From the Editor Long Time No See

Well, readers, it’s been a while. Our last issue celebrated Brewster’s Bicentennial, and then WHOOSH—more than a year has flown by before we could get our feet back under us to create another issue of Brewster’s magazine for you. COVID and all its inherent delays and hurdles certainly played a role in that, but truth be told, it has also just been an extraordinary time of change and great new challenges. But now, I am thrilled that the magazine is back in your hands and we can get reacquainted!

In the time we’ve been apart, magazine readers, so much important goodness has taken place that filled our work days and beyond: Kristy Kerin has stepped into the role of Head of School with aplomb. Craig Gemmell has moved into his role as President of Brewster Academy and BA International, and is leading our team in Madrid on an exciting venture (see our cover feature, “Brewster in Madrid,” page 30). The Reimagined Rogers building project has wowed every student and visitor who steps through its doors into the Grayson Student Center (see page 40). And let’s not forget the hundreds of students who have been learning and living together here on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, each carving their own path and finding their own voice through the arts, academics, and athletics. I’m so glad to be with you again, sharing the stories in these pages. I’d like to start with a personal one:

Last summer, I was leaving the drugstore near campus behind a group of four local boys. They seemed to be about the age when a walk to the store with your buddies—and a few dollars in your pocket—was the ultimate freedom. They had stocked up on a pucker-inducing assortment of sour fruit candies and burst through the store’s double glass doors ahead of me, chattering and laughing about heading over to the town docks to watch the boats. Then one of them stopped short in the walkway and turned back. He put something on the ledge outside the doors, and another boy instructed quietly and

Letters To The Editor

earnestly, “No, spread it out so they can see it.” Curiosity got the better of me, and I called out, “Hey kids, what are you doing there?” They explained that they were leaving change on the ledge in case another person needed it. “Like, someone who might’ve lost their job,” the lead boy said. And they were on their way, lips somehow already stained in tropical colors from their purchases. That exchange has stuck with me all the months since. Knowing I wanted to share this story with you, I began looking for behind-the-scenes kindness on our campus. Not surprisingly, I didn’t have to look very far or very hard. This past school year, I noticed more and more students glancing over their shoulders when they entered Estabrook to see if they could hold the door for someone behind them. I’ve seen long lists of students and employees signing on to help local causes and events, like Wolfeboro’s Fall Festival, the DAR’s Field of Flags on Veterans Day, the local ski and skate sale, and countless others. Word reached me that when our crew team found themselves competing against a younger group of opponents, they paused to offer some peer coaching for the less-experienced team. I saw the broad smiles of the middle schoolers who were each paired with our student mentors during a visit from the New Hampshire Student Leadership Program as they attended an All-School Meeting and experienced Brewster. And once again in September, an anonymous tribute of flowers was left at our memorial to two Brewster alumni lost in the attack of 9/11 when that sad anniversary arrived again. It is these small gestures of kindness that create the layers of life at Brewster and in Wolfeboro, our hometown—and they certainly are the building blocks of what our Head of School gifted to us in our theme of the year: uplift.

I hope you are uplifted by the pages ahead, and please, please reach out with suggestions and feedback. This is your magazine, and I am honored to be its steward.

SUZANNE MORRISSEY EDITOR

smorrissey@brewsteracademy.org

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR can be sent to smorrissey@brewsteracademy.org or mailed to Suzanne Morrissey, 80 Academy Dr. Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894. All letters will be reviewed for length and appropriate content.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?

Alumni readers, it’s very easy to let us know if you’ve moved to a new location:

VISIT brewsteracademy.org/update

CALL (603) 569-7198

EMAIL alumni@brewsteracademy.org

This little friend is the daughter of Brewster’s CFO, Susan Harrington, and was volunteered by Mom to model as a Brewster Madrid student to help populate the new school’s website ahead of its first class. Visit the site at brewstermadrid.com