed the entire school to display a culture of kindness at Brooks. For example, the community filled up a wall outside the theater with notes of kindness to each other, painted kindness rocks at a seated lunch and engaged in a week of daily kindness challenges. “The Kindness Campaign really helped people remember that they are loved within this community,” cast member Emilie Pratt ’25 says. “The [kindness wall] brought joy to the whole school.”

“Mean Girls High School Version” enjoyed a stellar three-night run at Brooks in November.

Fast 5 // Q+A

Sixth-former Maddy Byrnes ’25 has been engaged in the performing and musical arts at Brooks since she arrived on campus, and now she’s pursuing a professional recording artist career. Along the way, she’s found support, help and expertise from her classmates, teachers and friends. The Bulletin asked Byrnes about her rise.

1What have you accomplished in your music career? I have nine songs out. I have a bunch I haven’t dropped yet that I’m kind of sitting on, waiting for the right moment while I try to get traction on social media. I have one EP out called “Soul Tied” that has five songs on it, and I also dropped a single in July and a single in September. My producer is someone I know from the school I attended before Brooks, and he’s produced some pretty big songs for some well-known artists. I dropped a single in October produced by Synthetic, who has also worked with Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Ferg and Ice Spice, and another single on Thanksgiving.

2

How did you start writing music? I wrote a lot of music when I was younger, but I never really tried to record it. I would just play chords on piano and write lyrics, or I would just listen to YouTube beats and make things up. Last year, I wrote an entire song to a YouTube beat that I thought was pretty good. My friend, Cheng Zhuang ’25, knows how to use the recording software Logic Pro, and he said we should try to record it. So we did, and then we decided to create an independent afternoon activity and really lock in to create the EP. I record all of my music on my

“ I also love Brooks when a lot of people from my dorm all hang out in one room together.

My sister Lilly

Byrnes ’27 is in my dorm this year, and sometimes she’ll be there too. It’s just a big mix of people that maybe you wouldn’t expect.”

own in my dorm room in Thorne House. I have a setup with a microphone, and I’m learning how to make beats. My producer is showing me how to mix vocals.

3

How do you describe your sound? My core influences are Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. They’re amazing. And for personality, style and just fun, I look to Nicki Minaj, Tyla, SZA and, of course, Janelle Monáe. I love them. My songs “Hold Tight” and “I Know” are my favorites because they’re danceable and you can put them on and vibe to them. “Hold Tight” has the prettiest bridge; [Music Faculty] Dr. Bruschi, who supervised our independent, helped us with that! All my friends have also been really supportive. They’re excited when I get new beats from a producer, and they were all proud of me when I got a bunch of viewers on TikTok live.

4

What’s been your most fulfilling performance experience at Brooks? Being in “SIX: Teen Edition” last year was really cool. It was the most fun because it was a small group, and we got to be a little more focused. I also love Brooks when a lot of people from my dorm all hang out in one room together. My sister Lilly Byrnes ’27 is in my dorm this year, and sometimes she’ll be there too. It’s just a big mix of people that maybe you wouldn’t expect. I also love long dining hall talks when there’s a group of people at the table and we just talk for two hours. That’s the best. I really value connections with all kinds of people.

5

What’s next for you? We’re going to keep dropping singles once or twice a month, and keep promoting all of my music. And I think when I get to 10,000 followers on social media, we’re going to do an album. If you want it to be successful, you need to kind of find your audience.

New Trustees Join Board

The school welcomes three new leaders to the board of trustees.

Russell Pyle ’87, P’25 has spent his career working with high growth private technology companies. Since 2007, he has been a general partner at Guidepost Growth Equity, which currently manages more than $1 billion and invests in privately held technology companies. Previously, he held investment roles at M/C Partners and TA Associates and started his career at Alex. Brown & Sons.

Pyle currently is the treasurer of The County Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Previously, he served as the chair of the board at The Chestnut Hill School and on the building committee at the Church of the Redeemer. He also has officially retired from coaching youth hockey and soccer. Pyle and his wife, Zibby, have four sons, including Tom, who is a member of the class of 2025. Pyle came to Brooks in the fall of 1983 and followed in the footsteps of his father, Charlie ’42, and brothers Charlie ’70 and Stuart ’85. At Brooks, he played on the soccer, hockey and lacrosse teams, was head tour guide, a Chapel prefect and dorm prefect in Blake House.

Monique Nangle Johnson P’24, P’26 spent years in the pharmaceutical industry. She then redirected her skills to sales and marketing, while also reconnecting with her love of design and textiles, and launched Monx Design House in 2009. Monx Design House is a boutique event marketing and production firm creating live event experiences that align with its client’s marketing strategy, goals, expectations and beyond.

The arts and education spaces have long intrigued Johnson, and she has served as a board member with the Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra, Northshore Women for Hope (focused primarily on Esperanza Academy) and the Pike School. She has served on numerous event committees to support the arts and education at Esperanza Academy, A Better Chance Andover and the Pike School. Both Johnson and her husband, Norbert, are happy to have two Brooksians in the family: daughter Olivia ’24 and son Lorenzo ’26. From the sports fields to the boathouse and everything in between, they find themselves at Brooks often. When they do have free time, they enjoy traveling and the outdoors.

Aron Xie ’15 is currently an associate at Goldman Sachs’ TMT Investment Banking Division, where he advises clients with capital raising and large, complex financial transactions. He studied economics and business at Cornell University. Xie was president of the Asian American Association at Brooks, and also engaged with the school’s crew and cross-country programs. His brother, Kevin, is a member of the class of 2027.

Maddy Byrnes ’25 as Catherine of Aragon in last spring’s production of “SIX: Teen Edition.”

These Brooks students took their talents to the side of the garages located between Hettinger West and Peabody House this fall. They transformed the blank space into a display of Brooks pride that radiates over the school’s central playing fields.

Family Weekend

Loved ones enjoyed an October weekend of miniclasses, performances, a Friday night under the lights football game and a glimpse into the day-to-day Brooks student experience.

01. From left to right: Sophie Broussard ’25, Frankie Maitino ’25 and Maile Lung ’26 at the Friday night football game. 02. Serena Trojer ’25 (left) in class with her mother, Johanna Trojer. 03. Acting Head of School Nina Freeman (center) meets with parents, including, shown here, Alex and Lucinda Vanderweil P’27. 04. Football player Peyton Dahmen ’25 pulled double duty on Friday night, hopping in to join advanced rock band at its halftime show before running back to the field to rejoin his team. 05. Students cheer Brooks on at the Friday night football game. 06. The Brooks School chorus performs at a Family Weekend performing arts review. 07. Monique Johnson P’24, P’26 (left) looks on as Lorenzo Johnson ’26 (center) and Trokon Harris ’26 work together in a class session. 08. Mary Adams ’25 and the 1st field hockey team played in front of a home crowd on Family Weekend.

HEARD IN CHAPEL

“A piece of advice I would give you all, in whatever your endeavors may be, is to surround yourself with other people who are better than you. I really think that’s one of the most effective pathways to self-improvement.”

Olympic bronze medalist Henry Hollingsworth ’17, speaking in Ashburn Chapel on October 21. Hollingsworth was a member of the United States men’s crew team in Paris. After delivering his speech, receiving a standing ovation and greeting every member of the Brooks community as they left the chapel, Hollingsworth reflected that “it’s pretty amazing seeing all the bright and shiny faces at the school and shaking everybody’s hand. It was definitely cool, and it was great to be back in Chapel.”

MFA TRIP

The third form spent a day at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in November. The cross-curricular trip was sponsored by the arts, English and history departments with a goal of encouraging collaborative thinking. The form split up into small groups to tour the museum and then explored the exhibits before returning to Brooks.

Left: Henry Hollingsworth ’17 addressing the Ashburn Chapel audience.

Right: Henry Hollingsworth ’17 (right) with current members of the girls crew (left to right) Kata Clark ’25, Lauren DuBarry ’25, Natalia Clark ’27 and Catherine Casey ’25.

Zach Amato ’25

The boys 1st soccer team goalie, team captain and school prefect is on a mission to build culture and community within the soccer program and across the school.

Zach Amato ’25 knew that Brooks was the school for him from the jump: The heralded soccer goalie, who previously attended Fessenden School and led its team to an undefeated season, prioritized a school’s sense of community and the strength of its soccer program when he applied to high schools, and Brooks topped the list in both categories.

Amato was immediately attracted to Brooks because of the small size of its student body. “We have smaller class sizes,” he says. “You can get independent help from your teachers. A lot of the faculty live on campus; they’re super accessible.” Amato also loves the sense of community he feels from boarding at Brooks. “Being on campus allows me to immerse myself in the community a little more,” he says. “That’s big for me. Brooks really felt like the spot for me: I could live in a tighter community and meet new people through soccer, but I could also get to know kids who focus on the arts, who play other sports, and who do all the other things we do here.”

The Brooks soccer program and the close relationships it incubates also checked off all the boxes for Amato. “The program is a lot bigger than you as a person,” Amato says. “It’s an incredibly tight-knit team. We do everything as a team, even outside of the season. We eat together; we hang out together; we’re always kicking the ball around; we go to other sporting events together. This is not just a team that plays the fall season together and then we’re done. That flipped the switch for me.”

The soccer program’s philosophy “dates back years,” Amato says. “I get supportive texts from alumni on game day. They’re always watching. Sharing that culture with players who came before us is a key aspect of this program. [Previous head coach] Willie Waters ’02 held that, and now [current head coach Matt] Carroll ’05 holds that up too. Once you realize how deep the culture runs, it’s one of the most amazing things about Brooks.”

As team captain, Amato feels a duty to pass the program culture down to the players he leads.

“When I was chosen as captain, one of the first things I did was make sure that everybody on the team knew how much both we care about the program,” he says. “It’s never really about the wins or losses for me; it’s more about the culture, what we build as a team, our morale throughout the season. We lose a game; how do we bounce back the next day of practice? It’s about building a strong culture that’s going to continue to build.”

Over the course of his career at Brooks, Amato has stressed that the soccer program is building for the future. The year he arrived as a fourth-former, the squad won the New England championship. Since then, the team has been in what Amato says is a productive rebuilding mode. Last year, the squad also bid farewell to Waters. Amato points to younger players who have stepped up and are now “making successful impacts on the program.”

“Like I said, it’s all about building the culture,” he says. “We have a lot of positives to build off of and just want to show the guys that what we did in my fourth-form year we are completely capable of doing any other year.”

Amato’s leadership skills impact the school past the soccer season, also. He’s a school prefect and also a member of the boys lacrosse program’s leadership group, which he describes as a group of players who are tasked with building team culture and expectations. “Get up to things,” Amato says when he describes what message he tries to bring to his prefecture. “Immerse yourself in this community. You’re not going to gain anything from just going back to your dorm room after dinner. Go to a game. Go see your friends. Get out and enjoy our campus. We have a lake, we have the fire trail, we have acres of land. We have fun events, dances and open houses. Enjoy this school while you have it, because you only have so long at Brooks.”

