Summer 2022 Brooks Bulletin

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BROOKS BULLETIN • SUMMER 2022

Flowers line the stage as the school awaits the start of Lawn Ceremony in May.

B OA R D OF T RU ST EES President John R. Barker ’87, P’21, P’23 Wellesley, Mass.

Vice Presidents Cristina E. Antelo ’95 Washington, D.C. Whitney Romoser Savignano ’87 Beverly Farms, Mass.

Secretary Craig J. Ziady ’85, P’18, P’20, P’22 Winchester, Mass.

Treasurer Valentine Hollingsworth ’72, P’17 Dover, Mass.

TRUSTEES Iris Bonet ’90 Houston, Texas Peter J. Caldwell Providence, R.I. Charles F. Cornish ’06 Sudbury, Mass.

W. J. Patrick Curley III ’69 New York, N.Y. Catalina Dib P’25, P’26 Boston, Mass.

Peter V. K. Doyle ’69 Sherborn, Mass.

Cheryl M. Duckworth P’22, P’23 Lynnfield, Mass.

Julia Saltonstall Haley ’88, P’25 South Hamilton, Mass.

Vivek Sharma P’24 Boston, Mass.

Steven R. Gorham ’85, P’17, P’21 Ipswich, Mass.

Paul L. Hallingby ’65 New York, N.Y.

Juliane Gardner Spencer ’93 Rockport, Mass.

Booth D. Kyle ’89 Severna Park, Md.

Alessandro F. Uzielli ’85 Beverly Hills, Calif.

H. Anthony Ittleson ’56, P’84, P’86 Green Pond, S.C.

Brian McCabe P’18 Meredith, N.H.

Meredith M. Verdone ’81, P’19 Newton Center, Mass.

Diana Merriam P’08, P’11 Boxford, Mass.

Christopher T. Wood ’85 Los Angeles, Calif.

Sally T. Milliken ’88, P’22, P’24 Byfield, Mass.

A LUMNI T R UST E E Alysa U. James ’11 Washington, D.C.

Ikenna U. Ndugba ’16 Boston, Mass.

Anthony H. Everets ’93 New York, N.Y.

John R. Packard Jr. P’18, P’21 Head of School North Andover, Mass.

Nancy C. Ferry P’21 West Newton, Mass.

Daniel J. Riccio P’17, P’20 Atherton, Calif.

T R UST E E S E ME R IT I William N. Booth ’67, P’05 Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Michael B. Keating ’58, P’97 Boston, Mass.

Frank A. Kissel ’69, P’96, P’99 Far Hills, N.J. Peter A. Nadosy ’64 New York, N.Y. Peter W. Nash ’51, P’81, P’89 Nantucket, Mass.

Cera B. Robbins P’85, P’90 New York, N.Y.

Henry M. Buhl ’48 New York, N.Y.

Eleanor R. Seaman P’86, P’88, P’91, GP’18 Hobe Sound, Fla.

Steve Forbes ’66, P’91 Bedminster, N.J.

David R. Williams III ’67 Beverly Farms, Mass.

B CONTENTS B U LLE TI N • S U M M E R 2 0 2 2

Head of School John R. Packard Jr. P’18, P’21

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Director of Institutional Advancement Gage S. Dobbins P’22, P’23 Director of Alumni Programs Lauri Coulter Director of the Brooks Fund and Family Engagement Mary Merrill Director of Admission and Financial Aid Bini W. Egertson P’12, P’15

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Director of Communications and Marketing Dan Callahan P’19, P’20, P’23

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Director of Print Communications Rebecca A. Binder Design Aldeia www.aldeia.design Alumni Communications Manager Emily Williams Director of Digital Communications Jennifer O’Neill

Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and not necessarily of Brooks School.

FEAT UR ES

D E PA RTM E N TS

16 Proud Days

02 Message from the Head of School

Brooks celebrated the class of 2022 and a year of accomplishments over the course of a two-day graduation weekend in May.

26 Welcome Back to Brooks

03 News + Notes 36 Reunion Notes

Brooksians gathered on campus for a long-awaited in-person Alumni Weekend. The school honored alumni, hosted panels and receptions, and celebrated class reunions in a cluster model.

Correspondence concerning the Bulletin should be sent to Editor Rebecca A. Binder: mail Editor, Brooks Bulletin 1160 Great Pond Road North Andover, MA 01845

ON THE COVER: Graduating sixth-formers Amy Del Cid (facing camera) and Saisha Prabhakar embrace after Boo-Hoo Service as classmate Delaney Eiland (left) looks on. Read more about this year’s graduation ceremonies beginning on page 16.

email rbinder@brooksschool.org phone (978) 725-6326

© 2022 Brooks School

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A MESSAGE FROM JOHN R. PACKARD JR. HEAD OF SCHOOL

Connecting & Continuing

“What was once perhaps taken for granted on some level was again part of our lives, and the joy we felt was palpable and pervasive.”

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Our campus was shuttered two springs ago when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Last year, we were just beginning to experience the safety and benefit of vaccines in April and May, as we slowly shed masks that had become part of our dress code. It was not until the spring of this year that we returned from our break in March without a need to administer COVID tests upon reentry, and with confidence that we could run our whole program. Our academic classes were entirely in person, our afternoon programs ran as scheduled, and our class of 2022 said their farewells to their peers and school in Ashburn Chapel with the whole student body and faculty able to be there. We experienced concerts and plays and athletic games in ways this year’s graduates had not experienced since their third-form year. There are so many joys involved in finding our way to familiar and cherished experiences that had been out of reach. A truth we have learned along the way, through one stark reminder after another, is that a video screen cannot possibly replicate the sorts of community experiences and celebrations that were designed to take place in person and all over our magnificent campus. What was once perhaps taken for granted on some level was again part of our lives, and the joy we felt was palpable and pervasive.

We were especially pleased to have a spring and finish to the school year that did not require us to make special arrangements and create altered schedules to appropriately celebrate the class of 2022.

This group of 96 freshly minted alums was extraordinary in the way it forged ahead through previously unimaginable obstacles, and it felt so good to be able to honor the class in full. In many ways, they were the school’s institutional memory in

2021–2022, as the only students to know Brooks in a pre-pandemic year. It was both right and fun to send them off in style.

Less than two weeks later, we hosted our first Alumni Weekend on campus since 2019. To my knowledge, we have never before held reunions for so many classes at once, as we attempted to make up for lost time. It was a thrill to be able to enjoy conversation with so many Brooksians spanning the generations, a memorable Memorial Chapel, an overflow crowd at our Saturday evening event, and to have the privilege of bestowing honors to such impressive members of our community throughout the weekend. After having so few opportunities to gather in the ways that we did in early June, it felt good to see people and experience time together on our campus.

As a new school year gets underway — Brooks School’s 96th, if you are keeping track — we are poised to begin well, full of all the fresh perspective and enthusiasm that so many who are in new roles or are new to Brooks will provide. As John R. Barker ’87, P’21, P’23 begins as president of the board of trustees and a number of faculty members begin in leadership positions, we are certain to think anew about where we are headed and what we need to do to position the school to head into its second century full of confidence and capacity to go where it needs to go with our mission in mind. We will be into that second century just five years from now. What an opportunity we have between now and then to ensure the school’s second 100 years start well.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to your fall and I am hopeful that our paths will cross in person as this school year unfolds.

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NEWS + NOTES IN THIS SECTION 04 News from Campus 10 Campus Scene 12 Athlete Spotlight 14 Athletics News

“Under the Moonlight,”

by Tri Nguyen ’22. For this work, Nguyen was named Youth Photographer of the Year by the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards.

“Having my photograph accepted by a panel of judges is a huge accomplishment in my photography career,” Nguyen said when he learned of the award. “I’ve never won something this big before, and being acknowledged gives me motivation to further hone my craft and take more photographs. It also shows that all my hard work and the many nights I go out to take photos and try to experiment and plan for different ideas truly paid off. It means a lot to be recognized.”

You can view more work by Nguyen by visiting the Bulletin webpage at www.brooks school.org/alumni/bulletin.

NEWS + NOTE S

N EWS FRO M C A M P US

A Focus on Community Space Construction crews worked through the summer to create additional space in which our community members can gather and support each other.

Brooks will introduce two new augmented community spaces this school year: an expanded Keating Room and upgraded tennis facilities.

As the school ceased the use of Frick Dining Hall, it looked to reimagine functional spaces that already existed on campus that allow for the school community to gather together. The Keating Room, which is located inside

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Wilder Dining Hall, provides an excellent existing footprint that the school will use in better service to students and adults at Brooks.

The reconfiguration of the Keating Room has also allowed the school to expand the dining hall’s outdoor seating area, create a new, more functional entrance to Wilder Dining Hall and add a second all-gender restroom to the dining hall level.

