Mission & Academics Blog
Welcome to Mission & Academics Blog, a Brookfield Academy space to explore ideas, build community, and search for the Truth. We will share our efforts to strive for day-to-day excellence at our school, recognizing the ways in which individuals grow. You will find valuable, thought-provoking insights as well as simple "how-to" solutions. Whether academics, philosophy, or best practices, this blog will make you smile, increase your gratitude, and inspire you to continue learning. So, have at it, be curious, ENJOY, and, as stated by Founder Bill Smeeth, keep your "lamps brilliantly lit!"
2026
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The Readiness is All: BA Coaches Serve Students
Read MoreSchool doesn’t end with the final bell. After the classrooms empty, the gym and playing fields fill. Students who have been exercising their minds all day transform into student-athletes and exercise their bodies.Brookfield Academy invests significantly in our athletic programs for a reason. Ask students in grades 5–12 what makes school life most enjoyable, and you will likely hear something about sports. At Brookfield Academy, sports are not just for a few elite athletes; most BA students participate. According to Athletic Director Nick Rechlitz, 208 of our MS students—90%—will play a sport this year. In the Upper School, 281 students, or 87%, will participate in athletics.What makes this voluntary commitment to athletics so appealing? -
Why Latin Still Belongs in College Prep
Latin hasn’t been widely taught in schools since the 1960s and especially in an age of coding bootcamps and STEM pipelines, teaching Latin might seem like an odd choice. While Brookfield Academy is clearly a college-prep environment, we know the secret to Latin. Latin isn't about speaking to ancient Romans—it's about building minds.Read More
Latin is pattern recognition on steroids. Students learn to decode complex sentences, identify grammatical structures, and infer meaning from context. These are the exact skills they'll need to find their way through dense college texts in philosophy, literature, law, or science. -
Excellence with Civility: Culture Makes Brookfield Academy Special
Read MoreWhat makes Brookfield Academy such a special place? Certainly, one has to start with academics. In the forty-plus years I have worked here, academic excellence and rigor have consistently distinguished our school. But of equal, though perhaps less noticed importance, is the deep dedication to kindness and civility, values that define our campus culture.These two cultural commitments – excellence and civility – shape our daily work. We urge our students to strive for excellence, and we encourage them to measure themselves against high standards. This naturally creates competition for Honor Roll recognition and other academic awards. At the same time, we work intentionally to cultivate cooperation and kindness. The Lower School prayer neatly captures this dynamic: “Almighty God, I begin this day with a cheerful spirit and a willing heart, with the determination to do my best in all I undertake, and the desire to treat others at all times with kindness and respect.” A determination to do one's best coupled with a desire to treat others at all times with kindness and respect is part of the secret that makes this school a great place.
