BB&N's Community Engagement Report

Community Engagement Buckingham Browne & Nichols School

BB&N’s mission statement describes a community

BB&N Quick Facts

of teachers, learners, and families who are

• Buckingham School founded in 1889

committed to principled engagement with the

• Browne & Nichols School founded in 1883 • Buckingham Browne & Nichols formed by merger in 1974

neighbors and neighborhoods we live alongside.

• 1,017 total students

The School demonstrates this engagement in

many ways—as an employer of 285 men and women, as a contributor of more than $2 million

• 320 Lower School (grades B-6); 169 Middle School (grades 7-8); 528 Upper School (grades 9-12)

• 500 girls, 517 boys • 26% students of color • 86 towns of origin represented in schoolwide student body • Approximately 900 applicants each year for 150 places

annually to the local economy, and certainly in

• In 2013-2014 awarded $7,043,650 in financial aid to 23 percent

our dedication to community service, student

• The Class of 2013 entered 60 different colleges and universities

aid, and educational and recreational programs open to all. We are well aware that Buckingham Browne & Nichols School has the great fortune to reside in the wonderful communities of Cambridge and Watertown, and we place great importance on preserving and building upon our 130-year-old legacy of being a good neighbor.

Rebecca T. Upham, Head of School BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS

of the student body (233 students)

• Operating budget: $37.5 million

BB&N Motto Honestas Litterae Comitas Honor Scholarship Kindness

Mission Statement BB&N’s mission is to promote scholarship, integrity, and kindness in diverse, curious, and motivated students.

The School prepares students for lives of principled engagement in their communities and the world.

Statement of Values

• We value a learning environment distinguished by a broad,

value a program that reinforces key characteristics for 21st-century • We

deep, and challenging program of study that inspires

success—especially creativity, curiosity, resilience, and teamwork.

thorough, sustained engagement among our students.

standards in their behavior, habits of thought, and decision making.

• We value a diverse and inclusive community that fosters

respect for the identities and perspectives of all.

• We value balancing a culture of high expectations with a

• We value the importance of helping students develop keen ethical • We value a vibrant, healthy, and safe community where engagement

and risk-taking promote lifelong learning. strong commitment to support intellectual, social, emotional, • We value encouraging our students to learn and serve in their local, and physical well-being.

• We value kindness and compassion among all members of

our community.

• We value the widespread, authentic connection with students

that our teachers, coaches, and mentors seek to cultivate.

regional, and global communities. value a well-rounded education that offers our students ample • We

opportunity to explore, evolve, and excel in academics, arts, athletics,

and all phases of school life.

COMMUNITY For the past 130 years, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School has been a proud member of the Cambridge community. Throughout this history, the School has placed great importance on its relationship with its neighbors and its multi-faceted contributions to the surrounding region.

Examples of these contributions from recent years include: • This year, 206 Cambridge children are enrolled at BB&N, reducing by approximately $5.4 million the annual education costs for the City of Cambridge.

• The School provides access to its facilities, free of charge, to local organizations and

causes each year, such as the Cambridge Camping Association, Special Olympics, Patrick’s

PALS, American Legion Baseball, Breakthrough Greater Boston, and the American Red Cross.

• BB&N students and faculty log thousands of community service hours each year, aiding

the missions of scores of nearby organizations such as the Youville House, the Cambridge

Community Center, and the Charles River Conservancy.

• For the past 13 years, BB&N has hosted a weekly Books Basketball & Neighbors program

that provides a combination of organized basketball activities plus peer tutoring to hundreds of young residents of Cambridge and Boston.

• In 2010, BB&N partnered with the Silver Lake Land Trust, the Harris Center for Conservation

Education, and the Monadnock Conservancy to create a conservation easement of 190

acres in Harrisville and Nelson, New Hampshire, that BB&N has owned for 38 years. The easement ensures the preservation not only of the stunning natural resources of this land, but also of the outdoor education legacy of Camp Marienfeld, which has benefited

thousands of BB&N students as the home of the school’s Bivouac program.

