Mission & Academics Blog
60 Years - A Tradition of Excellence
This year has been an inspiring celebration of 60 years of excellence at Brookfield Academy…a celebration of the wisdom, courage, and perseverance of a few families that wanted something more for their children and took action. We have all enjoyed the fruits of their efforts. Our school has grown and impacted many, many families. We are grateful to all the people that have been a part of our school community.
This year we created several podcasts talking with different teachers and leaders at BA, hearing their perspectives and personal experiences as they shared what makes Brookfield Academy excellent. These conversations were varied and affirming.
But as the year is coming to an end, I have reflected often on what has kept our school firmly grounded in practices and programs that create excellence for our students. Every time I find myself returning to our Five Stars: Truth, Character, Intellect, Individuality, and Heritage.
While the decades have gone by, times have changed. Society has emphasized new concerns, new areas for growth, new technologies, new challenges. Yet, we have found our answers at each new moment by relying on those Five Stars that our founders provided back in 1962.
Truth - This Star reminds us - assures us - that not everything is relative. There are absolutes and we treasure them. At Brookfield Academy, we will always seek what is good, true, and beautiful in the world. We will strive to teach our scholars to take this search to heart in their own lives. We do not try to force truth on them but to guide them and encourage them to study their world, evaluate, reflect, research, and stretch - always seeking the truth. As faculty and administrators, we work to model this same approach. Our school was founded on enduring principles such as a theistic view of life, a Judeo-Christian ethic, personal responsibility, and the fruits of an education. Perhaps the greatest truth lived out each day is the power of love - love of freedom, love of learning, and most importantly, love for our students.
Character - We value this star which encourages us all - students and faculty - to build good habits - to grow in virtue - to showcase great examples and nonexamples in history and literature, athletics and the arts, our community and our world. That Star of Character reminds us of the importance of honesty, empathy, courage, and resilience to name just a few. We rely on this Star for many lessons and conversations each and every day. It helps us to make the right decisions in tough moments and to stand strong when pressures are high. Excellent character has been a bright, shining guide for all of us.
Intellect - The Star of Intellect was added to keep us focused on learning - to be curious and filled with childlike wonder and awe. We hope to instill in our students a love of knowledge while developing their ability to think critically, analyzing and synthesizing information as they progress. Intellect is not fixed…as we learn and practice and apply new concepts, our intellect can grow. It is our job to keep our students’ lamp of learning brilliantly lit.
Individuality - What an important Star Individuality is in this world! At Brookfield Academy, it teaches us to respect the dignity of every person. We learn to respect differences but more than that, to celebrate them and to learn through these differences. The diverse backgrounds of our students - along with their interests, talents, and perspectives enrich us, teach us, and open our eyes to the broader world around us. Every student, every teacher, every staff member is a treasure to our community.
Heritage - This Star of Heritage exists for several reasons. The founders wanted us to learn and remember the history of our school so as not to forget the principles upon which it was first established. Further, they wanted our student body to fully understand the history of our country and to recognize, despite our flaws as a nation, that we were built on an idea - the idea of freedom - and that is what we need to continue to celebrate and protect. But, finally, this Star also encourages us to learn about our own personal heritages - wide and varied as they are. It is important to hold on to our histories and the founders knew that.
The gift of the Five Stars, shared with us six decades ago - will always be relevant and essential to the success of our school. They define our tradition of excellence and point us into the future with confidence and gratitude.
