Brimmer and May is a PK–12 all gender day school that upholds high academic standards while implementing innovative ideas in a supportive and student-centered community. We develop lifelong learners who are informed, engaged, and ethical citizens and leaders in our diverse world.
Brimmer is big on academic resources and offerings for students in PK to Grade 12: From core subjects to creative arts to social-emotional skill building. From interdisciplinary study of world cultures and languages to hands-on STEAM-related design and service learning. (Have you seen our Curriculum Guide?!)
Yet our smaller scale is perfect for fostering a sense of community and a culture of equity. Meaningful relationships enhance teaching and learning here. Our size is ideal for nurturing the intellectual development and personal potential of each student.
Our School-wide emphasis on personalized education reaches its culmination in the Upper School. With unique Signature Diploma Programs and numerous academic opportunities to choose from, you will distinguish yourself by pursuing your individual academic interests. With the kinds of clubs, activities, arts, and athletic options that bigger schools have, here you’ll find greater opportunities to not only participate but also establish yourself as a leader. Whatever it is that you have to offer—and we’re betting it’s a lot—you can make your mark in our community.
That’s about the size of it.
Brimmer’s curriculum is truly remarkable. You can explore a broad range of academic disciplines, dig deeply into areas of interest, and demonstrate excellence through advanced work. In projects across the disciplines, here you will collaborate in exciting ways with classmates. In independent work you’ll showcase your own original thinking and individual talents. You’ll be called upon to think and to act. You will immerse yourself in the world of ideas and meaningfully engage with the world around you.
Brimmer’s community is special too. Forget about cliques and categories, limits and labels. At Brimmer “athletes” get parts in the play and “artists” make plays on interscholastic teams. We’ll encourage you—and provide opportunities—to try everything on your way to discovering your best, most authentic self.
From academics to extracurriculars, in the classroom and School community, the Brimmer experience is designed to be student-centered and personally fulfilling.
Brimmer offers courses in various branches of science, different levels of math, and a range of electives in the humanities. Your advisor will help you tailor the perfect schedule to keep pushing you forward.
Brimmer’s graduation requirements for every student make for a broad and balanced education. For those seeking to pursue an intellectual passion, our Signature Diploma Programs confer specialized knowledge, skills, and experiences.
Here is what you are likely to see in the Hastings Center: Architectural design challenges, fun with physics, and projects and products that have been conceived and fabricated by Brimmer students. The facility includes an Innovation Space for setting up experiments, tinkering, and problemsolving; a Maker Space with the cutting-edge technology and highly useful mechanical tools to fabricate your
inventions; and a Digital Media Classroom with a green screen and tools for digital video creation and editing, both for academic work and student activities. Here’s what’s invisible but very much present in the Hastings Center: The transferable skills you’ll develop, like creative and critical thinking, persistence, and innovative problem-solving.
Your Brain, Powered by STEAM
By embracing opportunities to engage in school life—from clubs, Student Government, sports, and arts to service and other kinds of community engagement—you expand your notions about who you are and what you can be.
When you were little, playing outside with friends after school was one of the best parts of your day. Why not now? Through Brimmer’s athletics program you can play every day, take games seriously, and make great memories with friends. From recreational sports to stay active (think yoga, skiing, and spin classes) to varsity teams vying for championships
(see the banners in our gym), Brimmer offers a range of opportunities to improve your overall fitness, hone sport-specific skills, and experience the unique camaraderie of athletic activity. Whether you are a novice ready to try a new sport or a superstar headed for NCAA glory, we’ve got a team (or two, or three) for you!
At Brimmer we encourage creative thinking, creative expression, and plain old creation across the disciplines. You’ll flex those parts of your brain every day, especially in visual arts, music, and theater arts courses. We offer a huge range of electives—from the basics, like Ceramics or Stagecraft; to the specific, like Fashion Design, Graphic Art, or Songwriting & Composition; to the advanced,
like AP© 2-D Design; to the wildly fun, like Improvisation and too many to mention!
Everyone takes art, everyone makes art. Multiple drama productions, publications, performances by music ensembles, and exhibits are highlights of each year.
Dedicated artists can really focus on their craft through the intensive Creative Arts Diploma Program.
PROVE
When you’ve had many opportunities to prove—and improve—yourself, you gain a confidence that stands up to future challenges.
Do research: On a place, its culture, its geography, its history, its societal issues. Understand what you want to learn and why. Then, go: On an international or domestic trip. See for yourself. Reach out to others. Understand and engage on a deeper level.
During Winterim, a number of programs are offered. Your
group might travel to Southern France to learn about art and architecture. Another group might work with an NGO in the Dominican Republic to mentor elementary students there. Finally, reflect: On what you’ve learned and experienced, how it has changed you, and what your role in the world can be.
Many students who are about to start high school can’t quite imagine their future self at graduation. I offer this picture: As a Brimmer senior you will have completed an inquiry-based academic program featuring active, experiential learning—both in our classrooms and laboratories and beyond our campus. You will have practiced and developed skills in communication, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and
creative problem-solving. You will have charted your own course of study, thanks to Brimmer’s global focus, curricular breadth and depth, and unique opportunities for individual achievement. Finally, in your college applications you will have confidently articulated the strengths and accomplishments that make you stand out. That’s how Brimmer can change someone’s future. I know because I’ve seen it.
This viewbook contains both pre-pandemic and current imagery. Visit brimmer.org to learn more about our response to the pandemic.
© Design: Peapod Design, Norwalk, CT Copywriter: Leslie Virostek Photography: Peapod Design and David Barron
