Brookwood School It Starts Here.

Peterman's Post: Nametags

September 13, 2011
By Head of School John Peterman
The story Chris Waddell shared with our kids can be found on his web-site: http://www.one-revolution.com/.  I encourage you to check it out and speak with your child about what he or she learned from a true American hero. 
In 1988, Chris was a promising young skier at Middlebury College when a skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Determined to get back on the slopes, he learned to ski on a monoski about one year after the accident.   Just over two years later, Waddell was named to the US Disabled Ski Team.  He went on to earn Olympic medals in both the summer and winter games.  And in 2009 he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Chris' climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheel chair is not the most amazing thing about this man.  His message to the kids was indeed about overcoming adversity with uncanny fortitude and courage.  But most of all, Mr. Waddell talked to the kids about how they would like to be known by others.  He used the concept of nametags as a simple example of how others come to "tag" us with labels.  He has spent the past 20 years attempting to reclaim the nametag of "athlete" which was changed to "handicapped" after his skiing accident.  Chris asked our students to think about the ways in which they label themselves and others and how they would like to be known both within the Brookwood community and outside of it as well.
The presentation certainly gave Brookwood teachers and advisors a great opportunity to have meaningful discussions with our students.  What a way to start the year.
To view excerpts of Chris' talk and reflections of some Brookwood students, click here: Student Reflections.

First Day, New Year, New Beginnings.

September 7, 2011 - At Brookwood, Wednesday wasn't just Wednesday this week. It was the start of the 211-2012 school year!  Head of School John Peterman, faculty and division heads welcomed students, new and returning.
Chesterton famously said, “Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” Well the rainbow of our extremely rainy Wednesday, September 7 was the 400-plus jubilant Brookwood students celebrating the first day of the 2011-2012 school year. In the hallways and in the classrooms, children were smiling, children were laughing, children were hugging and jumping and giggling hello's to friends new and old.
To savor a bit of the fun, all the sights and sounds of this year’s first day, click here: Opening Day 2011-2012.

Second Grade Works to Bring Backyard Chickens to Brookwood

Brookwood is home to four beautiful chickens and a solar powered chicken coop thanks to the research, diligence and fundraising efforts of our second grade students.
According to Lower School Head Nancy Evans the year-long project began as early as last fall and the Sustainability Fair when students and their teachers, “talked about ‘sustainable practices’ that people do in their homes that we could also do here at Brookwood.“  Someone spoke of raising chickens and the students’ curiosity was sparked. The discussion eventually led to a wish to have chickens at Brookwood. 
In science and homeroom classes, children researched and learned all about chickens - facts, breeds, coops and care. They imagined and sketched chicken coop designs that included features best suited to a chicken’s needs. They incubated and hatched four chicks, which they cared for until they were one month old.  At that point, the chicks were sent to a family farm.  
Desire and knowledge fueled the energetic group as they then worked to raise money in support of the project. Students made beeswax candles and pins, sold them at last November’s Sustainability Fair, and raised over $200 for the coop. Also, second grade teacher Elise DeVita received a grant from Brita ($1,000 for sustainable projects at schools) that was put toward the chicken project. And finally, a donation from a current family helped make the dream a reality.
During the second week of May, four beautiful juvenile hens, or pullets, arrived at school to the delight of the Second Grade and the entire Brookwood community. They now happily reside in a solar-powered coop (the solar panel fuels an electric line around the coop that keeps predators away) right outside the science classrooms. The hens are of four breeds: Jersey Giant, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Light Brahma, Barred Plymouth Rock.
Along with teachers, second graders in both classes take care of the chickens’ daily feeding and maintenance. During the summer, campers attending Summer at Brookwood will help with the care as will administrators and Second Grade family volunteers.
“The responsibilities and decision-making behind taking care of an animal are beneficial to the children in our community,” says Nancy pointing out that the lessons associated with the project are far-reaching. “And we hope our own “backyard chickens” give [students] firsthand experience in seeing where a food source comes from.  We look forward to collecting our first eggs in late August.”