“Get up to things. Immerse yourself in this community. You’re not going to gain anything from just going back to your dorm room after dinner. Go to a game. Go see your friends. Get out and enjoy our campus.”

ZACH AMATO ’25

Amato plans to play soccer in college, and he’s preparing for that period of his life by immersing himself in his academics, also. He doubled up in science this year. He’s taking Advanced Placement environmental science, but his favorite class is his zoology elective taught by Chair of the Science Department Laura Hajdukiewicz P’15, P’17, P’19. “I love animals,” he says simply. “I love going to my zoology class, and I take pride in that class. I just love learning about the different species, kingdoms and all that fun stuff. I don’t know if I’ll take this into college, but I think as a sixth-former here, when so much of my life is stressful, it’s really great to take a class in which I walk into the classroom every day and love what we do.”

Zach Amato ’25 leads the student body as a school prefect.

Right: Zach Amato ’25 in action for Brooks.

FALL SPORTS

An Exciting Season

Brooks student-athletes stormed onto the fields, trails and courts this fall. They pulled in some notable accomplishments and a postseason bid.

Girls Soccer Makes Noise

The girls 1st soccer team continued its recent trend of making a postseason appearance. Brooks notched an 8–7–2 regular season record (6–5–1 in the Independent School League), including solid wins against Phillips Exeter Academy, Thayer Academy, Middlesex School and Lawrence Academy. The strong showing was good for the seventh seed in the New England Championship Class B bracket. In the first round of the tournament, Brooks fought valiantly at two-seed Tabor Academy but fell 3–2.

Maile Lung ’26 led the Brooks attack with eight goals and five assists on the year, followed by third-form standout Bridget Aitken, who scored six goals and two assists. Delaney Bertos ’27 rounded out the Brooks offense with four goals and three assists. Newcomer goalie Jill Hamilton ’26 did a great job in her first year in net for Brooks, logging a .732 save percentage.

Postseason awards recognized these individual performances: Lung picked up All-ISL first-team honors, and Hamilton, Bertos and

Sydney Cohen ’26 grabbed All-ISL Honorable Mention slots. Lung and Hamilton also took home All-NEPSAC nods, and Bertos and Natalia Clark ’27 were given All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention awards.

The future is bright for Brooks soccer, says assistant coach Alexandria Sacco. “Overall, the season went really well,” she says. “We’re very young, and it’s exciting to think of what the future has for us to look forward to. And, all the kids are great, and we can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Maile Lung ’26 led the scoring for the Brooks girls 1st soccer team this year.

Boys Soccer and Field Hockey Show up Strong

Both the boys 1st soccer team and 1st field hockey team had solid seasons this year. Field hockey locked in a 9–7–1 record (5–6–1 ISL) for an exciting squad that features several young players to watch. Mary Adams ’25, Elsa Wood ’26 and Kyleigh Matola ’25 were recognized in the postseason. Adams picked up All-ISL and AllNEPSAC awards, and Wood picked up All-ISL Honorable Mention and All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention slots. Matola was named to the AllISL Honorable Mention team.

The boys 1st soccer team found its footing under first-year head coach Matt Carroll ’05, accumulating an 8–5–4 record (6–5–4 in the ISL). Sixth-former Carter Leonard scored 12 goals and one assist for Brooks, and Latu Kayira ’27 notched six goals and three assists. Leonard and Kayira each were named to the All-ISL Honorable Mention team along with Raphael Odubanjo ’25, and sixth-formers Tristan Warner and captain Zach Amato were named to the All-ISL team. Amato was also named to the All-Region team. [Ed. Note: Please turn to the prece ding spread for a profile of Zach Amato.]

Cross-Country Hosts New Englands

The Brooks cross-country program gained some deserved accolades this year. Phoebe Cogan ’26 outpaced the competition across the board, picking up All-ISL and All-NEPSAC honors. Cogan went on to shine at the NEPSTA Division 2 Cross Country Championship, which was held at Brooks in early

November. Cogan took 16th place out of 129 runners and made the host Brooks community proud. The school was able to show off its beautiful campus to the hundreds of visiting runners, coaches and fans that attended the championship meet. Program director Joanna McDonough is proud that the Brooks team ran up a division for the first time at the NEPSTA race, and she thanks the facilities and athletics departments in making the race possible. “We ran on an entirely new course that many schools commented was the best cross-country course in the league,” she says. “While cross-country is often seen as an individual sport, this season demonstrated the immense strength of our entire team and school community.”

Playing at the Next Level

The school took time in November to honor those athletes in the class of 2025 who had, to date, formally committed to play sports at the NCAA Division I level in college. The athletics department hosted a jubilant ceremony in the

Keating Room with family, faculty and friends in attendance. Each committed athlete had an opportunity to address the crowd, extend thanks and gratitude, and pose for photos with loved ones, teammates, coaches and friends. A similar event is planned in the spring for all student-athletes who will play a sport in college. Pictured in the above photo are, from left to right: Alex Wilkins, who will play basketball at Furman University; Henry Hebert, who will play baseball at Merrimack College; Mary Adams, who will play field hockey at the University of Virginia; Kata Clark, who will run track and field at Brown University; Lydia Tangney, who will play lacrosse at The Ohio State University; Bella Mondolfi, who will play ice hockey at Merrimack College; Catherine Casey, who will row crew at the University of Miami; and Lauren DuBarry, who will row crew at the University of Pennsylvania.

MORE ONLINE: Please visit the Brooks athletics website at www.brooksschool.org/athletics for more information on your favorite Brooks team, including schedules, game recaps and up-to-date news.

Phoebe Cogan ’26 stood out for the girls 1st cross-country team this season.

A Winter Showcase

The school’s ensemble music program delivered a resounding success at its Winter Concert in December. The program featured performances from the Brooks School Chorus, Jazz Band, Advanced Jazz Band and Chamber Orchestra. The finale was spectacular: All the ensembles joined together to form the Brooks Pops Orchestra and perform a joyful rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey.

Connection CELEBRATING

This year’s Impact Report highlights the ways in which your philanthropy to Brooks matters in large and small ways, and how it creates tangible opportunities for our students and our community every day.

A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Fiscal year 2024 was a year of community connection and student success at Brooks School. We welcomed alumni and families back to campus in record numbers while also gathering in smaller affinity groups for meaningful discussions. Our students pushed themselves to try new things, resulting in countless triumphs: a fantastic performance of the Broadway hits “SIX: Teen Edition” and “Footloose,” the first Big East softball tournament championship in years, new and exciting Winter Term ventures, and an expansion of Students on the Forefront internships.

Planning began in earnest for our Centennial Celebration in 2027. Our vision is clear and purposeful as we aim to engage our greater community in a myriad of ways. We can’t wait to celebrate Brooks’ first 100 years and welcome the next 100 years with all of you.

This impact report on your contributions to Brooks highlights the immediate influence generous support can bring. The financial achievements shown in these pages allow the school to stretch farther and to build stronger for the future with confidence.

Today, Brooks Fund gifts account for nearly 10 percent of the school’s operating budget and fund vital aspects of our program: classroom technology and innovation, faculty professional development, and financial aid.

We are proud of our school and its continuing evolution. It is all possible due to the generous support of our alumni, families and friends. We thank each and every one of our donors, large and small, for their engagement and care for the school. What makes Brooks great is made possible by the support of so many in our community. We are deeply grateful for your contributions.

GAGE S. DOBBINS P’22, P’23 Director of Institutional Advancement

>> Frank D. Ashburn Chapel at Brooks is the center of the school’s dayto-day community life and has been since the school’s founding.

The Year in Giving $6,994,279

1,189 DONORS gave both last year and this year

ALUMNI REPRESENTING

77 CLASSES GAVE TO BROOKS SCHOOL

GIFTS CAME FROM

44 STATES AND 18 COUNTRIES

TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED

Classes from 1944 to 2024

112 FIRST-TIME DONORS

244 YOUNG ALUMNI DONORS GAVE $20,377

196 dedicated Brooks Fund and reunion giving volunteers

1,534

289 DONORS made more than one gift to Brooks this year

648 GIFTS OF $100 OR LESS RESULTED IN $39,299 EVERY GIFT MATTERS

533

Brooksians have given at least 10 consecutive years

TOTAL NUMBER OF DONORS TO ALL FUNDS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT

PROVIDING THE MOST MEANINGFUL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OUR STUDENTS WILL HAVE IN THEIR LIVES.

97 YEARS of transformative education

ACCESS TO A BROOKS EDUCATION FOR ALL ADMITTED STUDENTS

$6M financial aid awarded

35% of students receive financial aid ENHANCED IMMERSIVE LEARNING

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

22

FACULTY MEMBERS pursued professional development

33 Winter Term Courses 15 Exchange Program participants from Brooks and abroad

19 Students on the Forefront internships

“Your support has had an incredible impact, not only on my academic path but on my whole experience here at Brooks. Thanks to your generosity, I’ve been able to pursue my passions and studies and participate in meaningful experiences.”

SIXTH-FORM STUDENT

Giving Back

The Brooks Fund

The Brooks Fund is the foundation of philanthropic support at Brooks. Vitally important to classroom innovation, financial aid, faculty development and every aspect of the student experience, the Brooks Fund is about the power of collective giving and strengthening Brooks today. We are grateful to the alumni, parents and friends who make an immediate impact with their gifts to the Brooks Fund.

$2,520,373

DOLLARS RAISED 1,447

DONORS 10% OF BROOKS OPERATING BUDGET

“We’ve been consistently impressed by Brooks School’s commitment to providing unique educational experiences. His Winter Term in D.C. allowed our son, Drake, to dive deep into fascinating political topics, meet Brooks alums and learn about lobbying, while his Students on the Forefront summer internship with State Senator Barry Finegold P’22 in Boston fueled his passion for government and finance. These opportunities sparked Drake’s intellectual curiosity and helped shape his future aspirations. We’re proud to support the Brooks Fund to ensure more students can benefit from these transformative programs that truly embody the school’s mission of delivering the most meaningful educational experience.”

DANIEL AND D ANA TARLOW P’25

Essential Stewards donated

68% of the Brooks Fund total

ESSENTIAL STEWARDS

Those community members who contribute $10,000 or more each year to the Brooks Fund. Their leadership gifts help to fulfill the promise of our annual programs and provide the resources to pursue our goals and aspirations.

