News & Events
New Lower School Playground open for fun!
Broo
kwood’s Lower School playground has been bustling with activity in recent weeks, and not just with happy children enjoying recess. Piece by piece, a new outdoor play space has been in the works, and on Tuesday, June 1, the completed structures were unveiled.
With giddy, bubbly Lower Schoolers gathered around him, Headmaster Peterman led the cheering and grateful applause honoring the dedicated grandparents who funded the new space. He and students then cut the ribbon, the Pre-k sang an original song (to the tune of Zippity Do Dah, Zippity Aye ) and the playground was officially opened.
The new play area is specifically designed for Brookwood’s youngest children and includes small-sized, easily accessible features. Included are a zip line; a climbing structure with ramps, a fireman’s pole, two curvy slides, two cover huts, and a tube; a spacious sandbox shaped like a boat, and a “spider’s web” climbing-rope maze.
Pre-K’s Ode to the New Playground
Zippity do dah,
Zippity aye
My oh my, what a wonderful day!
There’s a new play ground - it’s here to stay.
Zippity do dah,
Zippity aye
We have swings and slides and zip lines.
It’s the TRUTH, we’re happy!
Everything is satisfactory!
The Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride at Brookwood raises more than $8,000
With clear skies, seasonable temperatures, and more than 109
riders from 24 North Shore towns, the second annual Pan Mass Challenge Kids Ride at Brookwood School, on Saturday, May 22, was a tremendous success.
Brookwood’s PMC Kids Ride, one of 35 rides that will be held throughout New England in the coming months, raised money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. To date, the Brookwood students have raised over $8,000.
Saturday’s riders, ranging in age from three to 15, navigated four age-appropriate loops: a trike track on the courtyard just outside Lower School for children ages three through six; an on-campus loop for Grades 1-2; a five-mile circuit for third and fourth graders; a 10.5-mile loop through the towns of Beverly, Hamilton, Wenham and Manchester for riders up to age 15.
Besides the riders, more than 65 student, parent and faculty volunteers participated in the event. Parents oversaw the raffle table, which raised more funds for the cause; faculty and parents served as ride leaders and course helpers; seventh grade students and seventh grade math teacher Ms. Carbochova ran the smoothie table (the blender was powered by volunteers peddling a bicycle!); student volunteers did face painting for the younger children; and the Upper School combo rocked the courtyard with music.
Prince Pizza and Seaside Cycle also contributed to the fun with delicious food and the “Conference Bike,” respectively.
Book Bash at Brookwood School was a blast!
More than 750 people celebrated a collective passion for reading and attended the May 2 Book Bash celebration. Hats off to current parent co-chairs Kim Guerster and Elisabeth Massey and their team of volunteers for spearheading this first-time event. The festival featured 10 storybook stations, a special appearance by Wally the Green Monster and other literary characters, a quidditch match and clinics with the Harvard Horntails, a faculty dunk tank, "novel" nibbles, book sale, prizes and more.
The fundraising component was also successful, raising an impressive $151,000 though the Book Bash sponsorship and the Online Auction. All proceeds benefit the Parents' Association which provides the funds for student and intern scholarships, cultural enrichment, and faculty and parent education programs.
And lastly a team of students and parents recently delivered more than 2,500 books collected through the Book Bash Book Drive to benefit Pathways for Children and the YMCA of the North Shore. Click here to watch a snapshot of the May2 festivities: Book Bash Scrapbook.
National Geographic Geography Bee held at Brookwood on January 7
Ten Upper School students competed in the annual National Geographic Geography Bee on Thursday, January 7, at School Meeting. The students took turns answering questions like “What river forms much of the western boundary of New Hampshire?” and “The Great Lakes’ main outlet to the sea is through what river?” Participants were eliminated from the competition once they gave two wrong answers.
After many close rounds of questioning, it eventually came down to a face-off between sixth-grader Hale C. and seventh-grader Jack V. With the winning answer of “Japan” to the question “After the United States and France, which island country generates the most power from nuclear energy?,” Jack took the top prize.
He now goes on to a regional testing round to try to qualify for the statewide Geography Bee, which will be held on April 9, 2010 at Clark University.
Best of luck Jack!
You Asked for It! Poetry Contest winners
More than 60 students participated in the December 2009 Poetry Contest. Entitled You Asked for It!, the student-generated contest invited submissions of original poetry. Congratulations to all participants and special recognition to the following winners: Carter, Kindergarten; Tatum, Gr. 2, Ben and Pearce, Gr. 3; Annabella, Hannah, Sam and Tristan, Gr. 5; Alec, Nora and Zarah, Gr. 8. Kudos to the winner of the "Passion for Poetry Prize," Katharine, Gr. 3! To read the winning entries, click here.
Headmaster's Coffee recommended readling list
At a recent Headmaster's Coffee, Supporting Your Child’s Growth and Development: Strategies for Parent Involvement, Headmaster John Peterman, Lower School Head Nancy Evans and Brookwood Counseling Consultant Dr. Shayda Ahi mentioned several books as additional recommended reading related to the topic. For those interest, the titles were as follows:
- How to Have Intelligent and Creative Conversations with Your Kids, by Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.
- Best Friends, Worst Enemies, by Michael Thompson
- The Self Esteem Trap, by Polly Young-Eisendrath
- Your Child’s Strengths, by Jenifer Fox
- Nurture Shock, by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman
Lower School Halloween Parade 2009
Brookwood's youngest ghouls and goblins were out and about when the Lower School took to the school courtyard for the annual Halloween Parade. With the faculty, Middle and Upper School students cheering them on, the Pre-K and K, and First and Second grades showed off their frightfully fine attire. Following the fun, Chef Jason served up a luscious lunch of Dracula's Soup, Dilled Creature from the Black Lagoon salad, Frankenfurters, Spaghetti & Eyeballs, and Witches cookies.
Third Annual Sustainability Fair
Even though the weather was gray and stormy, more than 470 people turned out on Saturday, October 24 for Brookwood's Annual Sustainablility Fair. With student-run tables and outside vendors offering eco-friendly information and sustainability advice, the fair highlighted innovation, inspiration, and sustainability best practices.
Science Gym muralist meets with students
Gloucester artist Jeph Ellis has completed work on his magnificent mural on the walls of the Science Gym. Over five feet tall and spanning a wall some fifty-feet long, the mural follows the journey of water through the grounds and habitats that comprise the Brookwood campus. Jeph returned to campus recently to talk about his work with students, examining the artistry and research that went into creating the piece. (Below are photos of various sections of the mural.)