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Students from Cambridge & Surrounding Towns Town

Number of Students

Approximate Savings

Cambridge

206

$5,418,830

Boston

161

$2,338,364

Belmont

43

$ 485,943

Arlington

32

$ 400,064

Brookline

28

$ 454,328

Somerville

18

$ 287,496

Watertown

18

$ 287,532

Medford

8

$ 107,008

Everett

3

$ 33,987

517

$9,813,552

TOTAL

* Based on 2013 BB&N enrollment information.

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Financial Aid:

ECONOMIC IMPACT

$7 MILLION in Financial Aid was awarded this year to

23% of the student body,

BB&N is a non-profit educational institution that impacts the local

supporting the education of

233 students

economy in a variety of ways: as an employer of 285 individuals, as

ARLINGTON

3%

a magnet for 750 families living

BELMONT

2%

BOSTON

37%

within a 30-mile radius, as a granter

BROOKLINE

1%

CAMBRIDGE

19%

MEDFORD

4%

as a purchaser of millions of dollars

SOMERVILLE

4%

of goods and services each year.

WATERTOWN

30%

of more than $7 million of financial aid each year to 230+ students, and

Annual Payments to Local Vendors *The data on the following pages is representative of a typical year.

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$2,201,854

BB&N banks at: • Belmont Savings Bank • Cambridge Savings Bank • First Republic Bank

o • Watertown Savings Bank

Voices from THE COMMUNITY Paul Delaney, Sales Manager,Mcgeoghean Waste Systems, Inc.

Voices from BB&N joe griffin, BB&N Director of Facilities

“BB&N was one of the very first clients we had that went the

“We make it a priority to work with local, high-quality vendors, and

single-stream recycling route. And it was a great decision. There’s

our long partnership with McGeoghean Waste in Cambridge is a

not another school out there that’s doing a better job with

perfect example of why. These are people who are committed to

recycling than BB&N is now. It’s a real privilege for us, as a proud

doing great work, who are dedicated to helping BB&N carry out its

Cambridge company, to be able to partner with a local school

teaching mission, and who care deeply about Cambridge and the

that’s taken such a leadership role in this arena.”

people who live, work, and study here. Partnering with individuals and organizations such as that is a no-brainer for us.”

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ECONOMIC IMPACT Employment:

BB&N Employees Who Live in Neighboring Communities

285 Arlington

16

Belmont

19

Boston

15

Cambridge

36

Watertown

Somerville

17

18

BB&N employees (full and part-time)

$18.3

MILLION

Total annual salaries and benefits

In 2012 BB&N received a special proclamation from the Cambridge City Council recognizing the School’s support of the Cambridge Camping Association. The proclamation recognized the School for volunteering to host the Cambridge Camping Association’s Summer Adventure Day Camp at the BB&N Middle School last summer.

PICTURED: Cambridge Mayor Henrietta Davis, center, presents BB&N with the award. Camp volunteers and BB&N students Natasha ‘15 and Amy ‘15, are at far right.

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DIVERSITY BB&N’s commitment to diversity is integral to the mission of the School. The different perspectives and experiences of our students and families help define the fabric of our community.

BB&N: • Students of color make up 26 percent

• Encourages its students to attend

• In 2008, BB&N conducted an extensive

of BB&N’s enrollment

diversity conferences offered by

study to address an achievement gap

• Awards more than $7 million in

the National Association of

existing among students of color at

financial aid to 23% of the student

Independent Schools (NAIS) and

the School.

body (233 students).

the Association of Independent Schools

• Following the study, BB&N initiated

• Features a Multicultural Student

in New England (AISNE).

steps that are ongoing and have already

Alliance, made up of eight student

• Hosts numerous multicultural events

narrowed the gap considerably. The

groups, that supports, educates,

each year that provide cultural

School has shared its trailblazing

and enriches the entire School

self-expression and enlightenment

achievement gap initiatives with

community

opportunities for BB&N students,

independent school educators nationwide.

families, and alumni/ae.

