Brooks School

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Brooks School

Motto	Victuri Te Salutamus
School type	Private, Co-ed
Established	1926
Head of School	Lawrence W. Becker
Campus	Small town, 242 acres
Endowment	$68 million
Religious affiliation	Episcopal
Location	North Andover, MA, USA
Enrollment	354
Faculty	~65
Boarding/day student ratio	70% boarding to 30% day
Average class size	12 students
Average SATs	1835
Mascot	Bishop (Colloquially)
School colors	Green, Black, White
School website	www.brooksschool.org

Brooks School is a private co-educational, preparatory secondary school in North Andover, Massachusetts near the shore of Lake Cochichewick .

The school was founded in 1926 by the Rev. Endicott Peabody, then headmaster of Groton School, and named for Phillips Brooks, a well-known nineteenth century Episcopal clergyman, orator and author, rector of Trinity Church in Boston, Bishop of Massachusetts, and resident of North Andover.

The school opened on September 29, 1927, with fourteen boys in the first and second forms (seventh and eighth grades). The school added one form (or grade) each year thereafter until it comprised grades 7–12, denoted by the British educational notations Form I, II, III, IV, V and VI, respectively. Forms I and II (seventh and eighth grades) were later dropped. Today Brooks consists of Forms III, IV, V and VI, or grades 9–12, corresponding to the U.S. public educational system's equivalent of high school. Students entering Brooks in the Third Form are colloquially referred to as Beagles, in honor of the first headmaster's famously disoriented pet.

Brooks School is unique among schools for the continuity of its leadership, having had just three heads of school in over 75 years. The School's first headmaster, Frank D. Ashburn (a graduate of Groton School, Yale University and Columbia Law School), was appointed at the age of 25 and served for 46 years until his retirement in 1973. He was succeeded by H. Peter Aiken who served until 1986, when he was succeeded by Lawrence W. Becker, the school's current headmaster who will step down in 2008.

The school admitted day students in the early 1950s and became co-educational in 1979. Enrollment as of January 2007 is 354 students, comprised of:

55% male
45% female

70% boarding
30% day

17% minority
12% international
20% receiving financial aid

Brooks has 5 boys dorms and 5 girls dorms. The girls dorms are Merriman, Gardner, PBA, Hett West and Hett East. The boys dorms are Whitney, Thorne, Blake, Peabody, and Russell. The largest dorm on campus is Thorne House with 40 boys.

Brooks has many clubs and organizations on campus. They range from Irish Club to Brooks Brothers and Sisters (BBS). Other groups include the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), Ashburn Society, Phillips Brooks Society (PBS), Art Association, Students Embracing Culture (SEC), Debate Team, Peer Tutoring, Ski Club, Model UN, Environmental Club, International Club, Rugby Club, Sushi Club, Harry Potter Club, Weekend Activities, Fins and Feathers Club, Gentlemen's Club, and Math Team.

The academic program at Brooks focuses on a college preparatory curriculum. Community life at Brooks includes bi-weekly chapel services (with a third service on Sundays for boarding students) in a non-denominational setting, community service programs serving locally and beyond, and extra-curricular activities in the arts and athletics. Athletically, Brooks competes in the Independent School League. Its traditional rival is the Governor's Academy.

The school's motto, victuri te salutamus, is Latin for "We, who are about to be victorious, salute you." - a variation of the famous motto of the Roman gladiators' "nos morituri te salutamus," or "we who are about to die, salute you."

1 Athletics
2 Study Abroad
3 Notable Brooksians
4 External Links

[edit] Athletics

Brooks has been successful in winning many championships in the Independent School League and New England over the recent years, including:

[edit] Fall Sports

Boys Cross Country - 2005 New England Division 4 Champions
Girls Field Hockey - 2004 New England Class B Tournament Champions, 2005 New England Class B Tournament Champions, 2006 New England Class B Tournament Champions
Boys Soccer - 2003 ISL Champions, New England Class A Tournament Champions, 2004 ISL Co-Champions, 2005 ISL Tri-Champions
Girls Soccer - 2001 ISL Champions, New England Class B Tournament Champions, 2002 ISL Champions, New England Class A Tournament Champions, 2005 ISL Champions

[edit] Winter Sports

Girls Basketball - 2003 New England Class B Tournament Champions, 2006 New England Class B Tournament Champions
Boys Ice Hockey - 2004 ISL Eberhart Division Champions, 2005 ISL Eberhart Division Champions, 2006 ISL Eberhart Division Champions
Girls Ice Hockey - 2004 New England Division 2 Champions
Girls Squash - 2006 New England Class B Champions - two players
Boys Wrestling - 2005 ISL Graves-Kelsey Co-Champions, 2006 New England Champions - two wrestlers, 2007 New England Runner-ups, Champions - two wrestlers, National Prep Champion - one wrestler

[edit] Spring Sports

Girls Crew - 2004 NEIRA Regatta Winners, National Champions, 2005 NEIRA Regatta Winners, National Champions
Girls Lacrosse - 2004 ISL Champions, 2005 ISL Champions, 2006 ISL Champions
Softball - 7 ISL Championships in the past 8 years

[edit] Study Abroad

Brooks offers several opportunities for students to study abroad, including:

African Exchange - with four non-racial institutions in Africa: Kenya, Botswana and Uganda

Hungarian Exchange - began in 1990 as the first and only US-Hungary exchange program at the secondary school level and funded by the Samantha Smith Memorial Exchange Fund, a program of the United States Information Agency and Soros Foundation, students attend the Deák Ferenc Gimnázium in Szeged, Hungary.

Scotland Exchange - with Glenalmond College in Perth, Scotland

School Year Aboard (SYA) - founded in 1964 by Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and now a consortium including top independent schools across the country, SYA is the only secondary school level program which allows students to live with a foreign family for an entire academic year while earning U.S. graduation credits and preparing for selective U.S. colleges and universities.

[edit] Notable Brooksians

Frank D. Ashburn, headmaster
Anthony Perkins, actor
Parker Stevenson, actor
James Spader, actor, son of faculty member David Spader
Sam Waterston, actor, son of faculty member
Michael Weatherly '86, actor
Charles P. Lyman, Ph.D. '32, biologist & professor
Henry Lyman '33, conservationist & publisher
Charles H.W. Foster '45, environmentalist & author
William W. Kellog, Ph.D. '35, geophysicist & meteorologist
Thomas C. Platt '43, U.S. District Court chief justice
Dr. Huntington Sheldon '47, medicine
Ambassador Wells Stabler '37, foreign service
William R. Ferris '60, educator & historian
Henry M. Buhl '48, humanitarian
Steve Forbes '66, publisher
Dr. Edward F. MacNichol '36, research scientist and educator
Barry M. Bowen '63, environmentalist, entrepreneur and statesman
Mark Shuttleworth (exchange student), entrepreneur
Samuel P. Peabody '44, educator and humanitarian
Jake Burton Carpenter 1960s (did not graduate from Brooks), founder of Burton Snowboards
Charlie Davies '04, professional soccer player for Hammarby IF