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| Motto | Victuri Te Salutamus |
|---|---|
| School type | Private, Co-ed |
| Established | 1926 |
| Head of School | Lawrence W. Becker |
| Campus | Small town, 242 acres |
| Endowment | $61 million |
| Religious affiliation | Episcopal |
| Location | North Andover, MA, USA |
| Enrollment | ~350 |
| Faculty | ~65 |
| Boarding/day student ratio | 70% boarding to 30% day |
| Average class size | 12 students |
| Average SATs | ~1207 |
| Mascot | Bishop |
| School colors | Green, White |
| School website | www.brooksschool.org |
Brooks School is a private co-educational, preparatory secondary school in North Andover, Massachusetts. 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.
The school admitted day students in the early 1950s and became co-educational in 1979. Enrollment as of April 2005 is about 350 students, comprised of:
- 55% male
- 45% female
- 70% boarding
- 30% day
- 18% minority
- 21% 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. Other groups are the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Ashburn Society, Phillips Brooks Society (PBA), Art Association, Students Embracing Culture (SEC), the Debate Club, International Club, Weekend Activities, Fins & Feathers, 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 athletic rival is Governor Dummer.
The school's motto, Victuri te salutamus, is Latin for "We, who are about to be victorious, salute you." - a variation on the famous motto of the Roman gladiators' ""nos morituri te salutamus" - or, "we who are about to die, salute you."
Study abroad
Brooks offers several opportunities for student to study abroad, including:
- African Exchange - student exchange with four non-racial institutions in Africa: Kenya, Botswana & Uganda
- Hungarian Exchange - begun 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-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.
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
- Samuel P. Peabody '44, educator and humanitarian
- Jake Burton '1980s, Snowboard inventor
- Alex Grieve '09, some guy