Anonymous (3)

Philip D. Allen ’57 and Elisabeth H. Allen (25)

John R. Barker ’87 and Julie G. Barker P’21, P’23 (25)

Francis S. Blake ’67 and Elizabeth K. Blake P’00 (10)

William N. Booth ’67 and Mary D. Booth P’05 (25)

Deyou Chen and Dr. Rui Yang P’25

Dr. Hoon Choi and Sanghee Lim P’25

Sang Woong Choi and Nam Yeon Kim P’24

Semin Chung and Jung Eun M. Lee P’23, P’25

Buckner W. Clay IV ’02 (10)

Gary M. Comins ’68 (d)

Hugh R. Connell and Karen B. Connell P’26

Bayard R. Coolidge ’69 (20)

Jefri Darmadi and Cindy L. Lopulisa P’26

Dr. Ian L. Davis and Vicky W. Davis P’26

John H. Deknatel and Dr. Carol M. Taylor P’98 (10)

David C. DiAntonio and Lisa A. DiAntonio P’25

Jamus M. Driscoll and Tara C. Driscoll P’27

The Duckworth Family

Charles P. Eaton ’60

Eric C. Egertson and Robina W. Egertson P’12, P’15 (10)

Dr. Steven A. Fern and Alexandra Fern P’18

Nancy C. Ferry and Thomas R. Ferry P’21

Hugh K. Foster Jr. ’86 and Elena I. Foster P’26, P’27 (20)

Jianguang Gao and Yuhan Dong P’27

Dr. Howard M. Gardner and Naomi A. Gardner P’93, GP’16, GP’18 (20)

E. Maxwell Geddes Jr. ’53 and Aileen Geddes P’82, P’90 (25)

Dr. Eric M. Genden ’83 and Dr. Audrey Genden P’24

Michael Gibbens and Julie A. Lassonde

Scott Ginsberg and Stephanie G. Ginsberg P’16 (10)

Dr. Ian G. Glick and Dr. Allison B. Glick P’27

Steven R. Gorham ’85 and Dorothy L. Gorham P’17, P’21 (25)

Thomas P. Grainger and Elizabeth Grainger P’05, P’07

Julia Saltonstall Haley ’88 and Thomas B. Haley P’25

Barney Hallingby ’65 and Julia Hallingby (25)

Jeffrey B. Hawkins and Christa K. Hawkins P’25

Aaron J. Hsu and Sasha C. Cutter P’27

Jillian M. Ihsanullah and Naveed Ihsanullah P’18, P’21

Donald D. Jabro and Savanna F. Jabro P’27

Quan Jiang and Yiying Jiang P’24

Norbert J. Johnson and Monique Y. Johnson P’24, P’26

Song Ke and Ning Sun P’26

Henry Lee ’64 (25)

Timothy P. McAdam ’86 (10)

Austin C. McClintock and Tiverton S. McClintock P’25

Diana Merriam and Peter R. Merriam P’08, P’11 (20)

George A. Miller and Buffington C. Miller P’02 (10)

Peter A. Nadosy ’64 and Patricia Nadosy (25)

Stephen Oblak and Tanya Oblak P’27

John R. Packard Jr. H’87 and Kimberly O’Neill Packard ’87, P’18, P’21 (25)

Greg J. Pappas and Kimberly A. Pappas P’21

Seung Jun Park and Yoon Mie Chung P’16, P’23, P’25

James N. Pettorelli ’91 and Kerna P. Pettorelli P’25 (20)

John E. Petzold ’03 (10)

Richard R. Plum ’85 and Amy E. Plum P’23, P’24 (10)

Hamilton F. Potter III ’74 (10)

Russell T. Pyle ’87 and Elizabeth P. H. Pyle P’25 (25)

Dan Riccio and Diane Riccio P’17, P’20 (10)

Diana R. Riccio P’17, P’20 (10)

Belisario A. Rosas and Leslie M. Rosas P’15, P’21 (10)

Catherine B. Rotman ’04

David A. Rountree and Carter W. Rountree P’06 (20)

Nicola C. G. Savignano ’87 and Whitney Romoser Savignano ’87 (25)

Robert G. Scott and Ashley Wightman Scott ’84, P’11, P’14 (25)

Vivek Sharma and Vandana Sharma P’24

Hugh Shepley ’46 and Mary Waters Shepley (d)

Allen W. Sinsheimer ’73 and Kelly L. Marsden (10)

Juliane G. Spencer ’93 (20)

John J. Tangney and Dina L. Tangney P’25, P’26

Christopher Thompson P’24

Elizabeth K. Thompson P’24

Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 and Philip C. Timon P’26 (25)

The Torio Family

Kristine M. Trustey and Sean McGraw P’13, P’16, P’19 (10)

Cheng Chiu Tsai and Helen Lin P’24

Andrea van Beuren ’83 (25)

Alexander R. Vanderweil and Lucinda D. Vanderweil P’27

Meredith Maren Verdone ’81 and Joseph P. Verdone P’19

Cidong Wang and Yanhong Ge P’25

Hugh L. Warren ’70 (25)

Xinyu Wei and Jia Jia P’26

Adam A. Weigold ’94 (25)

William S. Weil ’84 (10)

William D. Werner ’73 (10)

Letitia Wightman W’58, P’84, GP’11, GP’14 (25)

Jim M. Wodarski and Gina V. Wodarski P’23

Alexander G. B. Zaldastani ’87, P’23 (25)

Erin Sheehan Zaldastani ’85, P’23 (10)

Zheng Zhang and Hong Jiang P’25

Yu Zhao and Sheran Zhu P’26

THE BENEFACTORS SOCIETY

Brooks School wishes to honor our Benefactors Society, our highest-level donors who have had a profound impact on the life and direction of this institution over the course of their lifetimes. They have enriched the school beyond measure for past and future generations of Brooksians.

KEY

P = Parent

GP = Grandparent

H = Honorary

W = Widow

(d) = Deceased

Anonymous

Mr. Philip D. Allen ’57 and Mrs. Elisabeth H. Allen

Mr. Lucius A. D. Andrew III ’57 (d) and Mrs. Phoebe H. Andrew P’81, P’83, P’87

The George F. Baker Trust

Mr. Charles E. Bascom ’60 (d) and Mrs. Christina M. Bascom

Mr. and Mrs. William N. Booth ’67, P’05

Mr. Henry M. Buhl ’48

Mr. Malcolm G. Chace III ’52 (d) and Mrs. Elizabeth Chace P’88, GP’09, GP’11, GP’25

Mr. Lammot Copeland Jr. ’50

The Danforth Family

Mr. Andrew A. Davis ’81

The Arthur S. DeMoulas Family

The Duckworth Family

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Forbes ’66

Mr. and Mrs. E. Maxwell Geddes Jr. ’53, P’82, P’90

Mr. and Mrs.

Steven R. Gorham ’85, P’17, P’21

Mr. Andrew S. Gundlach ’89

Julia and Barney Hallingby ’65

Mr. James H. Hamlen ’33 (d)

Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Hettinger Jr. P’51 (d)

Mr. and Mrs.

H. Anthony Ittleson ’56, P’84, P’86

Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen P’02

The Langer Family

Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.

Mr. John D. Leland Jr. ’52 (d) and Mrs. Sandra S. Leland

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Luce III ’42 (d)

Mr. George P. MacNichol III ’42, P’85 (d)

Mr. Robert Marvel ’56, P’91, GP’23

The Melvin Family

The Merriam Family

Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Nadosy ’64

Mr. Frederick H. Prince ’65 (d)

Mr. Dan Riccio and Mrs. Diane Riccio P’17, P’20

Ms. Diana R. Riccio P’17, P’20

The Rogers Family

Hartley R. Rogers and Amy C. Falls P’23

Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Russell (d)

Mr. Nicola C. G. Savignano ’87 and Mrs. Whitney Romoser Savignano ’87

The Schiff Family

Mr. Robert G. Scott and Mrs. Ashley Wightman Scott ’84, P’11, P’14

Mr. Michael Scott ’43 (d)

Dr. Huntington Sheldon ’47 (d)

Mr. Alexander C. Taylor ’93

Mrs. Margaretta J. Taylor P’93

Mrs. Kristine M. Trustey and Mr. Sean McGraw P’13, P’16, P’19

Ms. Andrea van Beuren ’83 and Mr. Roger Kass

Mr. (d) and Mrs. John A. van Beuren ’50, P’83

Mr. Howell van Gerbig ’59 (d)

Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney (d)

Mr. Orrin S. Wightman III ’58 (d) and Mrs. Letitia Wightman P’84, GP’11, GP’14

The F. Fessenden Wilder Family

ENDOWMENT

Members of the Brooks community — alumni, parents and friends — came together in unprecedented numbers to celebrate their connections to Brooks and to each other. From class reunions to educational programs, social gatherings, athletic events, volunteer service and more, Brooksians proudly demonstrated the depth of their shared purpose and commitment to lifelong engagement.

1,922

alumni, parents and friends attended Brooks events across the globe

479

alumni and friends returned to campus for class reunions in May 2024

662

volunteers donated their time and talents as mentors and advisors, fundraisers, and event organizers

Gift commitments of $954,163 were directed to the Brooks endowment in fiscal year 2024. The Brooks endowment is a key resource for financial aid, enhanced student programming, faculty compensation and development, and other essential needs in the operating budget. Building a strong endowment is crucial to ensuring the future of Brooks and will be an important focus of the Centennial Campaign.

$112.3M value of the endowment as of June 30, 2024

The Demoulas Family Boathouse was formally dedicated in spring 2024. The facility has quickly become a well-used and pivotal campus space, and it will continue to serve the crew program’s needs well into the future.

Expanding a Signature Program

STUDENTS ON THE FOREFRONT

This year, Brooks School’s signature Students on the Forefront internship program expanded from focusing exclusively on science and medicine to also include opportunities in the humanities, arts and finance. Read on to find out what this year’s crop of Students on the Forefront interns discovered when they explored the future that’s waiting for them.

STORY BY REBECCA A. BINDER

Brooks School’s Students on the Forefront internship program has served as a signature program for the school for years. Under the organization of Chair of the Science Department Laura Hajdukiewicz P’15, P’17, P’19, countless Brooks students have taken the opportunity to spend part of their summers learning from experience with doctors, scientists and other STEM professionals in research laboratories, hospitals and even in environmental conservation efforts. This summer, the program expanded to also embrace internships in the arts, business and finance, government and the humanities. Students were able to shadow some of the world’s best surgeons, help an advocacy group craft its strategy, perform hands-on research that protects our regional coastal ecosystem, dig into the office of a state senator, and work side-by-side with engineers, architects and artists. Students on the Forefront offers internships that are not typically available to high school students, and the Brooksians received academic credit for their internships for the first time this year.

This summer, 19 rising sixth-formers were placed in internships that included everything from curating an exhibit at a New York City art gallery to writing software to assist in the development of surgical robots. This broadening of opportunities allows the program to serve more students because the school can offer a larger number of opportunities. It also caters to the diversity of talents and interests in the student body and leverages the natural connections in the close Brooks community.

