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Brentwood College School is an independent boarding school located on Vancouver Island in Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada. Brentwood's oceanfront campus comprises 70 acres (280,000 m), bounded by water on two sides, and the village of Mill Bay on the remaining two. The current headmaster of Brentwood College is Gage Malone.

Mission

Brentwood College School nurtures, challenges and inspires scholars, athletes and artists as global citizens, stewards and leaders of integrity.

Historical Overview

Brentwood was first founded in 1923 as a boys school. The original location was in Brentwood Bay near Saanich on Vancouver Island, from where its name was derived. The original school was destroyed by a fire in 1947, leaving only the chapel intact. The current school is located westward directly across the bay from the original site, in Mill Bay. The new version of the school was resurrected through the efforts of David D MacKenzie and opened in September 1961. In 1972, Brentwood College opted to become the first all boys' boarding school in Canada to gradually integrate girls, starting with 20 grade 12 students, becoming officially co-ed for the fall session.

Old School (1923-1947)

Brentwood College was founded in 1923 at Brentwood Bay, B.C., by a group of distinguished Victoria business and professional men, led by P.F. Curtis. From the initial enrollment of fifty boys and a faculty of four, the school operated for many years on the shores of Brentwood Bay and gained a reputation through outstanding academic and athletic results.

New School (1961-1971)

In 1960, some of the old school alumni met David D. MacKenzie, the re-founding headmaster. As a result of their collective financial commitment, the new Brentwood College campus reopened in September 1961 on the shores of Mill Bay. The new campus featured a central complex with the dining area for over 200 in the basement, offices and meeting rooms on the main floor and dormitories on the upper floors. An adjoining building housed classrooms with a gymnasium attached at the far right end. Several separate buildings served as accommodation for the 180 or so boarders.

Current School

Campus Layout

Today Brentwood's 70-acre (280,000 m) campus is functionally arranged and spread out over the waterfront, with a pier and ramp enabling access for sailing, rowing and docking for float planes and motor boats.

As can be seen in the campus photograph, tennis courts and rugby fields adjoin the residences, main school classroom block and specialized buildings. Some recent additions include a fine arts theatre, complete with facilities for a wide range of arts training, including acting, dance and singing. Numerous productions are put on and hosted by the students, during the school year.

Brentwood is a second home to some 400 students including those from over 20 different countries. Most board, while about 80 students commute from home.

Specialized Buildings

With the purchase of adjoining land in 1976 the Woodward Sportsplex, Maintenance Facility and a residence for the Head of School were constructed to the north of campus. More residences were added to accommodate a doubling of the school population, as a result of more than 200 boarding girls in attendance. With the increased diversification of programs into more Arts education, the T. Gill Bunch Centre, a new performing arts centre housing a theatre with 431 seats and various other specialized rooms, was added to the south of campus. The current campus has a dining hall, a boat house (with two docks, an indoor tank, and a rowing ergometer room), a gymnasium, a health centre, seven residential houses, a laundry facility housed on a portion of the first floor of Privett House, two main academic buildings, a school supplies store known as "The Bursary" housed within the Ross academic building, the campus maintenance department's building, as well as several interspersed faculty and staff houses. Recent announcement that a new student centre that will house a new dining hall, as well as recreational space was made and will be situated east of the T. Gil Bunch Centre and south of where Gwynneth House used to be.

Houses

The new school has expanded considerably in the intervening period from 1961, with the construction of dormitories in several independent houses spaced out across the campus. The residence houses each have their appointed houseparents and assistant houseparents (usually a teaching faculty member and his/her family). The houseparents, together with the insights of the students of their respective houses, appoint grade 12 students as house captains, sports captains, and prefects with varying house duties. Each house has common areas or common rooms, kitchenettes, and study halls. A dorm room can house sometimes as many as four students to as few as one student depending on the house and the room size. The houses have their individual mascots and house colours (boys' houses only), which is most evident during inter-house competitions and events throughout the school year.

• Alexandra House -girls. mascot: dinosaur
• Allard House -girls. mascot: mermaid (the newest house that replaced Gwynneth House in 2007)
• Ellis House -boys. mascot: unicorn. colour: green
• Mackenzie House -girls. mascot: frog
• Privett House -boys. mascot: ram. colour: blue
• Rogers House -boys. mascot: pirate. colour: orange
• Whittall House -boys. mascot: bull. colour: red

Curriculum

Brentwood currently offers education from grade 8 to 12, although starting Fall 2009, the school will no longer be offering any grade 8 education. The quality of Brentwood's curriculum excels above the minimum academic limits set by the British Columbia Ministry of Education and has been ranked consistently as one of the most academically inclined schools in British Columbia. Students are expected to achieve above average education and knowledge through Brentwood's tri-partite programme. Nearly all graduates attend post-secondary education. The most popular countries for post-secondary education are Canada, Scotland, England, and the United States.

Along with regular courses that are tested via the British Columbia provincial examinations, Brentwood offers several Advanced Placement courses and the American SAT prep tutorials for students who wish to continue their post-secondary education in the United States.