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[1]

[2] [1] Students don lime green t-shirts to promote BB&N Community Service.

[2] The Books Basketball & Neighbors crew gathers for some basketball and tutoring of inner-city children. [3] Students use the crosswalk in front of the Upper School for safer navigation across Greenough Boulevard. BB&N funded the project in partnership with the Commonwealth. [4] Summer Camp friends share a laugh. [5] Beginner students sell salads made with vegetables from the Lower School garden to benefit UNICEF. [6] Upper School students provide moral support for each other during a schoolwide American Red Cross blood drive. [7] Middle Schoolers read to young visitors from a Cambridge preschool during Giving Thanks Day. [3]

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[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

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ENVIRONMENT BB&N maintains as a high priority the stewardship of a cleaner, safer, healthier environment across all four campuses. Not surprisingly, this wide-ranging objective is implemented not only on a consistent basis among the School’s operations, maintenance, transportation, and dining staff, but also has been sparked frequently at a grass-roots level from BB&N students and faculty members.

Some examples of BB&N’s “green” initiatives include: • the installation of 1,130 solar panels atop the Nicholas Athletic Center in 2011, supplying most of the power for the 79,000-square-foot facility; • the implementation of schoolwide single-stream recycling in 2008, which has reduced by 60 percent the amount of waste being sent to incinerators or landfills; • the use of 100-percent organic applications (cedar oil and lemon) for pest control, and low-salt applications for snow/ice removal; • the initiation of a composting program on our campuses (including food waste and grass clippings from sports fields), an effort first spearheaded by a grade 12 student as part of her senior spring project; • a diligent tree maintenance program to sustain the health and vigor of the more than 100 trees that grace BB&N’s campuses, including two stately beech trees on the Middle School campus; • the introduction of 15 carbon-filtered water stations throughout our campuses, greatly reducing the use of bottled water.

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Upper School

COMMUNITY SERVICE

As a requirement for graduation, Upper School students perform a minimum of 40 hours of community service. Most students greatly surpass the requirement. The School organizes a community service afternoon each fall, during which groups of students volunteer at local non-profits. Every February, BB&N holds its all-school “Have-a-Heart” food drive for Boston

In order to expand our students’ horizons and instill a spirit of service to others, BB&N offers

Medical Center.

Middle School BB&N Middle School features a Community Service Club whose members work to support our

a variety of opportunities for

local communities. The club’s projects have included: cooking dinner at school and on-site for

students to get involved in

the women at Duley House, fundraising to fulfill Christmas wish lists for the Heading Home

community service.

organization, and acting as student leaders during the Boston Medical Center Food Drive.

The Club also partakes in drives supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Belle of the Ball, which provides prom dresses to high school girls who cannot afford their own. The entire Middle School community also participates in activities such as Giving Thanks Day, in which students spend the day participating in approximately 18 different service projects.

Lower School Although not a requirement at the Lower School, community service is still an important aspect of most students’ lives on this campus. Students participate in community service through a series of schoolwide programs, including efforts such as making quilts for a local women’s shelter (see photo at right ), collecting items for Cradles to Crayons, running book and mitten drives, participating in the Walk for Hunger, and organizing collections for UNICEF.

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Student Community Service Hours Last Year Upper School

4,920

Middle School

1,360

Lower School

2,376

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COMMUNITY SERVICE VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY Maeve Bacon, Program Manager, Duley House

“BB&N students started coming to plant flowers and pull weeds in

VOICES FROM BB&N Zoe Tarshis, Middle School Community Service Club Advisor

the spring and it evolved from there. I requested that they make

“What I love so much about our work with Duley House and

a meal for the women at the end of the month when their food

Heading Home is that it feels concrete. In the fall we raised

and money were low, so they accommodated us. The students

funds for families through Heading Home to fulfill Christmas

started making handmade mementos for the holidays and bring

wish lists. We went to Target with $400 in dollar bills and

them to the women whenever a holiday is upon us. The women

quarters from our bake sales and bought Christmas presents.

appreciate their young hearts wanting to serve them in many

We had names of family members, ages, and their wishes.”

ways. It has been a great pleasure.”

