Brentwood College Fall Report, 21.12.2004

from Andrea Pennells, Head of School 

“Never doubt that a small committed group of committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead, anthropologist

Over tea with Brentwood’s own anthropologist, ethnobotanist and world renowned writer, Wade Davis (1971), in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, Wade’s family and I talked about the importance of nurturing optimism and idealism for this generation of youth. Wade’s daughters had lived through the lock-down of their school during the 9/11 attack on Washington, and have experienced the heightened security alerts in the city ever since. Nonetheless, Wade and his wife, Gail, have taught their girls to look forward and celebrate all that is kind and noble and good in the world. They have emphasised the need to respect the uniqueness of the world’s cultures. In so doing, like Brentonians at our best, the Davis family understand that we share our planet and our human condition with many diverse peoples from whom we can all learn and to whom we must be generous of spirit and in deed.

The Brentwood Mosaic

Brentwood students come from twenty-three countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, in addition to expatriate Canadian families living on four continents. Our faculty includes nationals from Scotland, England, Wales, France, Italy, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, China, Jamaica, and the U.S.A. Within the Brentwood family, we have Christians, Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, agnostics and atheists. As we state in our Principles of Community: Brentwood College is a multicultural community of people from diverse racial, ethnic and class backgrounds, national origins, religious and political beliefs, and intellectual, physical and artistic abilities. Our programmes, activities and everyday interactions are enriched by our acceptance of one another, as we strive to learn from each other in an atmosphere of positive engagement and mutual respect.

In assemblies, advisor and house meetings, and special events, we try to honour what we call the Brentwood Mosaic. Granted Brentwood College is a western Canadian school with a historic, ecumenical Christian tradition, but our contemporary mindset is more secular, global and inclusive. On Rosh Hashana, for instance, I spoke about Thomas Cahill’s book, The Gifts of the Jews, and the universal, hopeful message of the Jewish New Year.

Similarly, at our school Remembrance Service in November, student readers presented our traditional script of remembrance, including the solemn reading of Anthem for Doomed Youth and the Brentonian Roll of Honour. Our choirs and pianists created a movingly reflective mood with music from Canada, the U.S.A., France, Poland, Austria and Russia. Intertwined were three personal statements, Past, Present and Future Journeys, on the tragedy of war and the call for international peace and understanding. History teacher, Rob MacLean, back after his sabbatical in Europe, spoke about his experience at the Somme and the commitment of young Germans to learn foreign languages and remember the lessons of history. David and Sam Yeon (Korea) spoke of their volunteer experience in a Palestinian refugee camp, illustrating the need for empathy and compassion of all sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Amy Weinberg (Cobble Hill) inspired us all with her support of Canada’s continuing commitment to peacekeeping in troubled parts of the world.

Later in November, we celebrated American Thanksgiving with a lively presentation by Kaitlin Phillips (Washington) and Ariano Vito (California). Then we listened to We Will Have Peace, written and performed by Austin Cheley (Colorado), accompanied by George Upton (California), and faculty drummer, Garth Nichols (Ontario). The standing ovation in response to this moving song affirmed that Austin had literally and symbolically struck a chord with students and faculty alike. We Will Have Peace was empowering, full of idealism and hope for the future. Through his music that day, Austin made a difference in his Brentonian circle of influence. Who knows, within our international community of students how far that circle may extend as the future unfolds? I, for one, am optimistic that our students will make a positive difference in the troubled world beyond these tranquil shores, by becoming ambassadors for peace and goodwill among all nations.

Wells for Zambia

Last May, over dinner, Board member, Richard Osler, talked to me and to Clayton Johnston, Director of Student Life, about the Colin Glassco Foundation for Children. Colin had asked Richard to go to Zambia to see first-hand the work the Foundation was doing to help prevent children from going blind from trachoma, an infection spread through contaminated water. In addition to supporting an eye hospital to treat trachoma, the Foundation has dug 122 wells to provide clean water and improve standards of hygiene, thus preventing the spread of this devastating disease. Richard told us that 100% of donated money goes directly to support these projects in Zambia, without draining administrative costs.

This assurance certainly impressed our students who had been moved by the plight of the children losing their eyesight because of an entirely preventable infection. Through the leadership of the Student Activities Council and Mr. Johnston, Brentonians decided to take on the Wells for Zambia project and pledged to raise $10,000, the cost of digging two wells. If we do, then Colin Glassco will match that sum to help continue the battle against trachoma. Through selling our students’ artwork calendars and organizing special events, including two silent artwork auctions, the S.A.C. is on the way to reaching this ambitious goal. Special thanks to S.A.C. President, Stephanie McClellan (West Vancouver), Sarah Williams (Victoria), Kathleen Sinclair (Saltspring Island) and Sonya Rokosh (Beijing) for spearheading this heartwarming, inspiring initiative.

The Boarding School Experience

Director of Admissions, Andy Rodford, and I had been in Washington, DC to attend the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) Conference. Brentwood College is a leadership school in TABS and has been part of an extensive North American research project, conducted by the Art & Science Group, examining the lifelong impact on graduates of the independent boarding school experience, compared to that of private day schools and public high schools. This research shows that boarding, or being a day student at boarding school, is considered by graduates to have been a much more complete and rewarding high school experience which prepared them more effectively for university life.

To quote the study: New research proves that contemporary boarding schools serve a diverse body of motivated and well-rounded students who study and live in supportive, inclusive academic communities. [There] they learn about independence and responsibility – traditional values that help them achieve success at higher rates than private day and public schools students – in the classroom and beyond. For parents of boarders in Grades 8-10, I have pleasure in enclosing a booklet, The Truth about Boarding School, summarizing the results of this research. For all parents, the full study is available on line on the TABS website at www.schools.com.