All courses run for one school year and have two major internal cumulative exams: the Christmas exams (administered at the end of the first term before winter break) and the final exams (administered at the end of the third term and before the closing ceremony), which may be substituted by a provincial exam if the course is a provincially examined subject and if the exam is deemed adequate in covering all materials taught in class (for information regarding the school terms, see below under "school routine").

Brentwood offers a combination of preparatory activities designed to take advantage of the school's waterfront locale and allow the individual student to select their own personal development program appropriately. Academic counseling is mandatory and progressive throughout a Brentonian's high school years. Because it is a university preparatory school, the counsellors guide all students towards their post-secondary goals in almost every aspect such as choosing appropriate school programs, writing effective personal statements, recommendation letters, and entrance exams. The average class size is 17, and a 9:1 student-to-teacher ratio .

Extracurricular Activities

Brentwood values highly its Tri-Partite program consisting of academics, sports, and the arts. It hosts an annual regatta, one of the largest high-school rowing events in western North America. The school is also known for its rugby (1st XV came in 3rd in B.C. in 2005 and 2006 and 2nd in 1998) and performing arts traditions. The school is noted for its Outdoor Pursuits program, involving sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, biking, and survival skills.

School Routine

The school year usually begins early September and ends on the last day of June with the closing ceremonies. The year is divided into three school terms, each lasting for roughly three months and ending with a major break (winter, spring, and summer). There are also three midterm breaks that last about a week approximately halfway into the terms. Students are required to take at least five full-year courses along with at least two fine arts extracurricular and a sport that can be changed each term. A typical school day consists of breakfast, room inspections done by house prefects, two class blocks, a short "cookie break," another two classes, and then lunch. After lunch, depending on the day of the week, students attend their fine arts or sports commitment(s) followed by dinner, and a two-hour silent study period known as "prep." Students attend school six days a week with Saturdays being shorter school days consisting of two class blocks followed by lunch and sports. Saturdays are also formal house inspection days when the entire house is cleaned by house members and inspected by either the houseparent or other faculty members or visiting alumni.

Uniforms

Like many other private boarding schools, Brentwood requires students to wear uniforms. There are technically two uniforms that are worn depending on the day of the week: a formal attire commonly called one's "number ones," and a semi-casual attire called "number twos." For both boys and girls, the number one uniform is comprised of a black blazer with the school's crest of the torch, a white dress shirt and black or grey dress socks (girls wear black knee socks) and dress shoes. Boys wear a black and red-striped tie (two of the three school colours) while girls where Mackenzie tartan ties (although wearing the black/red tie is usually acceptable). Boys wear grey slacks and girls wear the Mackenzie clan tartan kilt. While number ones are mandatory on certain days, number twos are optional and can be substituted with number ones. The number two attire consists of a dark navy blue, red, or white golf shirt with the embroidered school crest, black or grey socks, dress shoes, black slacks (or the tartan kilt) for girls and black or grey slacks for boys.

Prefects

Similar to traditional British schools, Brentwood employs leadership roles known as prefects. High ranking prefect roles are usually appointed to a student in his or her final year (grade 12), but minor prefect roles may be given to responsible grade 11 students as well. Students who wish to become a prefect must apply for positions during a designated time period in their grade 11 year. Depending on the position, they may have to submit supplemental materials such as a written personal statement or receive an interview. The following are the major prefect roles:

Head Prefect: the highest prefect position who represents the entire student body. He/she is a grade 12 student who embodies the ideal Brentonian by demonstrating superior academic, athletic, and artistic achievements as well as someone who is well-respected by the student body. He/she is appointed by the students, faculty, and the head of school.

Assistant Head Prefect: the second highest position, usually the runner-up student(s) for the head prefect position. Assistant head prefects also illustrate superior achievements within the tri-partite programme. They help the head prefect in voicing out student concerns to the head of school and help making executive decisions regarding various aspects of the school.

House Captain: the highest prefect position within a house. He or she is appointed by the students of his or her house and the Houseparent. The house captain, together with the house prefects are responsible of running the house.

Assistant House Captain: the second highest house position.

Sports Captain: Sports captains only represent the four boys' houses. This is because, for inter-house events, girls are designated to one of the four boys' houses as their competitive house in order to promote a coeducational environment. The sports captain is someone who is passionate about competition and sports. He/she also demonstrates a high level of house and school spirit as well as sound organization skills. He/she is responsible for organizing inter-house competitions by cooperating with the sports captains of other houses.

House Prefect: the title given to responsible grade 12 students who demonstrate a sound sense of duty and commitment in school and within their houses. House prefects administer and supervise daily house and cafeteria duties and chores, which are carried out by house members in younger grades. Depending on the house, there may be unofficial or specialized house prefects such as laundry prefects or the now obsolete pocket money prefects. House prefects act as role models for the younger grades. They are paired with a couple students in younger grades and act as a "big brother" or "big sister" figure to them.