The Keating Room expansion will provide a flexible space that can be used, for example, for adult and student meetings, team meals, parent dinners and student social gatherings on the weekends. It will also provide additional seating space during all-school meals. The Keating Room will now meet the building’s current roof line, which increases the capacity of the space.

In order to make room for the

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Left: An early rendering of the exterior of Wilder Dining Hall once the Keating Room expansion is complete. Here, the expanded Keating Room is on the right, and the new vestibule and main entrance to Wilder Dining Hall is in the center.

Top: An expected layout of Wilder Dining Hall, with an expanded Keating Room, a new vestibule entrance and an additional all-gender restroom. Bottom: A rendering of the interior of the expanded Keating Room, looking west toward P.B.A. Hall and Thorne House.

>> Cherie Hendrickson ’04.

Kippy Liddle Day Cherie Hendrickson ’04 visited Brooks to address the school community in Chapel on Kippy Liddle Day this spring. Kippy Liddle Day is an annual remembrance of Katherine V. “Kippy” Liddle, a Brooks history teacher, assistant crew coach and dorm parent who died in a 1984 boating accident while protecting the life of a student during a pre-season practice with the Brooks crew team on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

Hendrickson starred in the rink for Brooks and then played professional hockey with the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League. She spoke about her Pride teammate Denna Laing, who suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a game. Laing inspired Hendrickson to “take action and make use” of her physical abilities by signing up for “something crazy”

Keating Room’s expansion, the main entrance to Wilder Dining Hall itself will move to a new vestibule in the center of the building.

The renovation to the school’s tennis facilities will improve the experience for Brooks tennis players and coaches, as well as their opponents, families and the community of fans that support them. The reimagining

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of the tennis spaces creates an intentional, more attractive and welcoming facility in which Brooksians can excel. The exterior of the tennis pavilion saw the most improvements this summer, with the installation of perennials, shrubs and grasses, as well as the construction of a new spectator area and stone wall seating, similar to what fans enjoy at Trustey Memorial Field.

— in this case, an Ironman triathlon.

Hendrickson, a physician assistant, described her difficult Ironman experience and her intention to spread awareness about spinal cord injuries.

“Maybe by taking on this somewhat ridiculous goal that would put me far outside my normal comfort zone, I could not only see how far I could go, but hopefully inspire others to do the same,” Hendrickson concluded.

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SPRIN G M U S I C AL

Embracing Comedy The spring season brought a second musical to the academic year, as a sparkling cast and some hardy audience volunteers tested their mettle in a two-night performance of “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

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In a departure from the typical spring play, the Brooks theater group brought the musical “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” to life in the Center for the Arts this May. The musical, a comedy, focuses on an eclectic group of six young students who compete in a spelling bee. Along the way, the audience learns hilarious, relatable and touching stories about each contestant that form a full picture of the range of human success, dreams and vulnerability. ¶ “The content and vibe of the show fit really well with the fun, outgoing chaos of the end of the year,” says Director of Theater Meghan Hill. “Also, this was a great exercise for the cast in embracing comedy. Some of them fell into it more naturally than others, but the overall feedback was

that they had to be on all the time. And, most of the cast was onstage for the entire show, so they got to learn how to react constantly.” ¶ One feature of the show that was highly entertaining was that cast members invited audience members onto the stage to be contestants in the spelling bee. Over two nights, several audience-member students and faculty got to take the stage to showcase their own spelling skills. “Allowing the audience up on stage was a unique experience for the audience,” Hill says. “The audience was able to engage with a Brooks show in a different way than they previously had.”

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New Trustees One of the many charms of “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is that audience members are invited to the stage to participate in the spelling bee that is central to the musical’s plot. Here, Chair of the Arts Department Babs Wheelden (center) shows off her spelling chops at the dress rehearsal.

Three newcomers to the school’s board of trustees bring a diversity of experience and knowledge to the school.

Charles Frick Cornish ’06 is a senior manager in risk and regulatory consulting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, where he provides consulting to financial services clients on matters of internal controls, internal audit and SOX 404 compliance. Cornish, a Lehigh University graduate, played squash and tennis for four years at Brooks, and, as a boarding student, lived in Blake and Whitney Houses. His grandfather, George Rose Frick ’46, P’72, GP’06, GP’09, and his four siblings were all students at Brooks during the 1940s. Cornish and his sister, Chrissy ’09, were the eighth and ninth Frick to attend Brooks. During his time at Brooks, Cornish was involved with the student activities committee and served as a tour guide, as well as a dorm and Chapel prefect. While Cornish was not out during his time at Brooks, he has tried to and continues to be a valuable and appreciated resource for LGBTQ+ Brooksians. He also serves as a director on the Harvard Club of Boston’s board of governors.

Catalina Dib P’25, P’26 has two children currently enrolled in the school. Lucas ’25 just finished his third-form year and Mia ’26 is looking forward to starting life at Brooks in September.

Born and raised in Colombia, Dib has lived and worked in five countries. After receiving her MFA from EAFIT University in Bogota, she enjoyed a career with Standard Chartered Bank across Bogota, London and Singapore. A move to Shanghai prompted Dib to shift her focus to fashion and retail, as she co-founded a chain of 10 retail stores selling children’s clothing in Colombia, as well as a successful jewelry business. Dib moved to Boston in 2019 with her family and is currently pursuing a degree in food coaching at the Food for Life Institute. Along with their children, Dib and her husband, Dan, enjoy traveling to all corners of the globe to experience the food and cultures of the world.

Julee Saltonstall Haley ’88, P’25 is the director of product management at CARFAX, a department in which she has worked for the past 20 years. Focused on online services and web applications for businesses and consumers, Haley specializes in developing product strategies to support new business opportunities. She participated in several committees at the Shore Country Day School, including United in Service, a unique partnership between Shore and the United Way with the goal of bringing kids and their parents together in service. Haley also was a member of the grant allocation committee for the Women’s Fund of Essex County.

At Brooks, Haley was co-captain of the 1st field hockey team, as well as a member of the girls 1st ice hockey and lacrosse teams. She remains very active and loves skiing, golf and racquet sports.

Many members of Haley’s family are also Brooksians, including her father, Robert Saltonstall ’52, P’88, GP’09, GP’11, GP’25; step-father and former trustee Kim Chace ’52, P’84, P’88, GP’09, GP’11, GP’25; nieces Caroline Saltonstall Seroussi ’09 and Elizabeth Saltonstall ’11; and her daughter, Emily ’25.

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NEWS + NOTE S

N EWS FRO M C A M P US

Cum Laude Honorees THE INDUCTEES Trin Changkasiri Hongru Chen Franklin Dong Ella Dooling Tori Duckworth Lindsay Feng Katharine Gutkoski Oliver Kim Sam Lee Monica Mukherjee Jamie Munroe Jack O’Brien Daelly Osorio Lily Pflaum Saisha Prabhakar Colin Rosato Alex Tobias Lauren Zion

The school honored 18 sixth-formers who were inducted into the Cum Laude Society during a special Chapel service on April 20. The Cum Laude Society was founded in 1906 and it is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. The society is modeled after Phi Beta Kappa and currently boasts 382 chapters across the United States and internationally.

The induction ceremony began with a welcome from Associate Head for Academic Affairs and President of the Brooks chapter of the Cum Laude Society Susanna Waters, followed by a performance by the school’s chamber ensemble and a speech from Associate Head for Faculty Affairs John McVeigh. Head of School John Packard awarded the Cum Laude certificates to the honorees, after which the congregation sang the school hymn and headed off to a luncheon in honor of the new inductees.

From left to right: Leigh Perkins ‘81; John McVeigh; and Deborah Davies.

New Faculty Emeriti As part of the Prize Day pomp and circumstance, Head of School John Packard reflected on the inimitable contributions that three departing faculty have made to Brooks as he bestowed faculty emeriti honors on each of them.

Associate Head for Faculty Affairs John McVeigh, who leaves Brooks to become the head of school at Holderness School, has had “a truly extraordinary 19 years of service on the faculty,” said Mr. Packard. “In a word, he has done everything here. He has done everything well here. And, he has done it all well because he always leads with his heart.” Perhaps most publicly, McVeigh served as head coach to the boys 1st basketball team during its unprecedented run of success.

However, Mr. Packard said, that designation only hints at the many gifts McVeigh brought to Brooks.

McVeigh has an “unrelenting selflessness,” Mr. Packard said, and has constantly put others before himself. McVeigh also displays what Mr. Packard called the “most important attribute in any educator: leaving students feeling and knowing that they are important; that they matter.”