“We have seen tremendous value in the program as it was for a long time, focused in the sciences and the medical field,” Dean of Teaching and Learning Joanna McDonough says. “We really wanted to provide that for our students who had other interests. We were very happy that we were able to expand to things like finance, art and politics. This gives our kids an opportunity to explore all of the possible avenues after Brooks that could be available to them.”

In addition, Students on the Forefront illustrates one of the strengths of Brooks: The program would not come to fruition without the support of graduates, parents, past parents and friends of the school who are critical to connecting Brooks students with the internship opportunities that make up the Students on the Forefront program. The program proves the school’s tight-knit community, culture of exploration and belief in immersive learning.

“I think that people have had such positive experiences here at Brooks that they are looking at ways to give back to our community and also help to guide future graduates,” McDonough says. “The Students on the Forefront program is a way of doing that.” McDonough continues and calls the Students on the Forefront program “the epitome of that immersive learning experience. It’s a real-life opportunity to see how their area or their actual passion plays out every day. It also shows our culture of exploration: We had 19 students placed across 14 different internships. So not every student could have their top choice internship. But the kids were open to other ideas and to other things, and they actually found other areas of passion.”

While the focus of each intern’s day-to-day content differed, similar themes emerged: Students reported that they found meaning in their work, that they were able to connect with professionals in a field that interested them, and that they left their internships more confident, independent and self-assured than when they entered them.

McDonough hopes the Students on the Forefront program can expand its breadth even further down the road. “A qualitative benchmark is when the kids feel like there is an internship in whatever area they have a passion in,” she says. “Using that as our guide will be something that we continue. That’s what makes it a meaningful program and experience.”

NOTE: All student subjects in this feature are members of the class of 2025.

ELLA WHELAN

Learning a Process

Ella Whelan dove into her Students on the Forefront experience. She entered the world of architecture and design alongside Catherine Truman ’85, who has an architecture firm in Somerville, Massachusetts. Whelan was immediately included in meetings and discussions, which made her feel welcome. She says she was able to learn and work with two 3-D design software programs the firm uses, SketchUp and CAD, and even made a full model. She also created an architectural plan of her own house using an architect scale ruler.

Whelan spent four weeks with the company, and also got to tour five different Boston architecture firms. She valued that experience because it allowed her to see the differences in size, scope of work and specialties of different firms. “I learned a lot about the different possibilities open to a studying architect, and I was given some great college advice.”

“I learned a lot about the different possibilities open to a studying architect, and I was given some great college advice.”

ELLA WHELAN

CHENG ZHUANG AND EMILIE PRATT

Curating an Art Exhibit

Cheng Zhuang and Emilie Pratt interned with New York-based art gallery Salon Design, founded by Amanda Pratt P’25. Zhuang focused his work on curating an art exhibit. He partnered with an award-winning architecture and design firm to select pieces from a textile and design studio based in Gujarat, India.

“I’m amazed at Amanda’s connections that she has forged that only come with many years of experience in the art industry,” Zhuang says. “It’s so cool to work with these amazing, accomplished artists from all over the world.”

“It’s so cool to work with these amazing, accomplished artists from all over the world.”

CHENG ZHUANG

A RANGE OF INTERNSHIPS

In addition to the experiences this feature highlights, the following students also engaged in incredible work at the following internships:

Charlie Rousmaniere learned statistical analysis and coding at the Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He contributed to the understanding of brain abnormalities and their roles in neurologic disorders.

Matt Bencivengo and Will Sanders learned about financial planning at Axial Financial Group in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Shelley Osafo-Grant and Junho Chung interned at Harlem Film House, a nonprofit that provides access and opportunity to filmmakers and content creators in underserved communities around the world.

Uma Yameen dug into a clinical rotation in cardiology and general surgery at Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Veronica Seok assisted with research on amyloidosis at Boston Medical Center.

DRAKE TARLOW

Learning Local Politics

Drake Tarlow spent a summer immersed in local politics at the side of Massachusetts State Senator Barry Finegold P’22. Tarlow spent his days learning the issues, experiencing the process of crafting legislation, and learning firsthand about the inner workings of a politician’s office. Tarlow assisted with the daily press roundup. He also got to travel to the floor of the statehouse to watch legislative debate. And, he loved the chance to attend a speaker series in which he had the opportunity to ask senators questions.

Tarlow, who lives in New Hampshire, also pointed to the experience he gained in just traveling to his internship and back. “Commuting has been an important aspect of my summer internship,” he says. “It’s a little long, but it’s helped me learn a lot about how to manage time. I’ve been able to get a lot of work done on the train, and I’ve also been doing some college apps.”

“I had a great time and made so many meaningful connections … I am grateful to Students on the Forefront for giving me this opportunity. It was the highlight of my summer and showed me what I’m truly passionate about.”

DRAKE TARLOW

ISABELLA SOTO

Giving a Voice to Advocates

Isabella Soto interned for Amnesty International this summer. The New York-based, international non-governmental organization focuses on promoting and advocating for human rights around the world. Soto worked virtually to build a toolkit for teenagers who want to get involved in Banned Books Week, a movement promoted by Amnesty International and the American Library Association that celebrates the freedom to read and intellectual freedom, and that draws attention to books that have been banned and challenged in a variety of contexts.

INTERNSHIP HOSTS

Students on the Forefront placed 19

student-interns at 14

locations this summer. The internships were facilitated, and often hosted, by the following Brooksians:

Catherine Truman ’85

Amanda Pratt P’25

Massachusetts State

Senator Barry Finegold P’22

Kim Capers, aunt of Taylor Armstead ’22

C. R. Capers P’22

Cynthia Walsh P’27

Rich LeBranti P’26, P’28

Norbert Johnson P’24, P’26

Peter Dunn ’82, P’11, P’13, P’15, P’18

Sunit Mukherjee P’15, P’22

Gregg Moore P’24

Jason Sanders P’25

Soto left her internship with a broader perspective on her own agency and ways in which she could contribute to causes she believes in. She says that she’s proud of her effort. “I enjoy being part of something bigger and helping people from around the world,” she says. “My internship gave me a broader perspective, and I feel that I made an impact with the work I did.”

“I enjoy being part of something bigger and helping people from around the world. My internship gave me a broader perspective, and I feel that I made an impact with the work I did.”

ISABELLA SOTO

The school is grateful to them for their important support of the Students on the Forefront program and the experience of our students. If you would like to facilitate or host a Brooks student or students for a Students on the Forefront summer internship, please contact Dean of Teaching and Learning Joanna McDonough at jmcdonough@ brooksschool.org.

Working in the Field

Gage Blevins conducted field research and lab work at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Coastal Restoration and Climate Resilience Lab, which focuses on coastal wetland restoration ecology, conservation and land management. Blevins put in many hours in the sun, wading through salt marshes to conduct analysis of the pore water chemistry and taking samples around the marsh mega-pools. The goal of his work, Blevins explains, is to find out whether the salt marshes are healthy. If not, he says, the team designs targeted remediation efforts that serve to protect and reinvigorate the salt marsh.

“I enjoy working in the field, getting hands-on experience and learning new scientific techniques,” Blevins says. “Coastal restoration field work is hard work. It’s dirty, hot and physical, but that said, I find the work fulfilling and important.” Dr. Gregg Moore P’24, a UNH professor who hosted Blevins, called his efforts “a huge help.” He noted the sheer number of peat cores Blevins exhumed in a single day. “He also overtopped his boots that day, making him officially part of the salt marsh research team!” Moore observed.

“I enjoy working in the field, getting hands-on experience and learning new scientific techniques.”

GAGE BLEVINS

A Real-World Application

Leah Chen and Ady Duval spent two weeks together at the University of Vermont working on cancer research. Chen focused her work on DNA, RNA and proteins. She tested RNA primers, and then added DNA and an antibody to them. “I’m learning a lot about what the research process is like, how detailed it is and the amount of people involved,” she says. “I’m also learning some new biology, and I got to experiment with cool machines like the nanodrop and a PCR machine.”

Duval, meanwhile, enjoyed heading to the lab every day, she says, “seeing what the scientists are working on, and learning how to do it.” Duval spent much of her time cloning DNA and sequencing it to assist a scientist studying metastasis. “What I enjoy most … is [being] able to see the stuff I learned about in real life. In biology, my class learned about gel electrophoresis, which separates DNA fragments by their size and charge. Being able to actually insert the DNA into a gel and use a machine to separate the DNA fragments in real life felt so much different than just learning about it. It feels like the material I learned in class is actually coming to life.”

LEAH CHEN AND ADY DUVAL

AMAIA GOMEZ

Exploring One of the World’s Best Hospitals

Amaia Gomez has plans to be a doctor. She used this summer well, engaging in an orthopedic medicine rotation at Tufts Medical Center in Boston under the tutelage of Dr. Charles Cassidy ’79. Gomez shadowed Cassidy in clinics and surgeries that included elbow scopes, distal radius fractures, carpal tunnel releases and an amputation. Gomez reports that she was “at most two feet away” from the surgical table, and says that “watching and seeing these surgeries and treatments has truly been an overwhelming and exciting experience.”

Gomez says she enjoyed traveling to Boston from her hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts, each day, and that she relished working with what she calls “some of the best doctors.” Gomez even got a unique opportunity: On her last day, Cassidy allowed her to scrub in and practice cutting a bone on a table separate from where a surgery was taking place. “I’m really loving orthopedics,” Gomez says. “My desire to go to medical school continues to increase. I feel I grow more mature, independent and confident each day from this experience.”

“I feel I grow more mature, independent and confident each day from this

experience.”

AMAIA GOMEZ

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Amaia Gomez took the opportunity to be a Students on the Forefront intern at Tufts Medical Center in Boston last summer. She focused on orthopedic medicine and worked with Dr. Chuck Cassidy ’79. She shared her typical daily schedule including, below, her Tuesday schedule. The Bulletin confirmed: Gomez’s wake-up time is not a typo!

4:30 a.m.

Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for work

5:10 a.m.

Leave the house and drive to the MBTA commuter rail station

5:36 a.m.

Board the commuter rail to North Station in Boston

6:40 a.m.

Arrive at North Station and board the MBTA Orange Line to Tufts Medical Center

6:55 a.m.

Arrive at Tufts Medical Center, change into scrubs

7:15 a.m.

Go to the operating room and help set up for surgery

7:30 a.m. –12:00 p.m.

Observe surgeries until lunch

1 p.m.

Return to Tufts Medical Center to continue observing surgery

3:40 p.m.

Leave Tufts Medical Center and board the Orange Line back to North Station

4 p.m.

