Letter from the Senior Master

I am delighted to share the 2020-2021 Annual Report with you. We will remember the school year for the extraordinary challenges and extraordinary commitment of our faculty, students, parents, trustees, and alumni.

Millbrook School’s community stepped up and persevered during these pandemic times, and the result was a year of in-person learning and personal growth for students and faculty. The 2020-2021 school year was highlighted by countless kind gestures of support offered by so many in the Millbrook family. These were difference makers for our students and faculty, and they truly buoyed the spirits and resolve of all of us on campus.

I must also mention Millbrook’s medical team, comprised of our health care professionals led by Medical Director Dr. Caroline Salas-Humara and our Medical Advisory Committee, inclusive of Dr. Scott Rodeo and his wife, Dr. Christine Frissora, parents of Caitlyn ’22, and Dr. Mark Smith ’68, whose expertise and wisdom helped guide us safely throughout the year.

Sadly, as far as we know, we lost seven alumni to COVID-19 this past year. These graduates were among our best and brightest, and they were taken from us far too soon.

It was certainly a year of transition as we said farewell and thank you to the Casertanos and welcomed Jonathan Downs ’98 as our 7th headmaster. Here is a historical look at Millbrook’s headmasters over the years and their terms of service:

Edward Pulling 1931-1965 George Buell 1965-1968 Henry Callard 1969-1970 Donn Wright 1971-1976 Donald Abbott ’59 1976-1990 Drew Casertano 1990 - 2021 Jonathan Downs ’98 2021 - I am privileged to have known all seven heads of school and to have worked for four of them. Going forward, Millbrook’s leadership is in the skillful hands of Jon Downs, who has been essentially sharing the job with Drew Casertano since he was elected to succeed Drew by the Board of Trustees in January 2020. Jon has loved Millbrook since he arrived on campus in the mid-1990s, and his educational and professional experiences in various schools since Millbrook only served as a reminder that he was someone we should keep our eyes on. Jon hit the ground running this July, acutely aware there is much to be accomplished in the coming year, including the creation of a new Pulling House, a new Alumni & Development Office, and additional faculty housing.

As we embark on Millbrook’s 91st year, we thank you for your abiding support for this school and for all who learn and work here.

With best wishes to you and your families for a healthy and satisfying year ahead,

Robert W. Anthony ’65 Senior Master and Assistant to the Headmaster for External Relations