Note: there is no hierarchical power given to one type of prefect over another.

School Organizations

SEC (Student Executive Council): the SEC is the student government and is comprised of the selected head prefect, assistant head prefect(s), the seven house captains, the SAC president, the head of school, the deputy head of school, the houseparents, and other senior faculty members. Meetings are usually held once a week and deal with various school-related issues. The SEC is in charge of regulating and organizing most major issues regarding the school. The house captains may address issues that have been voiced by the members of their respective houses, thus alerting the head of school about issues and concerns that members of the Brentwood community may have.

SAC (Student Activities Committee): The SAC is in charge of organizing non-academic school activities such as charity events, open houses, dances, and weekend activities. Any student can participate and one president is elected every year to represent the SAC as well as the general student body at SEC meetings and decisions.

Brentwood Blog: Formerly known as This Week and later Our Week, the Brentwood Blog is the main source of campus news and a window into Brentwood life for parents and prospective students. It is released weekly and can be found on the Brentwood College School main website. Typically a chosen group of about six student writers, usually from grade 10 and up, contribute, writing articles ranging from events that occurred recently at school, to pieces that illustrate everyday Brentwood life.

SPARC (Student Peer Assistant Resource Counsellors): SPARC is an organization that is mainly in charge with the overall well-being of the student body. SPARC is comprised of students who are trained to counsel and aid fellow students on various aspects of Brentwood life. They also organize several local charities such as food drives and soup kitchens. Members of SPARC are also responsible for hosting Brentwood's health and sex education.

Scholarships

Currently, the school offers bursaries, financial aid, and The Governor's Entrance Scholarship to eligible Canadian students. Approximately 20% of students receive some type of financial assistance.

Brentwood Rowing

Brentwood College has been continuing to gain a sound reputation in the rowing world, producing numerous national champions and olympians such as recent 2008 Beijing Olympic medalists Scott Frandsen (Class of 1998), Dave Calder (Class of 1996) in the Men's Heavyweight 2- event, and Malcolm Howard (Class of 2001) in the Men's Heavyweight 8+ event. Many of its top rowers have been recruited to American universities with well-established and historical rowing progammes such as UC Berkeley, University of Washington, Yale University, Harvard University and Princeton University.

Brentwood has hosted its own regatta annually since the early 1970s, inviting high schools and junior clubs across Canada and the United States to participate in a 1500 metre sprint. During the regatta which is held in April for three days, the campus is converted to a lively and eventful meeting place of high school rowers and their supporters. The Brentwood regatta claims to be the largest high school sporting event in western North America, attracting over 1500 athletes.

The school continues to win many events at local regattas, the national high school regatta, and at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. In 2007, Brentwood sent its promising men's heavyweight 8+ to the Henley Royal Regatta in England, defeating one of the most historic school in the world and high school rowing powerhouse, Eton College, but narrowly losing to Shrewsbury School at the finals to win second place for the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.

In 2008, for the first time, Brentwood College competed in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA. The crews performed well resulting in an invitation back for the head race in 2009.

Brian Carr is the current head coach.

School events

• Brentwood Regatta is held in the spring and is one of the largest regattas on the west coast.
• Brentwood Regional Gatherings are held in every major Western Canadian city and also Seattle.
• Founders' Day is held every fall, usually in early November.

School publications

• Brentonian Magazine - Brentwood's bi-annual magazine.

• Brentwood Blog - Brentwood's weekly summary of campus happenings and notable events.

Notable alumni

• Lieutenant Commander John H Stubbs (1930) - WWII hero, commander of HMCS Athabaskan
• Brentwood's first Olympian, Ned Pratt (1930)
• Hon. Alastair Gillespie, P.C. O.C. (1941) - senior member of Pierre Trudeau's cabinet
• Colonel Philip (Pip) D P Holmes (1941) WWII hero - Airforce: Bomber Command
• Dr. Wade Davis (1971) - ethnobotanist, author and activist
• Brentwood's first Olympic Gold Medallist, Blair Horn (1979)
• 2008 Beijing Olympians Connor Grimes (Class of 2001), Scott Frandsen (Class of 1998), David Calder (Class of 1996), and Malcolm Howard (Class of 2001).

References

1. About Brentwood College School - Private Canadian Boarding at www.brentwood.bc.ca
2. Students of Brentwood College School - Canadian Boarding School at www.brentwood.bc.ca
3. Prowse, Nicholas R.B. Kindled from the Ashes: A Short History of Brentwood College. Victoria: Brentwood, 2002.
4. ^ Jolayne Houtz. "Uniforms, dorm inspections and camaraderie: living the boarding school life." The Seattle Times 12 Apr 2007: A3.

External links

• Brentwood College School website

48°39′11″N 123°33′14″W / 48.65306°N 123.55389°W / 48.65306; -123.55389

• Boarding schools in British Columbia
• High schools in British Columbia
• Private schools in British Columbia
• Preparatory schools in British Columbia
• Educational institutions established in 1923