Arrive at North Station then board the commuter rail back home

5:30 p.m.

Arrive at commuter rail station and drive home

MAANYA TAILAM

A Close-Up View of Medicine

“Today was my first day at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and it was absolutely amazing!” Maanya Tailam reported in late June. “I was shadowing in the electrophysiology lab and I enjoyed observing the cases. I learned a lot, and I’m so excited for the next seven weeks.” MGH Executive Medical Director, Perioperative Administration Peter Dunn ’82, P’11, P’13, P’15, P’18 is one of Students on the Forefront’s longstanding partners and internship hosts. He facilitated Tailam’s getting to observe surgeries and procedures across medical disciplines. Tailam reported that she got to shadow anesthesiologists, and she also had a chance to watch an ablation, a pacemaker placement, a thyroidectomy and a kidney/ donor transplant. “It has been the best summer,” she says.

“I learned a lot, and I’m so excited for the next seven weeks.” MAANYA TAILAM

Developing a Crucial Tool

Two Brooks students interned at Globus Medical in Methuen, Massachusetts. Globus Medical develops, manufactures and distributes musculoskeletal device solutions. The pair wrote software that tracks requirements in a product design lifecycle. Daniel Min, one of the students, explains further that Globus Medical builds advanced surgical robots, which adhere to FDA regulations. “Engineers must document various aspects of the product lifecycle,” Min says, a process that is time-consuming and complex. “Our team made a program that could help engineers effectively document.” Min says that he learned a lot from his time at Globus. He learned a new programming language, he says, and he also benefited from meeting different Globus employees and learning about their experiences. “I’m grateful for the experience and excited to carry forward the skills and knowledge I acquired,” he says.

DANIEL MIN AND STANLEY ZHANG

Teaching the Election

Brooks successfully guided its students through election season by leaning on its mission and core values, and by providing students with opportunities to learn about, connect with and explore the political issues that are important to them.

STORY BY REBECCA A. BINDER

Acting Head of School Nina Freeman addressed a letter to families in an August that laid out the school’s plans to intentionally design time and space to dialogue as a community about the issues that rose to the fore during the election. This commitment to civic engagement and civil discourse, intellectual curiosity and respect for diverse perspectives was both mission-driven and in keeping with the school’s core values.

“We are excited for students to develop their own informed opinions about political issues and the upcoming presidential election,” Freeman wrote. The faculty and administration thought carefully about how to offer the policies at issue in a nonpartisan way, and reviewed guidelines for community engagement in opening faculty meetings.

The school offered elective classes, focused on election-specific issues in its standard class offerings, held forums in which Brooksians could connect with each other, and invited prominent graduate Trevor Potter ’74 to campus. The school’s goal was to

empower and educate students, and give them the tools to be informed citizens now and in the future.

The school maintained a meaningful and respectful learning environment in several ways: Faculty focused on facilitating conversations that allowed students to explore their own views in structured ways that promoted individual growth and engagement. This ideal was echoed in the classroom: History classes, including the two highlighted here, have always been a place in which students develop critical thinking and analytical skills; the school’s Self in Community curriculum practices active and empathetic listening.

“As a young adult, I was eager to deepen my understanding of political issues and government systems — I wanted to know how things really work. ”

LYDIA TANGNEY ’25

Dozens of Brooks students were eligible to vote on Election Day, and Brooksians were wellprepared to. >>

IN THE CLASSROOM

History

AP Government Seizes an Opportunity

History teacher Laila McCain teaches two sixth-form sections of Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics. This year, she shifted the standard order of the syllabus to focus on political participation in the fall lead-up to the election. The course began by looking at theories of democracy from America’s founding, and then moved into political socialization and political participation. Students learned about their own belief systems and what influences shaped them.

They were eager to use in-class conversations to talk about issues that matter to them: Topics that have come up included, McCain says, gun policy and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, and climate change and sustainability. “Students are really interested in what each candidate’s positions are on climate change and sustainability efforts because they want to see what it looks like going forward,” she says. “We also talked about the challenge of there being a lack of knowledge of climate change when the Constitution was written; there’s not really guidance there.” Femaleidentifying students, McCain says, also have “a lot of questions and concerns around reproductive

“Regardless of what you believe, I want you to be able to argue that and speak nicely and be respectful. In this political climate, it can be hard to have civil discussions, but my class has proven that it’s possible.”

History faculty LAILA MCCAIN , teacher of Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics.

The campus flagpole.

Students Were Excited To Vote!

A few dozen Brooks students were eligible to vote in the 2024 election, and by all accounts they were excited to do so. Konovalchik reports a sense of “palpable enthusiasm” to participate in the election. McCain reports that several students asked for her help in registering to vote, requesting absentee ballots and voting by mail. “The students feel really excited to get out and do the thing that everyone’s talking about,” she says. “They understand why it’s so important to cast their vote.”

First-time voter Shelley Osafo-Grant ’25 was driven to the polls on Election Day by a Brooks faculty member, and she left local polling station North Andover High School full of joy. “I feel excited and proud of myself. I did it,” she said. “It was super easy, super quick; wow. I’m happy I did it. I can’t wait to vote again in four years!”

rights and reproductive freedom, which I lean into. They try to understand how the right to an abortion has gone back to the state level. They think about what their rights will look like if they attend college in different states.”

Her students also learn about polling. In the final days leading up to the election, students learned about bias in polling and used polls to try to predict the outcome of the presidential election. They created electoral maps and tried to fill them in using polling data. They also examined polling data for the Massachusetts state ballot questions and tried to predict the outcome of those measures as well.

McCain’s class covers a lot of content, but in her mind, the lesson is simple: “Always dive deeper and be ready to explain your why,” she says. “Regardless of what you believe, I want you to be able to argue that and speak nicely and be respectful. In this political climate, it can be hard to have civil discussions, but my class has proven that it’s possible.”

Civics Class

History teacher Alex Konovalchik

P’14, P’17 taught an elective civics class to fifth- and sixth-formers that focuses on elections and campaigning. “I’m constantly telling

the kids that I’ll ask you not what to think, but what to think about,” says Konovalchik. “It’s a simple little turn of a phrase, but one that’s very, very important.” Konovalchik says that he frequently asked students what they should be thinking about in an effort to spur their own conversations, research and perspective.

Konovalchik stresses that he also tried to teach his class in a very open-ended way. “It’s interesting to hear what tidbits they come into class with,” he says. “They’ve typically got a pretty good handle on some sort of political topic, which we then spend a little time with.”

Students tended to be interested in issues that directly affect them and that they expect to encounter in the next phase of their lives. “The kids are paying special attention to foreign policy right now. They’re projecting themselves onto college campuses that were disturbed by so much unrest around the IsraelGaza issue,” Konovalchik says. “On domestic political issues, the Supreme Court has been an area of special interest and special concern on a number of occasions. Kids have asked about Dobbs v. Jackson [the 2022 holding that overturned the federal right to an abortion]. They’ve asked about the Harvard affirmative action case. They ask

about the politics of appointment to the Supreme Court. And, they ask about immigration policy and the border.”

Konovalchik hopes that the lessons he taught have an impact on his students long after the 2024 election concludes. “I hope they have a comfort level with their own political affiliation,” he says. “It’s absolutely a goal of mine that our students are critical-minded citizens. It’s important to me that students are able to hold their positions firmly, but that they are also tolerant and willing to listen. I want to empower them to believe that they can understand the major topics that our nation confronts.”

Konovalchik’s student Lydia Tangney ’25, who was proud and excited to vote in the 2024 election, says that, as a young adult, “I was eager to deepen my understanding of political issues and government systems — I wanted to know how things really work. In a short time, this course took me beyond my initial expectations, showing me not only the mechanics of governance but also the vital role my generation plays in shaping the future through voting. I now feel informed and confident in what I am voting for, and I believe that my classmates feel the same.”

Shelley Osafo-Grant ’25 shortly after voting for the first time at North Andover High School, the local polling place for Brooks campus residents.

Self in Community

All Brooks students had structured lessons leading up to the 2024 election through the school’s Self in Community curriculum. Every Self in Community class has engaged in curricular education focused on two topics: “Election 101” and “Election Media Literacy.” These lessons incorporate a range of news sources to foster a fact-based understanding. “Election 101” aimed to help students grasp key topics like the Electoral College, gerrymandering and voter suppression. Meanwhile, the “Election Media Literacy” lessons emphasized social media awareness and information literacy. “We hope these discussions spark meaningful conversations and empower our students to engage confidently in civic discourse,” says Chair of the Self in Community Department Ashley Johnston.

An Alumnae Gathering

Leah Chen ’25 and Serena Trojer ’25, co-heads of the school’s Women Supporting Women affinity group, invited all female-identifying Brooks alumnae, faculty staff and current students to an online gathering in September. The group discussed various topics, including the resonance of having a female presidential candidate, the ways in which Brooks has evolved over the years in the experience of the attendees, and what the experience of being a woman at Brooks is like today. Approximately 15 attendees shared a vigorous and heartfelt conversation.

“I thought it was a phenomenal call,” says Jess Kapadia ’04, who was in attendance. “Back in my day we didn’t have anything like that. I really loved being there.” Kapadia says she hopes the current Brooks students on the call felt a sense of pride in the ways in which Brooks has become, in her opinion, a more comfortable place for women. Kapadia also spoke effusively on the call of the pride she felt in the candidacy of Kamala Harris for the presidency.

“It is healing to me to know that Brooks girls are not facing the kind of gender-based adversity that girls were absolutely still up against when I was at Brooks,” she says. “Brooks kids are already the best of the best, and without silly made-up societal stuff like that in play, everybody is just so much better off. It’s just such a phenomenal representation of where the next generation is going to take us, and I couldn’t be more excited to see it happen.”

ALL-SCHOOL SPEAKER

Trevor Potter ’74

The prominent Brooksian spent a day on Great Pond Road with students, speaking in Chapel and visiting with classes.

Campaign and election law expert Trevor Potter ’74 visited Brooks on October 10. While on campus, he addressed the entire community in Chapel, met with history and Self in Community classes, and met individually with students on campaign finance. The Republican is former chair of the Federal Election Commission and currently the founder of the Campaign Legal Center, an organization that seeks to advance democracy through law at the federal, state and local levels. The school awarded Potter the Distinguished Brooksian award in 2014 and the Alumni Shield award in 1997.

Potter summed up his vast experience thusly in his Chapel speech: “I have the privilege of working for integrity in our elections,” he said. He attributed his core value of integrity as “built on a foundation that goes back to my years at Brooks, and the teaching and examples of integrity that I learned here and from people I have worked with afterwards.”