World Languages faculty Deborah Davies served on the Brooks faculty for 24 years, “and in the course of her time here has taken her rightful place beside some of the finest teachers our school has ever had,” said Mr. Packard. “Over the past 24 years, there have not been high school students anywhere in the country who have received better instruction in Latin and Greek than her students have here. She is as good as there is.” Davies has held the Independence Foundation Endowed Chair at Brooks since 2013. She has also served as department chair, editor of the New England Classical Journal, Chair of the National

The Cum Laude Society inductees outside Ashburn Chapel following the April induction ceremony.

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Greek Exam of the American Classical League

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and National Junior Classical League. Mr. Packard acknowledged, though, that limiting her recognition to her work in the classroom alone would fall short. “She has been an exceptional advisor to the many students who have been in her care,” Mr. Packard said. “She has been a fully engaged colleague committed to working and thinking with others in ways that improved the school — for students and teachers.”

Mr. Packard summed up the third honoree, English faculty Leigh Perkins, simply. “I am not sure there is anyone in Brooks School’s history, Frank Ashburn included, who has spent more of their life living this school’s life than today’s final honoree,” he said. “There isn’t anyone who has spent more of their life engaged in this school, caring about this school, working on behalf of students at this school, thinking with colleagues about how to improve this school, and giving all of herself to helping this school be a better and better version of itself than her.” Mr. Packard noted that Perkins has spent her life in service to others, which she likely learned, he said, from her mother, faculty emerita Maureen Perkins.

Leigh Perkins has held the Prince Charitable Trust Endowed Chair since 2015, and, Mr. Packard said, “has been a passionate advocate for equity, justice and belonging for all who comprise this community.” Perkins joins her mother, Maureen Perkins, and her father, Leonard S. Perkins ’56, as faculty emerita. Mr. Packard also presented Leigh Perkins with a chair honoring her 25 years of service on the Brooks faculty.

WELCOMING NEW ADMINISTRATORS Patrick Forrest will serve as a dean of students, teach a Self in Community class, live in Peabody House and coach boys lacrosse. Previously, Forrest served for 20 years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, where his primary job was to fly and instruct fellow aircrew on the AH-1W/Z attack helicopters. After multiple deployments around the world and six cross-country moves, Forrest, who is a graduate of The Governor’s Academy and Union College, is excited to be close to his roots on the North Shore.

Ingrid Knowles will serve Brooks as a dean of students and science teacher.

Previously, she spent five years at New Hampton School, where she served as the associate director for student life, head women’s lacrosse coach and teacher in the science and history departments. Before making her way East, Knowles taught at The Waterford School in Sandy, Utah, and in Houston, Texas, at KIPP Intrepid Preparatory School as a Teach For America corps member. She attended Bates College and received her master’s in education from Vanderbilt University.

Currie Joya Huntington will serve Brooks as academic dean. He also will teach music and Self in Community. Huntington earned a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and a master’s of music education from the University of Hartford. Huntington taught music, coached, worked as a dorm parent, supported DEI work and chaired the arts department at The Governor’s Academy before arriving at Brooks. Outside of Brooks, you might find him singing with choral ensembles in the Boston area, including Coro Allegro, Boston’s LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus.

The Rev. Terri Ofori joins Brooks as dean of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Previously, she served as chaplain, professor and director of religious and spiritual life at Ursinus College. Ofori is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church.

She has served as a chaplain and lecturer at Harvard University, Brown University, Wellesley College, Emerson College, Simmons College and Bloomfield College.

Ofori received her master’s of theology in education and spiritual formation from Princeton Theological Seminary, a master’s of divinity degree from Harvard and a bachelor’s in history from the Mississippi University for Women. She completed her clinical pastoral education at Harvard Medical School.

OV ER HE A RD

“Persistence is necessary if you want to do anything, because people always think you’re going to go away …

People always think they can outlast you.”

DR. MARY FRANCES BERRY addressing the school community in the Center for the Arts this spring. Dr. Berry is an activist, author and academic, former chair of the United States Civil Rights Commission and former assistant secretary for education in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Berry spoke of the lessons she learned while protesting and affecting change from inside and outside the United States government, and as a founder of the Free South Africa Movement.

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GRAN D PARE N TS AN D S P ECI AL F RI E N DS DAY

Brooks welcomed more than 150 grandparents and special friends of students back to campus this spring for the first time since 2019. The school hosted a morning of classes, panel discussions and performances. Here, Jeremy Emch ’23 (left) greets his grandparents in the Science Center to begin the day.

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CAMPUS SCENE

The Brooks crew during its summer trip to England to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta. The group used the boathouse and equipment of Pangbourne College, who they hope to host during this fall’s Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.

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NEWS + NOTE S

AT HL ET E S P OT L I G H T

Kathryn Duane ’22 Kathryn Duane contributed as an athlete to three powerful Brooks teams. More than that, though, Duane spent her time at Brooks embodying the idea of community and helping those around her find belonging and support on the field, in the rink and across campus.

Readers who happened by the Brooks softball field this spring were, more likely than not, treated to hearing the team’s captain and lone sixth-former, Kathryn Duane ’22, vigorously leading cheers for her teammates from the dugout while they were up to bat, or from her spot in the outfield after a key play. Softball is not Duane’s primary sport: She captained the girls 1st ice hockey team and also made key contributions to the 1st field hockey team. She will readily admit that she is far from the best player on the softball team, which sports a talented stable of younger players. Duane is a respected leader, though, because she models care and inclusion. “I try to bring a positive attitude every time I come to a practice or a game,” she says. “I bring a lot of energy to the teams I’m a part of, or at least I try to. I consider myself a pretty approachable person, and I think that making the people around me comfortable lets them relax, have fun and play well. So, if I’m not playing, I’m cheering; if I’m not up to bat, I’m the person that’s keeping everyone going.”

Duane came to Brooks because she felt a secure, warm and supportive community when she visited. Over her four years here, Duane took the

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Nate Wirth ’21 at work in the single.

idea of community to heart. She graduated this year as a leader for the 1st field hockey, 1st ice hockey and softball teams; as a Chapel prefect; as a dorm prefect; as a peer advisor; and, as head softball coach Andrea Heinze says, “the glue that holds three of our teams together.”

Duane credits her father, who coached her youth hockey team, with ingraining these values in her. “My dad’s big on respect and discipline, but also on having fun and being a good teammate,” she says. “You want to be someone people respect, and in order to be respected, you have to show other people respect. It’s a twoway street. It’s not just about athletic talent; it’s about how you treat each other, how your team works together. I think that’s more important than wins or losses or goals or assists.”

Her Brooks coaches, Duane says, have been instrumental in her success by being present in more than one aspect of her life. “The really nice part about all three of my coaches here is that they all play a role at Brooks outside of athletics,” she says. “I also see them as dorm parents, as teachers and as adults that I trust. That wasn’t something I expected, to have the adults that I was going to be around

as an athlete care as much about me personally and want me to succeed.”

Duane served the school as an admission tour guide, and she stressed this on her tours: “Success doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone, but academic success, athletic success, artistic success, social success — whatever it is, everyone here wants you to succeed. I really believe that, and I didn’t expect everyone here to care about me as much as they have.”

A Larger Community Duane has made a name for herself as an athlete at Brooks, but she’s also become a presence in the larger Brooks community as a Chapel

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<< Kathryn Duane ‘22 takes a swing for Brooks this spring.

PHOTO: LINDSEY STAFFORD ‘24

prefect, a dorm prefect and a peer advisor. All of these roles gave her an opportunity to strengthen the bonds students and adults have with each other at school.

Duane gushes about her role as a dorm prefect in Hettinger East, especially the time she spent assisting dorm faculty with dorm duty on Wednesday nights. “I get to be in the common room with everyone and help check residents in,” she says. “I’ve gotten a lot closer with my dorm parents through that, and I love spending time with them. And even when I’m not on duty, I’m hanging out with everyone in the common room. I’ve gotten really close with people I wouldn’t really

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know otherwise.” Being a Chapel prefect, Duane says, allowed her to play a role in a space that is critical to the entire Brooks community. “I love Chapel,” she says. “We’re all together in, I think, one of the most beautiful spaces on our campus. I think it’s fun.”

Being a peer advisor is especially important to Duane. “Society is leaning toward being more accepting of conversations around mental health,” she says. “I love having the opportunity to be someone people want to talk to or feel comfortable approaching if they have a problem. It makes me happy to know that I’ve helped people with situations that are really difficult. That’s something I’m passionate

about, and I look forward to continuing that work in college.”

Next year, Duane will attend Lafayette College. She hopes to study Spanish, which she dove into at Brooks. “Spanish is the subject that I really found myself getting excited about,” she says. “[Lillian] Miller has been such an amazing teacher; she’s kind, and she’s like another mom to me and she cares about me a lot.”

