Brooks School

Brooks School
VICTURI TE SALUTAMUS We, who are about to be victorious, salute you
Address
1160 Great Pond Road North Andover, Massachusetts 01845 United States
Coordinates	42°42′20″N 71°5′9″W / 42.70556°N 71.08583°W / 42.70556; -71.08583Coordinates: 42°42′20″N 71°5′9″W / 42.70556°N 71.08583°W / 42.70556; -71.08583
Information
School type	Private, Day & Boarding, College-prep
Religious affiliation(s)	Episcopal
Established	1926
Head of school	John R. Packard
Faculty	150
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	359
Average class size	12
Student to teacher ratio	5:1
Campus size	242 acres (0.98 km2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Green, White, and Black
Athletics	13 varsity sports; 48 teams
Athletics conference	Independent School League
Mascot	Bishops (Colloquially)
Rival	The Governor's Academy
Newspaper	The Brooksian
Endowment	$58 million
Tuition	$55,560 (boarding) $42,450 (day)
Website	www.brooksschool.org

Brooks School

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

History

Brooks School was founded in 1926 by the Reverend Endicott Peabody, the headmaster of Groton School at the time, and was named after Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), a well-known clergyman and author from North Andover, Massachusetts, who briefly served as Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church during the 1890s.

The school opened on September 29, 1927, with fourteen boys in the first and second forms (seventh and eighth grades), two masters, a headmaster and headmistress, and one dormitory. The school added one form (grade) each year thereafter until it comprised grades 7–12, denoted by the British educational notations, Forms 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 a high school.

Brooks School has had just four heads of school in over 80 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. Ashburn was succeeded by H. Peter Aiken who served until 1986, when he was succeeded by Lawrence W. Becker. Becker, who stepped down in 2008, was succeeded by John R. Packard, previously the Dean of Faculty.

The school started admitting day students in the early 1950s and became co-educational in 1979. Today, the school enrolls 185 boys and 160 girls who come from many states and foreign countries. There has been a steady increase of students of color and of international students, and the school aspires to achieve gender equality. In addition, approximately 20 percent of students receive financial aid.

Brooks has many student clubs and organizations on campus. They include the A Capella, Art Association, Ashburn Society, Brooks Brothers and Sisters (BBS), Bishop Filmmaker Society (BFS), Bishop Bells, Beatbox Club, Chamber Ensemble, Chess Club, Debate Team, Environmental Club, Gay-straight alliance (GSA), Gentlemen's Club, Glee Club, Gospel Choir, the Improv Club, International Club, Jazz Band, Math Club, Model United Nations (Model UN), Men's A Capella Peer Tutoring, Phillips Brooks Society (PBS), Student Activities, Students Embracing Culture (SEC), Student Newspaper, Ski Club,Food Club, and Amnesty International.

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 extracurricular activities in the arts and athletics. Athletically, Brooks competes in the Independent School League. Its traditional rival is The Governor's Academy (formerly Governor Dummer Academy).

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

Advanced Placement

Brooks offers 19 AP courses in the following subjects listed below. In addition to AP's, student are also granted the option of applying for an independent study with the head of department.

• AP Art History
• AP Biology
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Chemistry
• AP Chinese
• AP English
• AP Environmental Science
• AP French Language
• AP Latin: Virgil
• AP Spanish Language
• AP Physics
• AP Spanish Literature
• AP United States History
• AP United States Government and Politics
• AP World History

Study Abroad

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

• African Exchange - with four non-racial institutions in Botswana, Kenya, and Uganda
• Hungarian Exchange - began in 1990 as the only United States-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 Abroad (SYA) - founded in 1964 by Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and now a consortium, including top independent schools across the United States; SYA is the only secondary school level program, which allows students to live with a foreign family for an entire academic year while earning United States secondary school graduation credits and preparing for selective United States colleges and universities.
• And brand new this year, Spain and Lima, Peru

Notable alumni

References