MESSAGE FROM THE
HEADMASTER Our Greatest Challenge: To Be a Force for Good
A
T OPENING Day Assembly a few years ago, I conveyed a few disjointed but
It’s simple, short, and to-the-point, easy to tape above your mirror for a little inspiration:
heartfelt thoughts, three of which I’d like
“Be a Force for Good.”
to share again now.
Think about it. One really can’t do better.
First, even more than I want our boys to
Be a force for good: Help others before you
succeed, I want each and every one of us —
help yourself. Think of others before you think of
students and faculty alike — to appreciate that
yourself. Leave a place better than you found it.
we’re part of something bigger.
Enjoy things in a group, not on your own. Raise,
Brunswick is only as good as any one of us on our worst day. We’re all in this together. We all
don’t lower, the level of discourse. Win as a team, not as an individual. Never compromise your
benefit from the reputation of those who came before us. We owe it to those who will follow to honor what’s special about this place. Brunswick boys stand out. People judge them and, by extension, all of us by how we conduct ourselves. If we’re rude, selfish, entitled, or spoiled, people will assume everyone
honor or encourage others to
“ WE ACTUALLY TEND TO LEARN MORE FROM MISTAKES THAN FROM SUCCESSES. SO, AS IN LIFE, WE WON’T SHIELD OUR BOYS FROM EITHER.”
here is that way. If we’re polite,
compromise theirs. Expect less and thank more. To that end, I concluded by reminding the boys why
In the whole endeavor, we’ll accept many of a
Brunswick School is here:
boy’s mistakes, if we see that he’s willing and able
For well over 100 years, our mission has been to “prepare
tend to learn more from mistakes than from
young men for life.”
successes. So, as in life, we won’t shield our boys
Our boys’ mission is not to
from either.
get the best grades, not to win
As we “prepare young men for life,” our motto
the most games, not to gather
remains Courage, Honor and Truth. So, I’ll close
respectful, and resourceful, they’ll believe those
the most friends or to get into the best college. It
are the standards of the Brunswick community.
is “to prepare for life.”
Second, I urged our boys to look out for each
to learn from them. In all honesty, we actually
Life has ups and downs, good days and
with this hope: May we have the Courage to face all we do with determination, the Honor to respond to
other. We all have our failings and lapses. I asked
bad, advancements and setbacks. If we at
setbacks with persistence and, above all, may we
each boy to help the “other guy” to be the best he
Brunswick are true to our mission, then, just
always be Truthful to ourselves, so that we may
can, knowing, in turn, others will do the same
as in life, our boys’ time here must also have
grow better from the lessons offered by our worst
for him. Together, we can help each other tap, as
ups and downs, good days and bad, advance-
days as well the successes achieved on our best.
Lincoln said, the “better angels of our nature.”
ments and setbacks.
Third, I offered something for our boys to
Our faculty works to support our boys through
think about each morning: I have a saying taped
the entire experience. Guiding our boys to
above my mirror that I read as I get dressed. It
achieve all they can achieve is why we wake up in
offers a good perspective to start each day, not
the morning. It’s why we’re teachers. We love the
just on schoolwork, but on all things.
job and we love these boys.
Thomas W. Philip
WWW.BRUNSWICKSCHOOL .ORG
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