The Brentwood Experience

Recent emails from our alumni confirm the TABS study as they reflect on their Brentwood experience. Brentonian graduates write about the quality of their academic preparation for university, not only in specific disciplines but also in their study habits, examination, research and essay writing skills. They talk about the passion, high expectations (and idiosyncratic personalities!) of their teachers. They appreciate the lasting friendships they made at Brentwood, and the sense of family and community among faculty, students and staff. In particular, they value the way every student could find his or her niche, and be accepted as individuals both by faculty and peers.

What would you tell me about your experience of Brentwood so far – as parents and students? What do we do well? How can we improve? If you have time to email me amp@brentwood.bc.ca or drop me a note, I would welcome your ideas and comments. Feedback from last year has already resulted in some improvement to our communication with parents, as outlined below.

Clayton’s Corner

I know many of you are enjoying a new feature in our communication with parents this year, the weekly email to parents from our Director of Campus Life, Clayton Johnston. This past summer, I made several administrative changes to address a number of different school needs on campus. With Marius Felix taking over as Director of Residence, Clayton’s new role has allowed him to enhance our communication with parents, both on the day and boarding side. Thank you for your positive response to this initiative, and to Clayton for keeping everyone in touch.

This Week at www.brentwood.bc.ca

Over the holiday, I invite you to experience, albeit vicariously, the athletic, artistic, academic and social highlights of the first term, by browsing through the September to December issues of This Week on our website. Presented by Editor, Tony Crossley, and his photo-journalists, Sydney Black (Calgary), Nick Chesterley (Comox), Jennalee Desjardins (Indonesia), Ellen Kutscher (Washington), Andrea Norlund (Washington), and Amy Weinberg (Cobble Hill), This Week offers unparalleled insight into our vibrant school community. Each week, the members of the team must generate an idea for a story, do background research, write a report, take photographs as necessary, assemble both text and pictures as a component of a web page, then suffer from the vagaries of the editor in the publication of their work. Congratulations and thanks to the Brentwood webteam for their outstanding weekly news coverage which I will not attempt to duplicate here!

More on communication

Our new website will be launched in January, along with companion sites for the Regatta and the T. Gil Bunch Centre. Deputy Head, John Garvey, and our IT Department continue to strive to improve our calendar, while Clayton’s Corner is designed to keep you up to date. Having your current personal email address greatly assists our communication. Please make sure Elizabeth Rodford (elizabeth.rodford@brentwood.bc.ca) always has yours. Many thanks.

Communicating easily with your own children, I know, is a continuing concern, especially for parents who live in the Middle East and other distant corners of the globe. Email has

certainly made a huge difference, but as technologies improve, there is always the natural desire to take advantage of them to keep in touch easily with loved ones. In the past year, our IT department has been investigating the possibility of a “made in Brentwood” Instant Messaging Service, unfortunately, without success to date. Many IT experts, however, have strongly counselled us against installing regular IM on our network because of the security, system and virus issues which come with the potential for students downloading massive files from the internet. The entire network of one major school in the east, for example, was shut down for a week because of a “worm” which had been downloaded (inadvertently) by a student on IM. Thus, we hope using email helps keep families in touch – with the occasional delight of an old-fashioned, hand-written letter!

Academic Progress and Fall Term Student Reports

It is a pleasure for me now to enclose the fall term report to be added to your son or daughter’s Brentwood portfolio. If you have any concerns or questions about a specific report, please contact the author of the comment, with a copy to the Advisor who is responsible for the production of the report and for writing a summary comment of his/her advisees’ progress. General concerns should be addressed to the Advisor with a copy to the Houseparent and to me. As Head of School, I review every student’s progress, and read and sign all student reports personally. Having just done so, I am delighted, on the whole, with the most encouraging commentary. We have had an excellent first term!

At this stage in the year, may I encourage families to focus primarily on the report comments and less on the first term marks which include the Christmas exam scores. By the end of June, the first term will weigh between 25% and 30% of the final year mark. Thus, there is always room for improvement - and never cause for resting on one’s laurels.

University Applications

For our 114 students in Grade 12, Mr. Gerry Pennells has enclosed a letter and post-secondary application status table. To date, Grade 12’s have received news of early acceptance to Princeton, Wesleyan, Smith, Baylor, Iowa, Colorado, and St. Francis Xavier. With the first term emphasis on U.S. applications, Messrs Pennells and Zenker have processed a record 135 applications to 71 American schools. Assisted by Mr. Rick Rodrigues, next term, the focus shifts to Canada, the U.K. and Australia for Grade 12, and to Grade 11 for American applications. A Grade 11 schedule of Tim Zenker’s monthly visits is enclosed. Students interested in applying to the U.S. must attend these sessions.

You should be aware that marks sent to all universities reflect teacher projections of each Grade 12’s final standing in June. In July, all universities are also sent final transcript marks, which include B.C. provincial examination results. Thus, it is vital for all Grade 12’s to maintain a strong academic focus right through until the end of June to secure the strongest possible academic transcript, not only for next year, but also for all future post-secondary applications. In that endeavour, I wish all our Grade 12’s every success.

For now, our campus rests quietly, awaiting the return of our students after what, I hope, will have been a wonderful family vacation. The New Year is a good time for reflection on the past and planning for the future. The twilight of the old year, however, is a time for spending time with family and friends. In the words of Tiny Tim: God bless us, every one!

With warmest regards,

Andrea M. Pennells

Head of School

Enclosures