Duane says Spanish is important to her because it’s another way for her to communicate with people, break down barriers and continue to build community. She speaks fondly of her time spent volunteering at her grandmother’s church, where she serves as a translator for Spanish-speaking families. “It’s such a good feeling to help make someone’s day, or make something easier for someone,” Duane says. “I think that’s part of the athlete thing: being part of a team, helping to boost someone up.”

As her time at Brooks concludes, Duane reflects on her experience.

“High school can be a really hard time for a lot of people,” she says. “There are a lot of changes in your life. You’re trying to figure out who you are, where you belong, what you like and what you don’t like. The way that dorm parents, teachers and other students have been there for me and supported me is unmatched. I’ve always felt like I had someone to talk to, someone there for me, someone who cares about me. I will never forget it. I love Brooks, and I’m really sad to leave.”

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NEWS + NOTE S

AT HL ET I CS N EWS

Brooks Shines The Brooks spring teams represented their school en route to solid seasons.

CREW CLIMBS THE LADDER The Brooks crew performed admirably this year, the final season it spent in the school’s original boathouses.

Following a confidence-building regular season, the crew finished its schedule with an impressive showing at the NEIRA regatta, as well as stops at the Northeast Regional Championships that qualified Brooks for Youth Nationals. And, for the first time in more than 20 years, representatives from the boys crew traveled to the Henley Royal Regatta in June for what Director of Rowing Tote Smith calls the continuation of “an important tradition.”

“Overall, this felt like the best year Brooks has had in a good long time,” Smith says. He points to a number of impressive dual races held during the regular season, as well as the Northeast Regional Championships.

At regionals, the boys first four took gold, the girls first four took silver and the boys second four took bronze.

These results qualified all three boats for the youth nationals in Florida.

The youth national results spoke to the strides the Brooks crew has taken recently. Last year, Brooks entered two boats in the D finals. This year, Brooks finished with two crews in the B finals and one crew in the C finals.

“We had extremely good leadership from this sixth-form class,” Smith says, pointing out that this year’s captains — Ashley Brzezenski, Luke Desmaison, Adam Jac and Jamie Munroe — were the only Brooks students who had ever competed in a New England championship prior to this year. Smith notes that the crew graduates a lot of talent, including

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six rowers who are bound for college programs, “but 2023 should be a strong year for us,” Smith says. “It feels like we have a lot of momentum as a program.”

In June, 15 members of the Brooks crew traveled to England to compete in the Marlowe Regatta, the Reading Regatta and, the culminating event, the Henley Royal Regatta. The Brooks crew rowed out of the boathouse at Pangbourne College and also enjoyed a meal with the Pangbourne crew.

Brooks, which positioned its first and second boys crews into one eight for the trip, performed admirably even while being eliminated from the competition on the first day of the Henley Royal Regatta. “Being able to compete overseas in this sport is a once in a lifetime opportunity for high school rowers. When we have a crew that is fast enough and deep enough to be competitive, we look for opportunities to compete overseas,” Smith says. “It was time, and this was the right group to take over. First, this experience opened up their eyes to the quality of rowing that is achieved in schools around the world that focus on rowing; second, it gave them the bonds and the momentum going into the future that, hopefully, will pay off for years at Brooks.”

SOFTBALL SWINGS FOR THE FENCES The Brooks softball team put together a head-turning 13–5 season this spring, largely on the strength of a core of younger players that promises great returns in the future. “It was an excellent season,” says head coach Andrea Heinze. “We were successful in terms of our record, but

most importantly, it was a lot of fun because of the team dynamic that we had.” Heinze points out that the team was able to travel to Orlando, Florida, over Spring Break for training; the ability to spend time together, have fun together and get onto the field early, she says, really set the tone for the year. “The camaraderie, the team chemistry, the cohesion, was absolutely incredible and one of the best dynamics that I’ve experienced as a coach,” says Heinze. “It was the kids that made it great.”

Heinze also points out that the squad has a number of younger players for whom, she says, “softball is their thing.” Third-former Jackie Giordano emerged as an outstanding pitcher: She went 7–3 in 11 starts, struck out 103 batters in 71 innings and logged an ERA of .986 on the year. Giordano capped the year with a no-hitter against Phillips Andover Academy in the Big East Tournament, a game that Brooks won, 1–0. Thirdformer Kyleigh Matola, who played catcher and third base, showed up defensively but shone at the plate: Matola led the team in batting average (.600), on-base percentage (.692), slugging percentage (.900) and OPS (1.592), as well as in hits, doubles and RBI. Matola, notably, did not strike out once all season.

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N E WS + N OT ES

<< Owen Christopher ’23 earned All-ISL honors for his stellar contributions to the Brooks 1st baseball team this spring.

>> McVeigh Court at Brooks, viewed from the school’s fitness center.

PHOTO: LINDSEY STAFFORD ’24

Heinze also called out the contributions of fifth-form shortstop Maria Pierce, who Heinze called unstoppable on the bases; catcher and third baseman Bella Hacker ’24, who, Heinze estimated, threw out 75% of would-be base stealers from behind the plate; and pitcher Sophia Alvarez-Backus ’24, who notched solid offensive stats while also pulling in a 2.90 ERA, a 6–2 record and 58 strikeouts over 43 innings of work. Three players — Giordano, Hacker and Matola — earned All-ISL honors, and Pierce and Alvarez-Backus earned All-ISL honorable mentions. Giordano also made the Big East All-Tournament Team and was named a NEPSAC All-Star.

“We are starting to gain more momentum in terms of attracting people to Brooks because of softball,” Heinze says. “Because we only graduated one player, we’ll bring the core of our team back together with that camaraderie and teamwork that we found this year. We know we’re capable of anything, and we’ll come into next year more positioned to really storm through. We’d love to win the ISL and the Big East, and this is a group that knows they can.”

An Update to the Gymnasium Over the summer, crews worked to update the gymnasium in the Brooks athletics center with the goal of increasing spectator capacity and creating a more effective court layout. Previously, the gymnasium hosted three full basketball courts. Now, it contains two full courts and two half courts, which Director of Athletics Bobbie Crump-Burbank says will provide a more versatile and flexible practice space for the Brooks basketball teams. The school also took the opportunity to honor departing boys 1st basketball coach, associate head of school for faculty affairs and newly minted faculty emeritus John McVeigh, who left Brooks this summer to start as head of school at Holderness School, by naming the court where the 1st basketball teams play “McVeigh Court.” Crump-Burbank says that the need for increased spectator capacity is, in many ways, a credit to McVeigh’s sterling career as basketball coach at Brooks and the way in which he transformed the boys basketball program into a perennial powerhouse.

AROUND CAMPUS

W MORE ONLINE: Please visit the Brooks athletics website at www. brooksschool.org/athletics for more information on your favorite Brooks team, including schedules, game recaps and up-to-date news.

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The 1st golf team made Brooks proud at the ISL championship tournament.

Brooks finished fifth out of 14 schools and with one player, Jack McDermott ‘23, besting more than 65 competitors to finish fourth overall and earn a spot on the All-ISL team.

Girls 1st lacrosse team standout Molly Driscoll ’23 was named to the USLacrosse All-America team this summer. Driscoll also earned All-NEPSAC honors this spring, along with Kate Coughlin ’22, who scored her 100th goal in her final Brooks season. Driscoll, Coughlin and Lydia Tangney ’25 were also named to the All-ISL team.

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2022

Proud Days The class of 2022 celebrated its graduation from Brooks over Memorial Day Weekend with a two-day slate of Lawn Ceremony and Prize Day.

Chloe Leonard ’22 in the waiting room of the school’s new admissions building on the morning of Prize Day.

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Brooks welcomed its first normal slate of graduation ceremonies since 2019 this spring, as students, faculty, families and the wider Brooks community gathered on campus to recognize the achievements of the class of 2022. Lawn Ceremony, on Sunday, May 29, gave the school a chance to honor students with arts, athletics, academic and general school prizes. Prize Day, held on Monday, May 30, saw the 96 members of the graduating class receive their Brooks diplomas.

Each of the ceremonies, hosted in a large tent overlooking the school’s central fields and Lake Cochichewick, hosted a full and enthusiastic audience. The energy was palpable; the mood jubilant; and even the weather cooperated with a pair of glorious spring days.

Head of School John Packard greeted Lawn Ceremony attendees by sharing his pride in the class of 2022 as it shouldered the goal “to keep being Brooks School” despite the necessary restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic forced on the school.

“While I certainly trend in the direction of always feeling a deep pride in our school, the work our community has done together through these pandemic-altered years to keep being Brooks School has left me especially proud,” Mr. Packard said. “This class of 2022 has played a lead role in that effort, and celebrating their many contributions will be a lot of fun.”

