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A Loving Legacy

On Saturday,  November 6, the School held an event to officially dedicate the Denault Library Courtyard, the most recent gift in the notable commitment of the Denault family to Nashoba Brooks School.
The story begins more than 40 years ago when Dorothy Denault helped to create a library on campus. “At the time,” she remembers, “there were books stacked up in the School hallways and overflowing on shelves. There was nowhere to put them all.” For Dorothy, building the library was not only to create a place to house the School’s collection of books, it was also about creating a quiet, reflective, communal space where students could enjoy reading together. When Dorothy learned about the School’s interest in adding the Library courtyard, she was thrilled to help: “I love being outdoors and working in the garden, and I thought it would be amazing to have an outdoor space for the library.” Her son, Charles Denault adds “the library is central to any school’s community and educational process. This outdoor courtyard is very exciting because it extends the library into the beauty of the natural environment, and provides teachers with an outdoor space where they can teach. There's nothing more powerful than that on multiple levels.”

Charles and his family have also played a significant role in the development and stewardship of the library through the Dorothy and Elliot Denault Library Fund, an endowed fund dedicated to maintaining the library and its collections. The fund has grown steadily over more than 20 years. Charles reflects passionately on his family’s steadfast commitment: “There’s an old saying that ‘I warmed at a fire that I did not build and I drank from a well that I did not dig.’ Schools like Nashoba Brooks exist because of the largesse of people that came before us, and I think we have a responsibility to those who come after us to keep reaching into the woodpile to throw another log on the fire so that the fire never goes out.”

Head of School, Danielle Heard reflects on the powerful impact the Denault family has had: “They made it possible to envision, create, sustain, and expand our cherished library—a space that stands at the center, both literally and figuratively, of learning at Nashoba Brooks. Their visionary philanthropic leadership has inspired generations of students to fall in love with literature and learning, build confidence, create connections, and expand their  imaginations. These are gifts beyond measure!”

The Denualt family’s dedication to keeping the library’s fire burning for future generations is an inspiration. It underscores the significant impact campaigns and endowed funds have in helping our School thrive. The library courtyard is one of the campus improvements that marks the completion of the second phase of The Campaign for Our Future, which  is focused on transforming campus spaces to better serve the School’s vibrant program.  We look forward to Phase 3, which will enhance and reconfigure  the arts platform, communal spaces in the Middle School, and the main entrance. All with the goal of creating safe, welcoming, and inspiring facilities that reflect the strength of our program as we begin a new chapter for Nashoba Brooks School.
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200 Strawberry Hill Road
Concord, MA 01742
Phone: 978-369-4591
Email: info@nashobabrooks.org
Situated on a beautiful 30-acre campus in historic Concord, Massachusetts, Nashoba Brooks School enrolls all genders in Preschool through Grade 3, and students identifying as girls in Grades 4 through 8. Nashoba Brooks is an independent school designed to build community, character, and confidence in its students.
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