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Below is a partial list of organizations that are currently being served, or have been served, by BB&N students: Arlington Boys & Girls Club

Kiva

Belle of the Ball

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Belmont Food Pantry

Mass Peace Action

Best Buddies

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston Medical Center

Mount Auburn Hospital

Bread and Jams

MSPCA

Breakthrough Cambridge

Neville Center Senior Assisted Living

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Newton Food Pantry

Cambridge Homes

Oak Square YMCA

The Cambridge Shelter

On the Rise Shelter

Charles River Conservancy

Perkins School for the Blind

Charlestown Boys & Girls Club

Pine Knoll Nursing Center

Chelsea Community Kitchen

Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger

Children’s Hospital

Project Hope

Christmas in the City

Relay for Life – American Cancer Society

City Year

Roxbury Boys & Girls Club

Cradles to Crayons

Salvation Army “Our Place”

Duley House

for Homeless Children

Essex House

Somerville YMCA

Gaining Ground

Special Olympics Massachusetts

Greater Boston Food Bank

Summerbridge

Haley House

Susan G. Koman for the Cure

Hands On (Rebuilding Together)

Tenacity

Harvard Square Meals Program

UNICEF

Heading Home Organization

Waltham YMCA

Heifer International

Wellesley Animal Hospital

Hildebrand Family Center

West End House Boys & Girls Club

Hill House Senior Meals Program

Winchester Hospital

Horizons for Homeless Children

Youth on Fire

Jimmy Fund Little League Baseball

Youville House Senior Assisted Living Center

Employee Volunteer Spirit In addition to the innumerable hours BB&N students spend volunteering, our employees also donate their time and energy to local non-profits. One of many examples is Keith Jones, BB&N’s Director of Dining Services. Jones has spent more than six years pitching in to help the Chelsea Community Kitchen.

After two years volunteering as a visiting cook making breakfast and lunch for local people in need, he was elected Program Director and eventually Coordinating Director of the entire program. Through his work at the Chelsea Community Kitchen, Jones also became a volunteer for many years for Project Bread and the “Walk for Hunger.”

“I felt it was a great way to get involved in the community,” says Jones about his volunteer services. “It also provided me a great deal of pride to know I was doing something to help people in need.”

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SUMMER PROGRAM Established in 1949, Summer @ BB&N continues a proud tradition of providing enjoyable and memorable summer learning experiences for boys and girls from Pre-K through grade 12.

In a typical summer*: • 850 students from 65 Massachusetts towns, 12 U.S. states, and 16 countries enroll in

various program offerings.

• 84 percent of all attendees are students

from other schools, and 16 percent are BB&N

students or applicants.

• 53 campers receive aid totaling $31,000.

• 135 employees (80% of whom are not BB&N

school employees) are hired with stipends totaling $420,205.

• For the past 21 years, BB&N’s Summer Program

Summer @ BB&N Gives Back: BB&N’s summer program donates camp weeks to youth groups and local fundraisers each year.

and camp families have held a fundraising fair to support the Jimmy Fund. *data based on Summer 2013

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www.bbns.org/summer

VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY Joyce Gerber and Rick Lamkin, Parents of BB&N Campers

“Our two children have both been BB&N campers for many years, each starting when they were just five. We have stayed because of the great opportunities and fun summer experience. We are Cambridge residents and love that our children are meeting other campers who may not be in our neighborhood or attend their school, but are part of the Cambridge community.”

VOICES FROM BB&N Colleen O’Connor, Director, Extended Year Programs

“Summer programming offers something for everyone and has the ability to attract families who may not be part of our community during the school year. This larger community promotes inclusivity and provides us with an alternate platform from which BB&N can motivate, inspire, and educate even more children.”

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138 80 Sparks Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 10 Buckingham Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 46 Belmont Street, Watertown, MA 02472

www.bbns.org