Over the course of Lawn Ceremony, three student speakers gave speeches that reflected the importance of the arts, athletics and academics at Brooks.

Tri Nguyen ’22* reflected on the ways in which he found comfort in photography following the turbulence of returning home to Vietnam at the beginning of the

*You can view one of Nguyen’s photographs and read more about his recent international recognition on page 3 of this issue.

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pandemic. Kate Coughlin ’22 spoke about the lessons she learned from playing sports and contributing to her teams in any way possible. Monica Mukherjee ’22 centered her speech on learning to enjoy the Brooks experience beyond its academic rigor.

Mr. Packard then awarded general school prizes before students headed to Boo-Hoo Service — a student-led Chapel service that gives the student body one final chance to spend time together. Once the service was over, sixth-formers lined Chapel Walk in a receiving line to bid farewell to the faculty, the younger forms and, finally, each other.

The next morning, the imminent graduates met for breakfast and to receive their rosettes and Brooks shield patches in the waiting room of the new admissions building. A Prize Day Chapel service followed, and then the Prize Day ceremony began under the tent at mid-morning.

Mr. Packard began his remarks by talking about the ways in which parents and the school’s faculty had guided the graduates to this point. Then, he conferred faculty emeritus honors on three departing faculty who have been pillars for the school through the years: Deborah Davies, Leigh Perkins ’81 and John McVeigh.

Turning the focus of the day on the graduating students, Mr. Packard remembered that the academic year began with an outdoor Chapel service that carried a theme of intentional community. The class of 2022, he said, rose to the challenge. “They have been community builders when we needed them to be more than ever, and it is important that they know they made a difference during a time when we were often disjointed and searching for ways to find one another,” he said. “Yet, this group worked at it and as we move from this year to next, we do so grateful for what they have contributed to their school’s journey out of isolation and into a new normal of some sort that still lies ahead.”

Mr. Packard expressed his confidence in the class of 2022’s effect in the future. “They will run at problems desperately in need of their energy and smarts and want to realize solutions,” he said. “They care about community and will engage in making communities they are a part of stronger and more inclusive. They will be unstoppable as they go, and how proud we will be of the difference they make.”

Sixth Form Speaker Shu “Franklin” Dong took the podium with a brilliant speech (excerpted in the following pages) on the ways in which he found love and belonging at Brooks. Mr. Packard then awarded three special prizes to sixth-formers Dong, Lucy Adams and Amy Del Cid before distributing diplomas with the assistance of thenPresident of the Board of Trustees Steve Gorham ’85.

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[ 1 ] Graduates Saunders Haley (left) and Leslie Jimenez process into the Prize Day ceremony. [ 2 ] J.J. Calareso ’22 (facing camera) greets Director of Athletics Bobbie Crump-Burbank after Boo-Hoo Service. [ 3 ] Monica Mukherjee ’22 speaks on academics at Brooks at Lawn Ceremony.

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[ 4 ] Isaiah GiestaPinto ’22 (center) applauds a classmate on Prize Day. [ 5 ] Brooksians enter Ashburn Chapel for the traditional Boo-Hoo Service, which follows Lawn Ceremony. [ 6 ] Head of School John Packard addresses the school community at Lawn Ceremony.

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“They will run at problems desperately in need of their energy and smarts and want to realize solutions. They care about community and will engage in making communities they are a part of stronger and more inclusive. They will be unstoppable as they go, and how proud we will be of the difference they make.”

H EAD OF SC H OOL J OHN PACKA R D ON PR IZE DAY

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GRADUATION SNAPSHOTS

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5 [ 1 ] The scene on Chapel Walk following Boo- Hoo Service. [ 2 ] Ricky Bansal ’22 (facing camera) hugs Raphael Odubanjo ’25 after Boo-Hoo Service. [ 3 ] Sixth-formers (from left to right) Kathryn Duane, Anna Weed, Brooke Rogers, Addie Branca, Ellie Sullivan, Chloe Leonard, Maddy Dombal and Lily Pflaum on the morning of Prize Day. [ 4 ] Taina Mair ’22 celebrates receiving her diploma on Prize Day. [ 5 ] The traditional rosettes and Brooks shields await the class of 2022 on the morning of Prize Day. The class gathers for breakfast — this year in the waiting room of the school’s new admissions building — and a pinning ceremony. [ 6 ] The sixth form forms a receiving line on Chapel Walk following Boo-Hoo Service. The class uses this time to bid goodbye to, in order, the faculty, the third form, the fourth form, the fifth form, and, finally, each other on the eve of Prize Day.

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[ 7 ] Sixth Form Speaker Franklin Dong. [ 8 ] The sixth form takes in the Prize Day ceremony. [ 9 ] Amy Del Cid ’22 receives the Head of School’s Prize — symbolized by a school chair — on Prize Day. [ 10 ] Eleonore Kiriza ’22 (facing camera in black dress), who won this year’s Rene Champollion French Prize, greets French teacher Andrea Medved after Boo-Hoo Service. [ 11 ] Sixth-formers Amy Mojica (left) and Daelly Osorio process into Prize Day. [ 12 ] A tearful farewell after Boo-Hoo Service. [ 13 ] Kate Coughlin ’22 addresses the role of athletics in her life at Lawn Ceremony. [ 14 ] Graduates (from left to right) Gray Dobbins, Will Creevy, Aidan Shea and Jack Brown outside the new admissions building at breakfast on Prize Day.

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Prize Winners 2022

PRIZE S

The school awarded dozens of prizes over the course of Lawn Ceremony and Prize Day, recognizing GENERAL PRIZES The Reverend George F. Vought Prize awarded by the head of school to honor a member of the faculty in their first few years of teaching who has made special contributions to the school and has exhibited notable professional growth: Susannah Blythe Voigt The Trustees Prize awarded by the faculty to any member of the school community who has served beyond the call of duty: Shu “Franklin” Dong ’22 The Faculty Prize given by George C. Haas and awarded annually to a student who has made outstanding contributions to the life of the school: Lucy Abbott Adams ’22 The Head of School’s Prize given in memory of George B. Case Jr.: Amy Nicolle Del CidYoc ’22 The Malcolm G. Chace III Prize awarded to a third-, fourthand fifth-former who, in the judgment of the head of school, has made the most personal progress during the year: Raphael Temitayo Odubanjo ’25, Maria Milagros Muñoz de Leon ’24, Chapin Atwater Dobbins ’23 The St. Lawrence University Book Award honors students who have distinguished themselves in their communities by making a significant commitment to fostering inclusivity: Laura Aseye Kahu ’23 The Leonard S. Perkins Prize awarded by the faculty to that member of the fifth form who makes an outstanding contribution to the life of the school: Preston Yuen-Tat Wong ’23 The Harvey P. Hood Prize awarded in recognition of special interests such as working with young children, making things with one’s hands and in memory of a lively, gentle view of life: Hongru Chen ’22

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The Allen Ashburn Prize given by the late James D. Regan and awarded each year by the faculty for any purpose it deems suitable: Christian Raul Duran ’22 The William R. Ferris Jr. Prize given by Howell van Gerbig in honor of William R. Ferris ’60 and awarded to a sixth-form student who stands out among their peers on account of the depth and range of their intellectual curiosity, energy and creativity. A nominee for this prize is presented to the faculty by the six faculty members who hold endowed chairs: Saisha Prabhakar ’22 The George B. Blake Prize awarded in recognition of extended voluntary and generous service to others: Ava Rose Finegold ’22 The Thomas Perkins Brooks Jr. Prize given in memory of Ensign Brooks, who was lost in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and awarded annually by the faculty to a member of the sixth form who, during their career at Brooks, has met certain requirements of development, leadership and responsibility: Amy Maite Mojica ’22 The Kilborn Bowl given by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Kilborn for the greatest all-around improvement: Austin Baxter ’22 The Russell Prize given by the late Richard S. Russell and awarded by the faculty for an outstanding single contribution to the life of the community: Delaney Paige Eiland ’22 The Headmaster Emeritus Prize given by the faculty for any reason it considers appropriate: Eleonore Olame Kiriza ’22 The Dunnell Prize given by the faculty in honor of Jacob Dunnell and William W. Dunnell III, who jointly gave 57 years of dedicated service to their students and the school, and awarded to a sixth-former who has worked without fanfare to

better the school: Laura Eagle Smith ’22 ARTS AWARDS The George A. Tirone Prize awarded by Mrs. Randolph Muto, in memory of her father, to a middle school student who shows unusual promise in the visual arts: Zhaohan “Jasmine” Shi ’24 The Henry M. Buhl Photography Prize awarded to an upper-school student who is dedicated to the practice of photography and skilled not only in technique but in creative artistry: Elizabeth Holcombe Dooling ’22 The Russell Morse Prize awarded to an upper-school student who has made distinguished contributions to the visual arts at Brooks: Tri Ngoc Nguyen ’22 The Parkman Prize in Drama given in memory of Terry Parkman to a student who has worked long and hard backstage with no thought of any reward: Tori Louise Duckworth ’22 The Knowlton Drama Prize given in memory of Warren Knowlton ’67 and awarded to a member of the Brooks community who has shown those qualities of loyalty and devotion to drama, and versatility and enthusiasm in work before and behind the scenes, that were typified by Warren Knowlton: Delaney Paige Eiland ’22 The Music Prize awarded in recognition of dedicated, longterm study of an instrument or voice that has resulted in the highest level of musical performance in the graduating class: Saisha Prabhakar ’22 (vocal), Hugh Jong-Sung Park ’22 (instrumental) The Robert Lehman Art Prize for the most accomplished artist in the annual student exhibition: Shu “Franklin” Dong ’22