Laila McCain’s AP government and politics classes took the opportunity to have lunch with Potter in the Keating Room. [Ed. Note: The preceding page contains details on how McCain and her students studied the election.] “When Trevor was here for his 50th reunion last year, I pulled him aside and asked him to visit my class, which he did,” McCain recalls. “Having him back at election time was awesome. My students had a genuine interest in what he had to say. When we talked about his visit after the fact, students were so happy that we had a visitor who wasn’t partisan, and who was willing to change his mind. They appreciated someone so authentic and honest.”

McCain’s students asked Potter questions that ran the gamut: They discussed the history of federalism and its tension with state-level election law. They probed into campaign finance and the challenge Potter believes it poses to democracy. “Money in politics is almost unregulated,” Potter said. “We’re dangerously close to a point in which people can buy elections.”

“Brooks slowly taught me that I could succeed in class. It made me think about what I was reading and what that meant.”

Trevor Potter ’74 met with groups of students, including those shown here in the Science Forum, during his campus visit in October.

TREVOR POTTER ’74 speaking in Ashburn Chapel. Potter connected his work on election integrity to the lessons on integrity he learned at Brooks.

Students Teaching Students

As part of a larger history department initiative, students in McCain’s and Konovaclhik’s classes split up into small groups to research the dominant issues in the presidential campaign, which they then presented to groups of students at an all-school event held during an October advisory period. McCain, who organized the event, saw, she says, an opportunity to serve the community’s need to “actually know what’s going on, and to find facts.” Students ranked and were assigned issues to research, and McCain says she intentionally created small groups of students that would work well together and also challenge each other’s beliefs.

Each group researched and developed a presentation on its assigned issue: what the background was; what polling says about what the majority of voters want; and what each major American political party and presidential candidate believes about the issue. Students dug into campaign websites, cited their sources and created well-organized presentations. Then, on October 15, the school devoted its advisory block to letting the entire student body sit in on the presentations, each of which was situated in a different classroom. McCain says the student and faculty response to the presentations was “overwhelmingly positive. And, my students felt so accomplished that they did all this research, felt empowered and were able to speak knowledgeably about an issue that may be super controversial or go against their own personal beliefs.”

Samaya Lovett ’25, who chose to research and present on reproductive rights, says the project “was a great learning experience because I got to explore different viewpoints on the topic, including legal, ethical and health-related aspects. One of the main things I learned is the importance of understanding all sides of an issue, especially something as controversial as abortion.”

Evaluating News Sources

Finding and using reputable news sources has always been a focus of teaching current events at Brooks, and the 2024 election highlighted those lessons once again. Alex Konovalchik and Laila McCain each instruct students in this and also model responsible news consumption for students.

Konovalchik directs students to websites like realclearpolitics.com, which offers daily editorial curation and original reporting that presents balanced, non-partisan analysis that empowers readers to stay informed. His class also watched clips of candidate debates and town halls. “I’m trying to give them the wherewithal to evaluate the digital platforms,” Konovalchik says. “It’s challenging. I’m constantly pointing out, let’s say, historically reputable sites that they can use, and then at times talking about websites that are less useful, but it’s not easy.”

McCain concurs with Konovalchik’s use of realclearpolitics.com, and also offers her class the website allsides.com. She notes that her students otherwise tend to turn to social media for news. “Using TikTok to get news is totally normal for them,” she says. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking about TikTok in the classroom. Because of our cellphone policy they don’t have phones in class, but I’m sure that if we looked at two of my students’ TikTok feeds they’d contain not just different opinions, but also vastly different facts.”

To counter this, McCain has her students keep journals in which they catalog current events and assess the bias in the news source they’re relying on for information on that event. “If specific language in that news source is leading you one way or another, or if the news source particularly leans left or right, you need to make a note of that just to understand,” she says. “It’s fine to read that piece, but students need to understand the lens through which it might be shown to them. We practice that regularly.”

<< A group of students educating other students on issues present in the 2024 election.

A Feature Film Debut

As shared in the 2011 class notes, Nelson Tracey ’11 wrote and directed his feature film debut, “Breakup Season.” The film follows a young man bringing his girlfriend to his rural Oregon hometown to meet his family for Christmas, only for things to go terribly wrong upon arrival. The movie stars Chandler Riggs (“The Walking Dead”) and Samantha Isler (“Captain Fantastic”) in leading roles, along with James Urbaniak (“Oppenheimer”), Jacob Wysocki (“Pitch Perfect”), plus newcomers Brook Hogan and Carly Stewart in supporting roles. After shooting in La Grande, Oregon, in 2023, the film has been making its way through the film festival circuit, playing at 35 film festivals nationwide. It was released in select theaters November 15, followed by a video-on-demand (at home) release starting in early December. The film was produced by Static Films and is being released by Buffalo 8 Productions.

Nelson reflects: “This project represents the culmination of a lifetime of studying movies and my dreams of making my own films one day turning into reality. I started making short films and videos when I was 12 years old. During my time at Brooks, I made about a dozen short films with Max McGillivray ’12 and Jon Bell ’10, along with dozens of our classmates. All of those experiences, coupled with my time at Chapman University and my professional filmmaking life in Los Angeles, helped prepare me for this moment. I am so proud to be sharing this project and it’s been wonderful to see it connecting with audiences around the country.”

For more information visit @BreakupSeasonMovie on Instagram or BreakupSeasonMovie.com.

BROOKS WORKS

Have you recently published a book? Has your album just dropped? Tell us about it. We want to hear about your creative successes, and we want to highlight your work in an upcoming issue of the Bulletin. To have your work considered for inclusion in a future installment of Brooks Works, please send a review copy to:

Editor, Brooks Bulletin 1160 Great Pond Road North Andover, MA 01845

The magazine does not purchase the materials listed in Brooks Works. The materials we receive will be donated to the Luce Library or another appropriate outlet. The Bulletin reserves the right to reject works that, in the judgment of the editorial staff, do not promote the mission or values of Brooks School or the Bulletin

A promotional poster for the film “Breakup Season,” written and directed by Nelson Tracey ’11.

Nelson Tracey ’11 (right) on the set of “Breakup Season.”

Connect With Brooks!

Please save the date for the following Brooks alumni events this winter and spring:

JANUARY 14

LGBTQIA+ Alumni Virtual Gathering

FEBRUARY 4

Boston Reception

FEBRUARY 11

BIPOC Alumni Virtual Gathering

FEBRUARY 22

Alumni Skate & Hockey Game

APRIL 5

Brooks Gives Back

MAY 2–3

Class of 1975 50th Reunion

MAY 3

Class of 2020 5th Reunion

MAY 20

Sixth-Form Alumni Induction Dinner

An AwardWinning Fantasy Novel

This summer, Brooks class of 1995 classmates David Kneisler and Stefan Lukjanczuk published a highly anticipated urban fantasy novel they wrote together. “Darien Shockra and The Bermuda Triangle — Part 1” recently won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, which recognizes books that exemplify good storytelling, character development and depth of theme. The duo began their collaboration at Brooks, where they were roommates and became fast friends who shared a love of fantasy literature.

NEW ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

Six new Brooks alumni join the school’s alumni board this year. Their close connections to Brooks will enhance the board’s mission of strengthening the bond between Brooks and its graduates.

Emma Goff ’14 attended Brooks as a day student, and she says she had amazing experiences and made lifelong friends. She subsequently attended Bates College, where she played soccer and club ice hockey. Goff worked at a Washington, D.C., law firm for three years before attending Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She commenced work at a Chicago law firm this fall. Goff notes that she’s thrilled to work with fellow alumni board members to continue making Brooks a special place for the next generation of students.

Jason Gold ’18 has been a volunteer for Brooks as a class agent and reunion committee member. He also volunteers his time as an interviewer for the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program and as a running guide for Achilles International. Gold holds a B.S.B.A. in finance from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, where he was a Global Business Fellow. He worked in investment banking in New York City before joining an investment firm focused primarily on opportunistic credit and special situation investments.

The novel, which is first in a series, brings to life a universe in which ancient myths join with modern-day legends. The fate of the universe is in the hands of three unsuspecting heroes from the Bermuda Triangle. The trio must embrace its role as protectors of the universe while facing down the relentless forces of evil.

Cliff Irons ‘63 arrived at Brooks in 1958 as a second-former. A Boston University graduate, he served three years in the United States Navy from 1969 to 1971. At the request of Founding Headmaster Frank Ashburn, Irons returned to Brooks in 1972 as the second person in an expanding admission office. Irons coached both the 1st and 2nd hockey team, and the 1st tennis team for 20 years. He was dorm master for 19 years, primarily in Blake House with his wife, Joan. After leaving Brooks in 1993, he subsequently worked 11 more years at two other schools as the director of their annual funds. He has served as co-class agent for more than 20 years, as well as acting as co-chair of his 50th reunion. Two nephews are Brooks graduates: Stephen Irons ’86 and his brother, Richard ’88. Irons’ great-niece Maia Urbanzyk ’28 is a current third-former.

Ashley Hutchinson O’Connor ’08 is a career educator currently residing in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and four sons. After nearly a decade working in Lawrence Public Schools as both a teacher and administrator, O’Connor is now the managing director of finance for UP Education Network and oversees the finances for the nonprofit organization and its network of charter schools. At Brooks, O’Connor was an exchange program participant, a member of the softball and cross-country teams, and an avid participant in the community service program. She is excited to join the alumni board and give back to a community that provided so much for her.

ATHLETICS

Hall of Fame Induction

A group of Brooks graduates was inducted on a sunny Saturday in October.

Zoe Stathopoulos ’06 has nearly 15 years of professional experience designing and leading global health initiatives that improve health outcomes worldwide, building and managing high-quality teams, and developing meaningful global partnerships. She currently serves as the director of operations at the Global Health Program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She also serves as a special liaison to UCLA’s vice chancellor for research, where she provides oversight to support the smooth functioning of UCLA’s first foreign office in West Africa’s Cameroon. She has spent significant time living abroad and working in eastern and southern Africa, and southeast Asia. Stathopoulos is thrilled to be re-engaging with Brooks in this capacity and credits her current career path to interests that were developed at Brooks. While at Brooks, Stathopoulos engaged in several overseas exchanges, including School Year Abroad Italy and the Brooks Exchange Program with Alliance Girls School in Kikuyu, Kenya. She holds two master’s degrees: one in global health communications and the second in public health.

The school recognized its 20th class of inductees to the Brooks School Athletics Hall of Fame on October 5, 2024, during Homecoming and Family Weekend. The hall of fame honors those who have made exceptional contributions to the quality and tradition of athletics here at Brooks. Inductees must exhibit exemplary sportsmanship, athletic excellence, versatility, character, leadership and commitment. This year’s inductees were Frederick B. Northup ’64, the 2000 1st softball team, Mary Hart Lyons ’04 and Jordan N. Johnson ’10.

