State of the School: An Evening of Innovation and Inspiration
The Nashoba Brooks School community--parents, employees, and members of the Board of Trustees--gathered in Wallace Dining Commons on Thursday, January 18, for the annual State of the School meeting.
Led by Head of School Danielle Heard and President of the Board of Trustees Jason Robart P'09 facilitated the meeting. Danielle opened the meeting with a welcome, thoughts on the School’s strength, key metrics, innovation, and the “possibilities” ahead. “As an institution, we are always moving, always innovating, always improving.”
Danielle then invited several members of the community to reflect on dashboard data related to the current state of the School from their perspectives as employees, committee members, and leaders of strategic initiatives at Nashoba Brooks. Danielle highlighted the #Concord_Portal as one initiative that has broadened student perspectives and enhanced their learning experiences by connecting our community with sites around the world. Attendees had the opportunity to experience the Portal before the start of the meeting with a connection to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Danielle asked Director of Educational Technology and Innovation Hank Bryant; current parent and member of the Board of Trustees Investment Subcommittee A.J. Sohn; Maggie Barbuto, Director of Finance and Operations; Jane O’Connor, Assistant Director of the Lower School; Regina Nixon, Director of Admission; Nicole Chan, Director of Annual Giving; and Director of External Programs Kerry Stevens to share insights from the perspective of their roles. Highlights included key metrics: growth in endowment (113% over 10 years), increase in annual giving (47% over 10 years), and increase in applications for admission year-to-date (more than 100% over the last three years).
Following the employee presentations, Jason Robart noted the strength of the program at Nashoba Brooks as a reflection of the School’s dedication to its strategic directions. Jason introduced the Design Thinking experience. Participants engaged in a hands-on exercise to envision future opportunities for education and innovation at Nashoba Brooks School.
The evening illustrated the strength of the School today, the positive momentum of the community, and the foundation for the future of Nashoba Brooks.
Grade 3 students participated in a favorite Nashoba Brooks tradition: a Sharing of Understanding. This event hosted family members to listen and learn about what their students have been working on at School, including a recorder recital and in-depth explanations of multiple indigenous peoples.
It was a packed weekend on the Nashoba Brooks campus for Fall Weekend!
Thank you to all the parent volunteers, student ambassadors, faculty members, and all other roles who contributed to making this weekend so memorable for our School.
After weeks of hard work, Grade 3 students had the opportunity to present their Community Hero projects to their families and their interview subjects!
The Nashoba Brooks School campus was bursting with excitement Friday, November 4, through Sunday, November 6, as we celebrated our annual Fall Weekend.
After almost a year of research, school visits, interviews, self-reflection, and essay writing, the Grade 8 class is enjoying a variety of excellent high schools to choose from.
Alongside the book fair and poetry month, April has been a wonderful time for literature at Nashoba Brooks School. Sharon Draper and Jen Campbell, two celebrated authors, left their mark on the community over the past few weeks.
More than 75 parents responded to this year’s annual School survey and numbers were well balanced across all grade levels. The results of the survey are impressive and the feedback the parents offer to the School is glowing.
As Black History Month comes to a close, students and faculty alike celebrate diversity, acknowledging that a school is not only classrooms, gymnasiums, and fields, but also the people within these walls. Each year and at every grade level our students contemplate the presence and importance of different backgrounds, experiences and beliefs. And this month provides community members with an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Black in America.
Rachel Adams graduated from Nashoba Brooks School in 2001. She went on to study at Lawrence Academy followed by Maine College of Art and Design. Now living in Portland as a successful artist, textile designer, entrepreneur, wife and mother of two, Rachel shares her journey from student to full time artist.
Guida Mattison, Nashoba Brooks School's director of secondary school placement, wants to remove as much stress as possible from the high school application process that Grade 8 students go through each year.
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.