ATHLETICS AWARDS The Independent School League Award of Excellence recognizes a female athlete and male athlete at each ISL school for exhibiting the ISL ideals of integrity, sportsmanship, fair play and good citizenship while participating as a multi-sport athlete during their ISL career: Brooke McKenna Rogers ’22, Christian Raul Duran ’22 The Athletic Prize awarded to sixth-formers who, in the opinion of coaches, have distinguished themselves in sportsmanship and athletic ability, and whose achievements have demonstrated an outstanding record in the athletic life at Brooks: Saul Chimazunie Kebet S D Iwowo ’22, Darrel Matthew Yepdo ’22, Lucy Abbott Adams ’22 The Kerri Ann Kattar Prize awarded annually by the faculty to that female member of the graduating class who, by her warmth and generosity of spirit to others, by her outstanding contribution to Brooks athletics, and by her presence alone has added that precious quality of kindness for which we remember Kerri Ann Kattar: Samantha Anne Dewey ’22, Kathryn Riley Duane ’22 The Frank D. Ashburn Athletic Award given by Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Cogswell to honor an outstanding individual or team performance in which intangible, extra qualities have added a special flavor to the school: Christian Jesus Bejar Buenrostro ’22, Taina Angelique Ali Mair ’22 AC ADEMIC AWARDS The Publications Prize awarded to a student whose diligence, devotion and skill have contributed significantly to the successful production of a Brooks publication: Hongru Chen ’22 The Wilder Speaking Prize given

by John G. and H. Todd Cobey Jr.: Molet Akinyi Otieno ’23

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students who have excelled in the arts, in academics, in athletics and as members of the Brooks community.

The Edmund Samuel Carr Prize in Latin: Aidan Lawrence Jarvis ’22 The Edmund Samuel Carr Prize in Beginning Latin: Leah Danielle Chen ’25 The Spanish Prize: Amy Nicolle Del Cid-Yoc ’22 The Rene Champollion French Prize: Eleonore Olame Kiriza ’22 The Charles C. Cottingham Class of 2008 Chinese Prize awarded annually to a student who has exhibited an enthusiasm and appreciation for the Chinese language and culture: Tori Louise Duckworth ’22 The A.G. Davis Philip Prize given by the science department to an individual who has demonstrated an interest in and who shows considerable promise in science: Sonakshi Ghosal Gupta ’24 The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal for excellence in mathematics and science: Jeongwon “Lucia” Han ’23 The John J. Cabral Prize given to the Brooks student who has shown a high degree of interest in physics and for the depth of involvement in the subject: Zhan “Tommy” Shu ’22 The John B. Melvin Computer Science Prize: Andrew Clayton Fair ’22 The Nicholas J. Evangelos Science Prize: Alexander Mason Tobias ’22 The Mathematics Prize: Yuto Sugiyama Lam ’22 The Howell van Gerbig Jr. Prize given for the best essay on the development of political institutions for her essay titled, “Do Women Hold Up Half The Sky? Feminism and Socialism in 20th Century China”: Lindsay Feng ’22 The Richard K. Irons Prize for the best essay on a pressing problem in American history

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or international relations for her essay titled, “Incubator of Disease or Simply Trying to Make the Best of Horrific Circumstances? How the Contagious Disease Acts Affected Prostitution in Great Britain During the Victorian Era”: Katharine Jeanne Gutkoski ’22 The Michael W. McCahill Prize in History awarded to a sixth-form student who has demonstrated a love for the discipline by taking a wide and rigorous program in history, a mastery of analytical thinking and writing, an enthusiasm for the craft of historical research, a delight in the exploration and exchange of ideas, and an empathy for the human condition: Ava Rose Finegold ’22 The E. Graham Ward English Prize awarded to a student who has demonstrated a love of literature in all of its forms.

This student is a talented reader and writer gifted with the ability to respond to literature both analytically and creatively: Shu “Franklin” Dong ’22 The Harvard Club of the Merrimack Valley Prize awarded by the Harvard Club of the Merrimack Valley to a fifthformer nominated by the faculty for high academic achievement, leadership and active participation in school affairs: Melanie Ann Kaplan ’23 The Columbia University Club of New England Prize awarded to a fifth-former who has demonstrated an ability to combine academic achievement, personal character, extracurricular contribution to the school, and accomplishment in and dedication to a field of interest meriting personal recognition: Laura Aseye Kahu ’23 The Phillips Brooks Prize donated by the Phillips Brooks Society and awarded by the school minister in memory of The Reverend George Frederick Vought to a sixth-former who, during their time at the school,

THE SIXTH FORM SPEAKER Shu “Franklin” Dong ’22 came to campus as a third-former who had never attended school outside his native China. He found solace and care in the homes of classmates and teachers as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from returning home for more than a year, and he noticed that his classmates clung to each other through strife and separation.

Here is an edited and condensed excerpt from his Prize Day speech.

"When I finally returned to Brooks in the winter of my fifth-form year, it was like visiting a past life. My heart was filled with overwhelming nostalgia as I reunited with friends and realized just how much time had elapsed, and all the things we’d lost in the fire. One morning that winter as I greeted a group of classmates coming out of the school building, I had a striking moment of clarity in which I could see how much we'd all progressed and matured, and just how beautiful that process was. I had been so adamant that our brutal separation was going to tear down the foundations of our friendship and connection, but our resilience and courage proved me wrong.

Today, as I reflect on these incredible acts of kindness from my classmates and teachers, I am grateful beyond measure. Being cordial and tolerant of me, a foreigner and a newcomer, is something I have appreciated from the bottom of my heart. But opening their doors and welcoming me into their homes was much more than that: It made me feel like I had a home of my own when my family and everything that I knew were across the Pacific Ocean. That is priceless, and that is at the core of my Brooks experience.

The pandemic wasn't the only struggle the class of 2022 faced.

Coming of age in a divided era added its own challenges and perils to our lives at Brooks. The world we've grown up in bears little resemblance to the one previous generations occupied.

As I look at the class of 2022 today, I see a collective of individuals who know how to support each other. Though the national and international phenomena of violence and evil continue to plague our reality, I'm more hopeful about the world because I know we will be here for it.

To protect it, care for it, cherish it and provide for it. Even as we lived through and endured a period of tremendous historical strife, we chose to not let time, loss, misfortune or anything else drag us apart.

We chose to let each other into our lives, because we realized we're all better off that way. I know that as a class, our identity is not so much ‘survivors of a pandemic’ as it is ‘providers of shelter and kindness in times of need.’ We protected each other and loved each other through the labyrinth of our Brooks journey, and the contours of time brought us closer together under the sun, where today we shine brightly as we stand, beautiful, by each other’s side.”

has followed in the path of Phillips Brooks by offering constant love, exemplary service and good humor to the community and by setting a high standard for others: Naomi Louise Wellso ’22 The Oscar M. Root Prize given by Morgan H. Harris Jr. and awarded to a member of the Brooks community who, during the year, has exemplified certain characteristics with

which Oscar M. Root for many years enriched life at Brooks.

These characteristics include excellence in the sciences, devotion to nature study and a sense of humor that provided a rare overview of life: Tori Louise Duckworth ’22 The Jolene and Stephen C. Eyre Prize for Scholarly Achievement awarded each year to the ranking scholar in the sixth form: Alexander Mason Tobias ’22

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Destinations The class of 2022 will attend colleges, universities and service academies across the country and in Canada. Members will continue to pursue their dreams in athletics, and at least one member of the class plans to serve our country in the United States Marine Corps. Here is a list of where the class planned to head next as of May 2022.