Gale Brewer ’65 receives 2011
Daniel P. Wise Distinguished Alumni/ae Service Award

June, 2011 - Brookwood School is pleased to announce the 2011 recipient of the Daniel P. Wise Distinguished Alumni/ae Service Award is alumna Gale A. Brewer ’65 in recognition of her lifelong commitment to public service. Gale, a former resident of Manchester, is now in her third and final term as a City Council Member for District Six on the Upper West Side of New York City.
Brookwood School is pleased to announce the 2011 recipient of the Daniel P. Wise Distinguished Alumni/ae Service Award is alumna Gale A. Brewer ’65 in recognition of her lifelong commitment to public service. Gale, a former resident of Manchester, is now in her third and final term as a City Council Member for District Six on the Upper West Side of New York City.
    Brewer was nominated by her sister, Anita Brewer-Siljeholm ’67, of Manchester, who in her nomination letter wrote, “Starting with grassroots organizing in Boston in the 1960s [Gale] continued her work in New York after 1970: pushing the system, then later changing it, by negotiating, advocating, and organizing for underserved and poor families in creative and steadfast ways. For women, Gale served as state chair of the National Women’s Political Caucus in New York State speaking about and supporting women candidates at all levels.
    “A primary value recognized by the Dan Wise Award is ethical choice in a world full of alternatives, and Gale is known for her refusal to cross those lines. Hard work, perseverance, and energy for the people she works for are her hallmarks;. . She’s constantly improving services to vulnerable groups such as the elderly in her district.
    Presented every other year, the Daniel P. Wise Distinguished Alumni/ae Service Award is, “bestowed upon an [Brookwood] Alumnus/a whose works and convictions reflect the highest ethical standards and whose values of self-esteem, self-discipline and respect for others are central in the pursuit of his or her goals.”
    Anita Brewer-Siljeholm continued in her nomination letter: “Implicit in Gale’s efforts over these long years is a respect for others and for the right of everyone to have fair access to the conditions of a dignified life. It goes almost without saying that without self- discipline nobody achieves what she has done, but it isn’t a singular goal in this case, rather a ceaseless commitment to making the system work for the widest possible constituency.”
    Presenting the award at Brookwood’s 2011 Commencement ceremony on June 14 was Dan Wise’s daughter Martha ’84, who lives and works in Nevada. In her speech, Martha Wise shared that her father knew Gale well and was very proud of her work: I have to tell you, it is a huge honor to be here on this stage that my father loved, to present an award my father so believed in to a person in whom my father so believed.  . . . My mother tells me that Dad was fond of Gale, very proud of her work, and kept in touch with her through the years.  I can just picture him sitting up here and smiling about the choice of recipients for this year's award. So, in his stead, please help me to honor Gale Brewer with the Daniel P. Wise Distinguished Alumni/ae Service Award.”
    When introduced, Brewer expressed gratitude to the Brookwood community and her sister: “First off, I want to thank you for honoring me, for bestowing this award, and allowing me to speak today about the importance of Brookwood, and especially about Mr. Wise.  I thank my beloved sister, Anita, for her beautiful letter nominating me.  Like my brother Conant, she, too, is a graduate of Brookwood, and it has changed her life as it has in mine.  I was in Brookwood's second class, and every day I have put to good use what I learned here, and in particular the things Mr. Wise inspired me to learn and become,” she said.
    Brewer explained that though her work as a City Council member in New York is extremely complex – she represents a district in the Upper West Side that includes 170,000 people as well as Lincoln Center, the Natural History Museum, Julliard, 34 public schools, 20 or more independent, parochial and day schools, and, with fellow Council members, annually negotiates a $65 billion city budget – she learned the art of politics as a child in Manchester.
    “It all started right down the road. My father, Bill Brewer, stood for Selectman, and I learned electioneering at his knee.  We went every Saturday to the dump – even when we didn't have any trash – because it was a great place to shake hands and be seen. I loved it.  . . .  And believe me, I still do.”
    Brewer then remembered Dan Wise and all that he taught and meant to his students: “Mr. Wise was way ahead of his time.  . . .   He wanted each of us to succeed, and he made us feel it.  He was bigger than life, which is what children need to feel about their mentors and inspirations.  His legacy is the lives of thousands who keep up his spirit and goodness in their own pursuits.  No one who became part of his world can ever forget him,” she said. “ . . .   [At Brookwood] we were offered a wise and generous setting in which to learn those lessons.  In a world where right values seem in short supply today, I always think of Brookwood, and Mr. Wise, when I hear of young people trying to do the right thing.”
    After sharing a moving story of a friend’s son, who was caught in a challenging situation and navigated it with fairness and character, Brewer concluded with praise for teachers who work to instill important messages of values and honor in their students. “It all reminds me that navigating this world depends on learning from good teachers and good people to do the right thing as we see it.  It's what I learned here, thanks to Brookwood and especially Mr. Wise.  I thank you for it, for this honor, and especially for the classmates who became lifelong friends, and every well-taught young person whom Brookwood has sent into the world,” she said.

Looking for a story from the past school year?
Click here for archived features: [2010-2011 News & Events archives].
Or further back? Click: [2009-2010 News & Events archives].