Andrew Stevens ’18 is a proud member of the Brooks School alumni community. Stevens truly feels that his time at Brooks represented the most meaningful educational experience he has ever had. While at Brooks he was a passionate member of the boys 1st soccer team and lists his teammates as his closest friends to this day. After graduating from Brooks, Stevens went on to play collegiate soccer at Columbia University and Northwestern University. He currently lives in New York City and works on the capital raising side of private equity.

Submit Nominations!

Nominations to next year’s alumni board are due February 15, 2025. Please visit www.brooksschool.org/ alumni/alumniboard for information and a nomination form.

Fred Northup ’64 was a member of the soccer, basketball and tennis teams. Earning a total of eight varsity letters during his Brooks athletics career, Northup also captained the basketball team in his sixth-form year. After Brooks, Northup carried the impact of the experiences he had playing sports at Brooks into his work as founder of the nonprofit organization Athletes for a Better World. Founded in 1998, Athletes for a Better World develops character, teamwork and citizenship based on its “code for living,” which draws from many of the lessons and values Northup learned from Founding Headmaster Frank Ashburn and Northup’s coaches and teammates while at Brooks. Northup also wrote the book “Winning More Than The Game,” which further articulates the impact of Northup’s experience at Brooks.

The 2000 1st softball team, captained by Lindsay Strozza Concemi ’00 and Beth Kittredge-Stepan ’00, built off the successes it had seen during the 1999 season to truly solidify the beginning of an era of softball greatness at Brooks. In the course of defending its 15–1, ISL championship-winning season from the prior year, the 2000 team finished with an undefeated record, the ISL championship and the Bancroft Invitational Tournament championship for the second consecutive year. Director of Athletics Andrea Heinze P’19, the school’s longstanding softball coach, commented that

“this team was more than just an undefeated season … [The team members] had grit, determination, an incredible work ethic and, most importantly, great camaraderie.”

co-champions and the runner-up at the New England Class B Championship.

Mary Hart Lyons ’04, who was introduced by faculty emerita Bobbie CrumpBurbank P’11, was a four-year letterwinner in cross-country and basketball, and a threeyear letter winner in crew. She received both the Kerri Ann Kattar Prize and the Athletic Prize at her commencement. She was a key contributor on every team she was a part of; she captained the crosscountry team in her fifth- and sixth-form year, and her boat won the NEIRA crew championship in her fifth-form year. On the court, Lyons was a three-time Eagle-Tribune basketball All-Star and was selected to the ISL All-League team and NEPSAC East AllStars four times. When she graduated, Lyons held the records for most games played (85), points in a game (34) and total three-point shots (260). During her fifthform year, Brooks won both the ISL and New England Class B Championships, with Lyons being named the tournament MVP. As co-captain the following year, Lyons helped lead the team to become ISL

Jordan Johnson ’10 was introduced by classmate, teammate and Brooks roommate Derek Murphy. Johnson was a four-year letterwinner in football and basketball at Brooks and captained both teams as a sixth-former. Football was where Johnson etched his legacy. “Whether it was an acrobatic touchdown, watching his burst of speed down the sideline or a pivotal play on defense, he consistently amazed spectators with his ability to create opportunities where none seemed possible,” Murphy said. He noted that in their thirdform year, the team collected a 1–7 record. In their sixth-form year, though, the team flipped its record to 7–2 and reached its first-ever NEPSAC bowl game. Johnson went on to play football at Brigham Young University, where he helped the defense to its thirdplace national ranking. Please visit www.brooksschool.org/athletics/hall-of-fame

FALL

ALUMNI EVENTS

Brooks graduates were spotted at the school’s New York reception, at a family-friendly pumpkin picking event sponsored by the school, and even visiting their own current Brooks students over Family Weekend.

A NEW YORK NIGHT

The Brooks School New York reception in October saw graduates, parents and current faculty mingle for drinks and hors d’oeuvres at The Union Club of the City of New York.

01 From left to right: Isabella Speakman Timon ’92, P’26, Philip C. Timon and Andrew Davis ’81.

02 From left to right: Prince Nuamah P’27, Lilly Nuamah P’27, and reception hosts Alan Osborne P’26 and Catharine H. Osborne P’26 at the New York reception.

03 Class of 2019 graduates Brian Kang (center right) and Eddie Choi (right) with their guests.

04 Class of 2012 graduates reunite at the New York reception.

A FALL ADVENTURE

Brooks graduates, along with their families, gathered at North Andover’s Smolak Farms in late September for a morning of hay rides, pumpkin picking, cider and donuts.

05 A crowd of Brooksians — and some future Brooksians! — gathered for a day of fall fun.

06 Ben Clapp ’02 (right) with wife Caroline Howe and their children.

FAMILY WEEKEND

Currently, 27 Brooks students are the children of Brooks graduates. In what has become an annual tradition over Family Weekend, many of these students and their parents gathered for a special luncheon with Acting Head of School Nina Freeman at the Demoulas Family Boathouse.

07 Class of 1990 graduates Lynn Ely Dixon (left) and P. Brooke Dixon with their daughter, fourth-former Emme Dixon.

08 From left to right: Julie Derderian ’95, P’25, P’28, Abby Derderian ’25 and Christian Derderian P’25, P’28 on the lakefront over Family Weekend.

09 The Bell family takes in the view from the Captains Porch at the Demoulas Family

From

Boathouse:

left to right, Sylvia Bell, Pilar Bell ’27, Arch Bell ’95.

IN MEMORIAM

Henry Lee ’44, P’64, P’76

The previous Distinguished Brooksian award winner passed away in August. He protected one of Boston’s most beautiful landmarks from urban development as founder of the Friends of the Public Garden.

THE WORLD was on the verge of war when the class of 1944 arrived on the Brooks School campus for its eighth-grade year. The United States had yet to enter the fray but according to the 1944 yearbook, “Chamberlain waved his umbrella futilely and a state of chaos seized the world.” On the North Andover campus, things were no less calm. The record-setting hurricane of 1938 landed soon into the new term; “fifty trees blew down, the lights went out for three days” according to the yearbook. Not exactly an omen for good times ahead.

And yet, according to the class’ retelling of its history years later, one new student, Henry Lee, was undaunted. Lee arrived on campus already very much at home. His stepbrother, Thomas Stephenson ’33 P ’68(d), had been an early graduate of the school (a member of the second graduating class) and his family was good friends with Founding Headmaster Frank Ashburn and his wife, Phyllis. Within a matter of months, he had developed a reputation as a playful classmate who was always willing to make a bet on a football game, positively silly in his antics and his quips. Along with classmate and friend Richard Grant ’44, P ’68 (d), Lee became part of a self-anointed dynamic duo.

Romp as he might, however, Lee never let the good times deter him from more serious matters at Brooks. He applied himself academically and often took on leadership roles for his class. Older son Henry ’64 says his father recounted with special pride doing his part with other sixth-formers surveilling the skies at night from

the highest point on campus to look out for German warplanes. Whether it was his early health challenges or a combination of nature and nurture, from the start Lee was driven to persevere and perform, always with a heavy dose of grace and humility — and a twinkle in his eyes. By the time he left Brooks, graduating early like many of his classmates to serve his country during World War II, Lee had amassed an estimable number of school honors. Founding member of “The Third Form Record.” Class secretary for three years (1941–43), lower school tennis champion (1941). News editor of “The Bishop.” Pitcher for the baseball team. First-team football player and sometimes quarterback for the team. Son Henry ’64 says his dad’s athleticism belied his “skinny” frame. And apparently poor eyesight. Lee’s younger son, Tom ’76 marvels at his on-field prowess, “pretty good for a severely nearsighted boy!” Tom also remembers his father particularly relished the human touch he found at the

school, noting that he “thought the world of the headmaster [Ashburn] who remembered everyone’s name and said goodnight to them as they left the dining room after dinner.”

No doubt that Brooks provided the teenaged Henry Lee with a lifelong commitment to duty and leadership, to which he brought his own inimitable humor, love of life and regard for all his fellow man. Over the next seven-plus decades, Lee gave of himself, willingly and generously, always to the benefit of those around him. Following graduation from Harvard College, he quickly moved on to Stanford University, from which he received a master’s degree in history, then overseas as a representative for the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service. He became a beloved teacher and coach at Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before advancing to the positions of assistant headmaster and headmaster at Dexter School in Brookline, Massachusetts. Throughout, he remained a devoted husband, father of four, and, by the early 1970s, an indefatigable and much admired community leader. “We did not know who he was in the outside world,” his daughter Karen remembers. “We just kept seeing him running out the door all the time.” She adds “He was involved in so many civic groups I can’t remember them all.”

His most public role came in the 1970s when, together with a small

group of like-minded Beacon Hill neighbors, he founded Friends of the Public Garden. The once-revered civic landmark had fallen into disrepair while also under threat from a large urban development project proposed by thenMayor Kevin White. Daughter Karen remembers: “Dad didn’t know the difference between a tree and a bush, but he jumped in ready for the fight, and fight he did.” Lee took the helm of the campaign, taking on City Hall and developer Mort Zuckerman with characteristic gusto despite daunting odds and almost no financial resources.

Lee continued to advance “the Friends,” programmatically and organizationally — unpaid and generally single-handedly — while carrying out other responsibilities as educator and leader of other community organizations, like the Massachusetts Historical Society, which he chaired for years. He never stopped. Well into his 90s, neighbors and friends would find him roaming the Public Garden grounds, picking up trash or stopping by the Friends’ office to report needed repairs or maintenance issues.

It was this aspect of his considerable career that resulted in Lee’s recognition in 2009 with the Distinguished Brooksian award. In the citation, the school emphasized his role in effectively rescuing the Public Garden, stressing that he was “instrumental in saving this

No doubt that Brooks provided the teenaged Henry Lee with a lifelong commitment to duty and leadership, to which he brought his own inimitable humor, love of life and regard for all his fellow man.

jewel in landscape architect

Frederick Law Olmstead’s Emerald Necklace.” Lee would live just long enough to enjoy seeing his son Henry receive the same award earlier this year — the only fatherson duo so honored by the school. Henry Lee passed away August 12th, just five months shy of his 100th birthday. He will be missed by the Brooks community as well as

all those who knew — and loved and admired — him. Fortunately for all of us, his legacy will live on in the urban oasis he created in Boston’s historic Public Garden and in the many civic organizations to which he generously lent his talents, his time and his deep belief in giving back. — Susanne Beck P’14

Henry Lee ’44 accepting the Distinguished Brooksian award at Alumni Weekend at Brooks in 2009.

ROB SIMMONS ’61

A Life of Service

After being drafted into the United States military at the onset of the Vietnam War, Rob Simmons ’61 embarked on a political career devoted to supporting servicemembers and veterans. Now, he finds peace in the simple labor of growing crops on his family farm in his hometown of Stonington, Connecticut.