Amherst College Babson College (2) Bates College (2) Bentley University Boston College (6) Brandeis University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Colgate University (2) College of Charleston College of the Holy Cross (3) Connecticut College (4)

Phillips Exeter Academy (postgraduate) Providence College Rochester Institute of Technology Saint Michael’s College (2) Scripps College Skidmore College (2) Smith College Stevens Institute of Technology Trinity College Tufts University (5) Tulane University (2)

Cornell University (2)

United States Air Force Academy

Deerfield Academy (postgraduate)

United States Marine Corps University of California-Davis (2)

Denison University (3)

University of California-Irvine (2)

Dickinson College

University of California-San Diego

Elon University

University of Colorado Boulder (2)

Fairfield University Fordham University Hamilton College (2) Harvey Mudd College Hobart William Smith Colleges Johns Hopkins University Junior Hockey Lafayette College Macalester College Marquette University Marymount Manhattan College New York University (3) Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University Oberlin College

University of Denver University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Miami University of Notre Dame (2) University of Southern California University of Toronto University of Vermont (2) Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Wake Forest University Williams College

The class of 2022 gathers on Shirt Day in May.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Pennsylvania State University

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Welcome Back to The school hosted its first in-person Alumni Weekend since 2019.

More than 400 Brooksians returned to Great Pond Road on Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11. The school was ready for their return following two years of COVID-19-related barriers, and the mood on campus was one of joy and reconnection. The school invited alumni from class years ending in 0, 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 to honor the missed in-person gatherings in 2020 and 2021. Brooks offered tours, a dinner and dance, and panels and opportunities for discussion about the past, present and future of the school.

The weekend kicked off with the traditional Ashburn Luncheon, which honors the members of the FDA Society and alumni who are celebrating their 50th reunion and beyond. The luncheon was served in the waiting room of the school’s new admissions building — a space that has already seen its share of

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gatherings despite only having opened this spring. Following the Ashburn Luncheon, the 50th reunion classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 were treated to a tour of campus led by Sarah Benjavitvilai ’23, Chapin Dobbins ’23, Gray Dobbins ’22 and Philip Mwangi ’24.

The alumni visited old haunts — for example, Thorne House — and

new buildings like the Center for the Arts.

Friday night saw class cluster dinners across campus, as alumni from class years that were close together gathered for their first opportunity to reunite as a class.

Alumni also had opportunities throughout the weekend to peruse the school archives, Henry Luce Library, the Robert Lehman Art Center and the school store.

Saturday’s scheduled activities began with the school’s Memorial Chapel service, presided over by chaplain emeritus the Rev. Timothy Cogan H’98, P’88. Brooksians were again invited to stretch their legs with another campus tour before gathering in Ashburn Chapel once more for Head of School John Packard’s State of the School address. The well-received address gave way to lunch under a tent set

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BROOKS Campus was full of jubilant celebrants for the two-day event. up by the school’s flagpole and overlooking the school’s expanse of fields leading to a gleaming Lake Cochichewick. The youngest Brooksians also took advantage of Family Fun Fest just outside the tent: Children of alumni were treated to face painting, outdoor games and other family-friendly activities.

Saturday afternoon programming was also plentiful. Alumni had the option to enjoy the campus and its outdoor amenities. They could be found playing pickup soccer, tennis and disc golf, and also striking out across the lake in kayaks and canoes. Brooksians also crowded into the main theater in the Center for the Arts for two presentations: a career panel featuring some of the school’s alumni award winners, and the formal

presentation of the awards by Mr. Packard. (You can read more about this year’s alumni award recipients on page 32).

Two new events were added to this year’s Alumni Weekend programming: gatherings for alumni of color and for LGBTQIA+ alumni.

Rebecca Binder and Kenya Jones, who serve as faculty advisors to the school Gender & Sexuality Alliance and Black Students Union, respectively, attended the gatherings to meet with alumni and update them on the school’s current efforts.

“Alumni of color engagement is important because the alumni can serve as ambassadors for future growth when it comes to matters of diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Jones, the BSU advisor. “Our meeting allowed for the alumni of color that spanned over a number

of decades to share past experiences and future hopes for what they want to see in a more inclusive Brooks School. The mood in the room ranged from surprised, to not at all shocked, to eventually hopeful for what Brooks can aspire to be.”

Saturday concluded with a raucous celebration under the tent, as Alumni Weekend attendees gathered for a cocktail hour followed by dinner, dancing and the presentation of Distinguished Brooksian awards to two impressive alumni: former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer ’72 and retiring board president Steve Gorham ’85, P’17, P’21.

The tent behind the new admissions building and the Head of School’s House was a hub of activity over Alumni Weekend.

ALUMNI SNAPSHOTS

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THE CLUSTER MODEL This year, Brooks held Alumni Weekend in a cluster model, inviting back to campus not just the class years ending in 2 and 7 as it would have in previous reunion cycles, but also the class years ending in 0, 1, 5 and 6.

“Three sets of reunion classes were enthusiastic about being back on campus in person for the first Alumni Weekend since 2019,” says Director of Alumni Programs Lauri Coulter. Brooks was thrilled to host those classes for a belated in-person celebration this year following two springs of COVID-19-related restrictions on in-person gatherings.

5 [ 1 ] George Kattar ’70 (left) greets an old friend. [ 2 ] The children of Brooks alumni also enjoyed the weekend as they took advantage of activities like lawn games and face painting. [ 3 ] Alumni Weekend attendees (from left to right) Sarah Seaman Alijani ’91, Erin Sullivan Beach ’91 and Jenny Funk Levy ’91 memorialize their time together on campus with a selfie.

[ 5 ] Alex Jordan ’67 (right) and wife Anne enjoy the Saturday night festivities. [ 6 ] The younger reunion classes, two of which had their fifth Brooks reunion delayed by the COVID19 pandemic, enjoyed their first Brooks Alumni Weekend. From left to right: Seiji Engelkemier ’15, Hannah Latham ’17, Chapelle Johnson ’16, Nicole Patch ’16, Valerie Nam ’16, Sho Nihei ’15, Zack McCabe ’15.

[ 7 ] The Rev. Timothy Cogan H’98, P’88 officiated over Alumni Weekend’s memorial service in Ashburn Chapel. [ 8 ] Joon Lee ’17 (left) and Jared Day ’17 spend time chatting at Alumni Weekend.

[ 4 ] James Kim ’17 enjoys a conversation during Alumni Weekend.

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“But what is true beyond a shadow of doubt, is that what he has been and continues to be would have filled Mr. Ashburn with immense pride for both what he has done with his life, and, perhaps more importantly, how he has done it.”

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[ 1 ] Rose and Rob Chappell ‘67 dance the night away under the tent on Saturday. [ 2 ] Head of School John Packard (left) greets alumni at the Ashburn Luncheon. [ 3 ] Members of the class of 2017 reconnected and enjoyed their time back at Brooks. From left to right: Grace Lindsey, Gabi Hillner, Caroline Saef, Kelly Raymond.

HEAD OF SCHOOL JOHN PACKARD SPEAKING ABOUT DISTINGUISHED BROOKSIAN RECIPIENT RICHARD SPENCER ’72.

[ 4 ] Young alumni gather in the Center for the Arts, which was built since they graduated from Brooks.

[ 8 ] Jim Madden ’66 (left) and Peter Cross ’63, P’07 greet each other on campus at Alumni Weekend.

[ 5 ] Sidney Lawrence ’66 sports a vintage Brooks blazer at Alumni Weekend.

[ 9 ] From left to right: Nick Konovalchik ’17, Cam Ray ’18, Zeek Godwin ’17, Adonis Williams ’17, Gavin McNamara ’17.

[ 6 ] A Brooksian enjoys a conversation while visiting the second floor of Lyman Boathouse. [ 7 ] Classes celebrating their 50th reunions and beyond tour the campus with current students.

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ALUMNI AWARDS

Alumni Awards Brooks was proud to award members of multiple classes the Alumni Shield award, the Alumni Bowl award and the Distinguished Brooksian award. The honors were conferred by Head of School John Packard on Saturday.

The Distinguished Brooksian Award

honors a member of the Brooks community whose life and contributions to society exemplify the nobility of character and usefulness to humanity embodied in the spirit of the school.

Exiting board president STEVE GORHAM ’85, P’17, P’21 grew up in

North Andover as the sixth of seven children. His family ran the town hardware store. Gorham was able to attend Brooks because the school offered the financial aid he needed, and then he went on to attend the University of New Hampshire. A career in finance began to take shape: Gorham began his career path by answering the telephone for MFS Investment Management while working toward his MBA at night at Boston College. He earned a one-year position in the equities department at MFS, excelled, and was offered a job as an analyst. Gorham has since played lead roles in both the London and Boston MFS offices while becoming a senior vice president and portfolio manager.

Gorham joined the Brooks board of trustees in 2008, and he played a lead role in ensuring that Brooks families who were hit hardest by the 2008 recession had the financial support to bridge unexpected gaps in their ability to pay the Brooks tuition.

