MESSAGE FROM THE
HEADMASTER For Nearly 50 Years: A Unique & Remarkable Arrangement
B
RUNSWICK IS unique in many ways, but
leaving Brunswick and GA to make it work as a
one of its most defining characteristics is
two-school team.
the fact that it’s a mission-based, all-boys school from grades Pre-K through 12.
It’s unique, too, in the fact that it also has
That relationship has grown only stronger during the past 40-plus years. It works well in the clarity that our boys are
academic and extracurricular overlap with
students at Brunswick, adhering to our rules,
Greenwich Academy in the Upper School.
expectations, and graduation requirements,
This arrangement is both an enhancement to the experience of our students, and also a cause for confusion among those less familiar with its details.
while the girls are students at GA in a respective fashion. Students take classes at the alternate campus, or have students from the alternate school in a
So, in an effort to clarify the intents of our relationship, let’s take a look at its history — well,
given class, while still remaining boys and girls of their own schools. And the schools remain
at least an abridged version. Coordination was an outgrowth of an exploration in the 1970s of the possibilities of a merger among Brunswick School, Greenwich Country Day School, and Greenwich Academy. Although that exercise ultimately fizzled, it did produce an arrangement among Brunswick School, Greenwich Academy, and Convent of the Sacred Heart — one with two main purposes. The first was to give some semblance of a coeducational experience to what were
“IT WORKS WELL IN THE CLARITY THAT OUR BOYS ARE STUDENTS AT BRUNSWICK, ADHERING TO OUR RULES, EXPECTATIONS, AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, WHILE THE GIRLS ARE STUDENTS AT GA IN A RESPECTIVE FASHION.”
single-sex schools; the second was an effort to achieve economies of scale in course offerings and staffing. Over time, the logistics of the relationship
distinct and separate in terms of
student clubs and organizations, 35 men’s and
structure, staffing, and mission.
women’s interscholastic sports with 80 teams.
Very intentionally, this
In terms of facilities, there are 87 shared
arrangement provides the best
Upper School classrooms and labs, two libraries,
of both worlds.
two dining halls, two theaters and two black
Brunswick maintains what
boxes (with over six major dramatic productions
we deeply believe are the mani-
per year), 15 squash courts, 13 tennis courts,
fest advantages of being an
12 gymnasiums, an indoor pool, an indoor
all-boys school — our mission,
ice-hockey rink, a boathouse, 15 athletic fields, as
our traditions, our culture
well as exercise rooms, yoga studios, and cross-
— while also reaping the
country trails.
academic benefits of the avail-
And, most important of all, more than 800
ability of Brunswick classes
boys and girls of distinct ability and commitment
to GA girls and GA classes to
sharing classes and campuses.
Brunswick boys. No question: The significance
Together, Brunswick and Greenwich Academy have come a long way since the 1970s
of the shared experience is
— working together to offer the best of both
remarkable.
worlds, indeed!
By the numbers, the joint Upper School community is astounding: 83 Honors and Advanced Placement classes, 206 courses and
with a geographically more distant Sacred
411 sections, 102 joint Upper School faculty
Heart caused it to drop out of the arrangement,
members with advanced degrees, close to 70
Thomas W. Philip
WWW.BRUNSWICKSCHOOL .ORG
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