ROB SIMMONS ’61 has devoted his life to serving the public. Following military service, he spent time with the Central Intelligence Agency and as chief of staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He was then elected as a state representative and then a United States Congressman. Although a Republican by party designation, Simmons was never afraid to buck the party line in favor of what he felt was right, and he ties this idea back to lessons he learned from his time at Brooks. “[Founding headmaster] Frank Ashburn used to say, ‘keep your socks up,’” Simmons says. “We used to make fun of it — What does that mean? I think he was saying tend to your own business before you attend to somebody else’s business. Educate yourself before you start preaching to somebody else. Do the work yourself before you ask somebody else to work for you.”

Simmons says that Brooks gave him confidence and perseverance, which he carried into his college days. At Haverford College, Simmons became involved in the Civil Rights Movement and in the anti-war movement. By May of his senior year, Simmons was set to graduate Haverford and head off to work at his grandfather’s Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in Medford, Oregon.

“And that’s when I got drafted,” he says.

Simmons completed a tour of duty in Vietnam from spring 1967 to December 1968. Simmons was in service during the Tet Offensive, a series of surprise attacks by the Viet Cong against the South Vietnamese army, the United States Army and their allies. He received two bronze star medals but brushes off any accolades. “I haven’t read the citations in 20 years,” he says, “because the way I look at it, 58,229

young men and seven women died. In my opinion, the only heroes are those who came back in a body bag.”

In the course of his tour, Simmons came to believe that incorrect information on troop numbers and casualties was being shared with the Pentagon. He decided to join the CIA, which he felt “really had a handle on what was going on,” and spent two years running special operations in Vietnam and then three years in Taiwan running covert operations related to the Chinese-Taiwanese nuclear weapons program. He then returned to the United States to receive his master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.

Simmons felt it was important to continue to support people who were still serving in the military. He applied to work on the staffs of every member of the United States Congress who served on the Armed

Services, Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees.

Republican Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island offered him a summer internship that turned into a full-time position. Simmons then found himself taking a position as chief of staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee under Senator Barry Goldwater. “These were incredible experiences,” he says. “I really learned how the government can work best, when you serve for the love of your country.”

Simmons returned to his hometown of Stonington in 1985 to teach at Yale University while working on his doctorate at the University of Connecticut. He was a member of Stonington’s Republican Town Committee, and won a special election for state representative. He was re-elected four more times, serving for 10 years. He’s most proud, he says, of his work on the transportation committee and his work on the higher education subcommittee of appropriations, through which he facilitated investment in the state university system. He then turned his attention to the United States Congress, and was elected following an election that was the closest race and the biggest upset of that election cycle.

As a United States congressman, Simmons worked to save the New London, Connecticut, submarine

base from realignment and closure, protecting 31,000 jobs and $2 billion of revenue for the state. He also chaired the Veterans Health Subcommittee, and says he fought for funding for veteran health care.

“I always worked with the people I could,” he says. “A nation that does not treat its veterans well will not find men and women to defend them in the future.” Following a failed bid for the United States Senate, Simmons returned to Stonington’s board of selectmen,

and then served for four years as the chief executive officer of the town.

“And what do you do when everything’s going well?” Simmons continues. “You quit. You go to the farm.”

The farm is Stone Acres Farm, which has been in Simmons’ wife’s family since 1765. Today, the property is a stunning wedding venue, a location for music events and pop-up dinners, a source of produce for local restaurants and a farmstand open to the public. It

offers a CSA and uses sustainable agricultural practices. “Our customers know that when the tomatoes come in, they’re fresh, that the corn was picked that day, and they know they’re supporting something good,” Simmons says. Simmons’ role at Stone Acres is as a volunteer. “I do the corn, the sunflowers and the squash,” he says. He enjoys the manual labor of working on the farm and claims it keeps him healthy.

“I think there’s something almost spiritual about putting a seed in the ground and covering it up,” Simmons says. “And then hoping that it’s going to rain and then have some sunshine, and then having it grow, and then taking people in the field to cut the flowers and pick out the ones that they like. There’s something very clean and humbling about growing food in this day and age.”

On reflection, Simmons says that he’s been able to carve a path that he’s found satisfying. “After being drafted, I saw how an individual’s freedom can be taken away,” he says. “But I also saw how you can turn that event into a positive if you embrace it and carry it forward to the best of your ability. Public service is more about giving than getting, in my opinion. But I found that in giving of myself and in trying to do the right thing, more often than not, it worked out.”

KIMCHI VU ’00

Finding Home

KimChi Vu ’00 and her family have crossed the globe looking for home: Her parents fled Vietnam at the fall of Saigon by setting off on a cobbled-together boat through an ocean roiling with pirates. Later, Vu found a home and voice of her own at Brooks, and now she’s a hub of her small town nestled in the mountains of Wyoming: She owns a Vietnamese restaurant that’s quickly become a can’t-miss stop for locals and visitors alike.

“HOME CAN BE somewhere you least expect it to be,” KimChi Vu ’00 reflects. “I would never in a million years have thought it would be in Wyoming.” Vu is speaking with a reporter during a lull in service at The V Cafe, her small Vietnamese restaurant housed inside the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Dubois, Wyoming. The town is microscopic (900, in the busy summer season; also, it’s pronounced “DOO-boys,” Vu will quickly emphasize) and it’s one of the last outposts where you can buy groceries, get a hot meal or procure supplies before heading off into the wilds of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Vu is quick to say that her life, especially as a Brooks graduate, is unconventional. For example, she reveals proudly, she has a trail name now: The steady flow of Continental Divide hikers who pass through Dubois, and who stop at The V Cafe for Shaking Beef, garlic shrimp noodles and fried pork with lemongrass, have embraced her as one of their own. “They’ll come in and say, ‘I’m looking for ‘Golden Leaf,’ and that’s me” Vu says, chuckling.

Vu’s journey is remarkable, and not just because this Brooks graduate — who won the Headmaster’s Prize on her Prize Day — landed in a small town in the closest America still has to a frontier. It’s also remarkable because of the real-life journey her parents took before she was born.

A Perilous Voyage

After Saigon, Vietnam, fell at the end of the Vietnam War, Vu’s family spent several years unsuccessfully trying to escape Vietnam and its communist government. Finally, in 1979, they saw a new opening: A group planned to escape by sea on vessels they built themselves out of whatever they could

find that would float. Vu’s parents, her two older, then-infant siblings, and a score of extended family and friends became part of the mass of “boat people” fleeing Vietnam, Vu explains, hoping to make it far enough to reach the shores of a neighboring country.

Within days, the flotilla was stopped by Thai pirates. Vu stresses that the pirates were not violent; they simply, she says, did not want the Vietnamese refugees to land in Thailand. After blindfolding their captives and pulling them out to sea, the pirates left — with the group’s compasses. Vu’s family sailed for another week, Vu estimates, before reaching the shores of Malaysia. Within six weeks after

landing, paperwork was processed and they were en route to America, and Orange County, California, where Vu was born and raised.

Finding Her Voice in the Wilder

Fast forward to one of the moments at Brooks in which Vu found her voice: The first time Vu told the story of her family’s escape across the ocean was as a third-former, when she won the Wilder Speaking Competition. Vu had arrived at Brooks through the A Better Chance program, after meeting with former admission officer Crystal Dixon P’26, P’28, who had traveled to Southern California for a middle school fair. “I remember falling asleep reading all the admission catalogs from Brooks,” Vu says. “There was no looking back once I was accepted.”

Vu arrived at Brooks and was met with, she says, “culture shock.” She came from Santa Ana, California, a city that she describes as having large Latino and Vietnamese populations. “Here I was,” she says, “suddenly on a campus that was predominantly white and wealthy.” Vu found a haven in her teachers — she names her advisor Don Cameron, faculty emeritus Leigh Perkins ’81, P’14, P’18 and now Head of School John Packard as particular supports for her — and

in the small gestures of her community: For example, the DiResta family, she says, took her to church with them every Sunday. She became a manager for the football team, and slowly found her footing. She excelled academically, and she considers winning the Wilder as one of her crowning achievements at Brooks. “I knew that I had done something good,” she says. “I decided to keep capitalizing on that and using that as a way to find my way to the next thing, and to keep thriving.”

How to Measure Success

After graduating from college, Vu started an e-commerce business with her husband, Elvis Nguyen, before her story took a hard twist: She battled cancer twice, which she says left her exhausted and “in a dark place.” That experience, coupled with a chance to relocate to Wyoming during the COVID19 pandemic, helped Vu realize that “you don’t need to aspire for something big and grand. Elvis and I needed each other, our health, our kids and our love. If we were ever going to live a quieter, slower pace of life, moving to Wyoming was our chance to do it.”

Life, Vu says, is measured by the connections one makes to the people around them. Opening The V

Cafe helps Dubois, Vu says, because it gives restaurant patrons an Asian eatery in a place where there had previously been none. It’s also helped her, she says, because she’s found a new way to tell her story, and a new way to grow bonds with the people around her. The bustling interior of The V Cafe is more than just a small business in a remote town; to Vu, it’s a symbol of her own journey, and her family’s journey, toward visibility, fulfillment and home.

Vu says that Brooks taught her to understand who she was and what her strengths are, and to use that to find her own happiness. “Closing up shop every night is such a great feeling,” Vu says. “I feel such love and fulfillment. After all those years of being sick, battling cancer

and not being sure whether what I was doing was good enough, to find that sense of peace is a great feeling.”

“It almost feels like my family’s history came full circle when I opened a Vietnamese restaurant inside a VFW post that hosts a lot of Vietnam War veterans,” she says. “And now, as I approach my 25th anniversary of graduating Brooks, I’m telling my own story to the school also. The connections I made at Brooks are ones that I’ve carried with me. It could have been decades since I’ve seen or heard from a person, but the love is not lost, and that’s what I appreciate about the community we formed there.”

A sample of notes written and pinned to the “kindness wall,” a stretch of space outside the theater in the Center for the Arts. The fall musical, “Mean Girls High School Edition” prompted a discussion and demonstration of ways in which Brooksians show kindness toward each other. Please turn to page 9 to read more about the production.

On February 6, our annual Giving Day, show the world that you Believe in Brooks by making a gift to the Brooks Fund.

Can we top 750 supporters for the sixth year in a row? This year we are offering a chance to win Boston Bruins tickets thanks to a generous donor.

“I always make a gift on Giving Day because I ‘Believe in Brooks’ and I understand the vital role philanthropy plays in supporting our students, fulfilling our mission and upholding our values. I hope you will consider making a donation on February 6. It is not the size of your gift, but your participation that matters!”

JAMES BEGEN ’05 , Alumni Board

Why wait? Gifts to the Brooks Fund can be made anytime throughout the year at brooksschool.org/giving