Gorham became board president

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in July 2016, as the school was moving further into its Campaign for Brooks. Under his leadership, the school built the Center for the Arts and buttressed its ability to make mission-driven choices for the benefit of its students. “As [Gorham] prepares to step away from a role that he has given so much to over these 14 years, with the last six of them spent in charge of it all, I hope and trust he rests assured that the difference he has made at Brooks School is without equal,” Mr. Packard concluded, “and our ability to continue building on this legacy as the school approaches a second century is due in large measure to him, and his wife, Dodie, and two children, Oliver and Brigitte, both Brooks School graduates, who shared him with us over these many years.”

Business Board and the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel.

Spencer’s most well-known role is his time spent as Secretary of the Navy from 2017 to 2019. An appointee of president Donald Trump, Spencer objected to the White House’s demand that he overturn the results of a court martial that had found a Navy SEAL guilty of misconduct in the field. Mr. Packard highlighted Spencer’s principles and integrity in resigning over the dispute, and said that founding headmaster Frank D. Ashburn would be proud of Spencer. “This lifelong commitment to service, to putting others before self, is why he is so deserving of this award,” Mr. Packard said, “along with our profound thanks for what he has given to this country.”

Former Secretary of the Navy RICHARD SPENCER ’72 left Brooks for Rollins College and then the United States Marine Corps, in which he served the United States as a pilot. After leaving the military, Spencer worked in investment banking for many years as a leader known for his integrity and drive to improve an organization. Spencer, Mr. Packard noted, “is a patriot in the best sense of the word.” He has served on the boards of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and the Veterans Campaign Center for Second Service, and on the Defense

The Alumni Shield Award

recognizes an alumna or alumnus who graduated from Brooks fewer than 25 years ago who has made significant contributions in the field of his or her endeavor.

LISA PETZOLD ’00 (2020 recipient) quickly established herself as an engaged student and member of the community at Brooks, said Mr. Packard. She fell in love with studying French and spent her fifth-form year abroad in Rennes, France, under the School Year Abroad program. She then attended

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Georgetown University, studying under former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and then earned a master’s degree in international relations in Paris. Petzold has now served as a foreign service officer for the United States Department of State for more than a decade, where she has worked on global foreign policy matters. Mr. Packard noted that Petzold has been a passionate advocate for women’s rights and democracy throughout the world.

[Ed. Note: Petzold was the subject of an Alumni Profile in the spring 2022 Bulletin, which begins on page 68 of that issue.]

MARQUIS DAISY ’01 (2021 recipient) quickly earned the admiration of his Brooks teachers and classmates, and was elected captain of the boys 1st basketball team and named senior prefect. Daisy matriculated to Williams College, where he opted to pursue a career in the documentary film world. He is now an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. Daisy worked for HBO on a number of highly acclaimed programs before moving to ESPN to direct the “30 for 30” film “Rand University” documenting the life and career of controversial football player Randy Moss. Recently, Daisy directed the film “The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream,” which examines those who marched for civil rights in 1963 and continue

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to do so today. “His work has been important and impactful and tells the stories of others in powerful ways, and in ways that make plain the imperative that our collective pursuit of equity and justice in the world has to be,” Mr. Packard concluded.

LIZETTE A. WILLIAMS ’97 (2022 recipient) holds a decorated career in marketing and advertising. She matriculated to Columbia University as the first member of her family to attend college. She went on to receive her MBA at Northwestern University and has since worked in major marketing roles at McDonald’s Corp., Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Pepsi Company.

Williams is currently the global head of vertical solutions marketing at Meta and has become one of the most decorated marketing executives in the field. Williams, Mr. Packard noted, has said that one of the most noteworthy moments of her career was realizing that her authenticity as a young woman of color was a superpower and not a liability, and that leaning into her authentic self instead of pretending to be what the world told her a corporate professional should look like was when her career took off.

The Alumni Bowl Award, given by the Brooks School Alumni Office, recognizes dedicated and thoughtful service to the school.

VAL HOLLINGSWORTH ’72, P’17

has, Mr. Packard said, been a dedicated Brooksian for the past 50 years. “Indeed,” he continued, “there are not many Brooks School volunteer hats one can wear that he has not already worn.” Hollingsworth attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he captained the heavyweight crew and earned a spot at the United States Olympic trials his senior year. He then earned his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College before finding his way to a long and distinguished career working for Hollingsworth and Vose Company, his family’s 200-year old business.

He served as chief executive officer from 1997 until this year. “Somehow, over the course of his incredibly impressive life, there has always been time for Brooks,” Mr. Packard said.

Hollingsworth has served the school on the alumni board, as a class chair, and as a Brooks Fund phonathon participant. He has also served the school as board treasurer for the past eight years, and, Mr. Packard said, “the school has been the direct beneficiary of his wisdom, generosity and unequivocal support.”

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ALUMNI SNAPSHOTS

[ 1 ] Brooksians greet each other outside the Ashburn Luncheon, which was held in the new admissions building. [ 2 ] Brooksians celebrating their 50th reunions pose for a group photo in front of Holcombe Boathouse. [ 3 ] Stephen Taber ’72 (right) catches up with another Brooksian at the lakefront. [ 4 ] From left to right: Michael Howard ’92, Kerry Connor Glance ’92, P’24, Sirena Hartley Caruso ’92, Jonathan Johnson ’92,

Chris Kyle ’92 and Dan Dane ’92 enjoy time together on Saturday night. [ 5 ] The school hosted gatherings for alumni of color and LGBTQ+ alumni on Saturday. The gatherings gave alumni space to meet, reconnect, reflect on their time at Brooks and engage in conversation with faculty advisors to current campus affinity groups. Pictured here are attendees at the alumni of color event. [ 6 ] A campus tour explores the Science Center.

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“…much of the weekend’s theme centers on making up for lost time and celebrating and reveling …We are thrilled to be able to share the school with all of you here and in person!”

HEAD OF SCHOOL JOHN PACKARD ADDRESSING ALUMNI ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

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PARTING SHOT

Faculty emeritus William W. Dunnell III H’68 passed away on July 17, 2022. He was an extraordinary English teacher at Brooks from 1963 until his retirement in 1994. Head of School John Packard wrote an email to the Brooks community announcing Dunnell’s death. “His investment of time and wisdom, his generosity of spirit, his exceptional talent and his unwavering belief in young people continue to hold in the hearts and minds of the many he reached,” Mr. Packard wrote.

Outside the classroom, Dunnell was also an influential crew and ice hockey coach.

When the school moved to coeducation in 1979, he became the first coach of the girls ice hockey team and he remained a coach in the girls hockey program for 15 years.

“If the measure of a great boarding school faculty member is leaving one’s students, advisees and all who come into one’s orbit knowing in no uncertain terms that they matter, Mr. Dunnell was a giant,” Mr. Packard wrote in his all-community email. “His example and mentorship moved scores of colleagues to do the best they could to give to the school and students in the ways that he did. Thus, his impact extended well beyond the student body and continues to be felt today.”

Dunnell and his wife, Patty, raised three children — William ’78, Circe ’84 and Jacob ’85 — while living on campus and engaging fully in and welcoming the community around them. Dunnell was also joined on the English department faculty by his brother, Jake, with whom he enjoyed 26 years of shared good work at Brooks.

We plan to publish a remembrance of Dunnell in the fall 2022 issue of the Bulletin. If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this piece, please email Bulletin editor Rebecca A. Binder at rbinder@ brooksschool.org by October 1, 2022.

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THANK YOU!

Congratulations to the class of 1992, who won one of our Giving Day challenges by boasting the highest Giving Day participation among 2s and 7s reunion classes. They are pictured here enjoying time together at the school’s new admissions building over Alumni Weekend.

With the generous support of our alumni, parents, grandparents, employees, students and friends, we are thrilled to announce that we topped $2.5 million for the Brooks Fund this year. Among this year’s highlights are over $1 million raised from our current parents and a record Giving Day with $442,779 raised from 762 donors. We are grateful to all of our donors and volunteers who helped us reach this milestone.

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Four easy ways to give: Credit Card — Check — Stock — Venmo.* Visit www.brooksschool.org to make your gift. *Venmo: @Brooksschool. For more information, contact Director of the Brooks Fund and Family Engagement Mary Merrill at mmerrill@brooksschool.org.

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Members of the class of 2020 reunited on campus on the morning of Sunday, May 22, 2022, to watch the dedication of the grassy area between the Center for the Arts and Wilder Dining Hall as the “Class of 2020 Quad.” The classmates and their families then enjoyed brunch in Wilder Dining Hall. The class of 2020 left campus for Spring Break in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the world; the class never returned to campus to complete its sixth-form year.

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Please visit www.brooksschool.org/ alumni/events for information on upcoming receptions and events on campus and in your hometown.