Thrive here,
then everywhere

Behind another conference title is a team that believes in one another, a coach who has helped generations of students grow, and a Lakes Region community that makes the experience 
possible.

The congratulations were already arriving on the ride home.

As Brewster’s golfers returned from the October 28 MAISAD Championship at Fox Ridge Golf Club in Lewiston, Maine, former players were calling their teammates and successors. Alumni and parents were reaching out to Coach Byron Martin. Across generations, Bobcats were sharing in the celebration.

Carson MacDonald, Charlie Martin, Owen Novelline, Mason Patriarca, Keller Peacock, Ebbin Perkins, Matteo Sollazzo, and Jacob Troubh had brought home Brewster’s fifth consecutive conference championship, adding their own chapter to a tradition that extends well beyond the course.

The team arrived in Maine following an undefeated league season shaped by several close matches. As temperatures climbed into the 40s, Brewster’s six championship competitors took on Fox Ridge’s challenging layout and demanding greens.

Led by captain Charlie Martin, the Bobcats established an early lead. Through nine holes, Ebbin Perkins was tied for first individually, Charlie held the second-lowest score, and Jacob Troubh was playing his best golf of the season with the third-lowest score. Keller Peacock, Carson MacDonald, and Matteo Sollazzo contributed solid rounds as the team headed into the back nine.

Brewster finished with three of the day’s four lowest scores, securing a commanding victory and a record-setting fifth straight MAISAD title. The team’s sixth-position golfer delivered its second-lowest score, a powerful example of the depth that made this championship possible.

“Our bread and butter, and what won it again, is the depth,” Martin said. “We have kids that work hard at all spots. Every part of the team’s important.”

For Martin, now in his 33rd year at Brewster, that belief connects this team to the players who came before it. When the calls began on the ride home, he could hear how much the tradition still meant to them, and how proud they were to see it carried forward.

A Coach Who Said Yes
Brewster’s competitive golf program began with a few interested students, encouragement from their families, and a coach willing to give something new a chance.

Martin’s background was in soccer and tennis. His own introduction to golf came during graduate school at St. Lawrence University, when a group of hockey players invited him to join them. He enjoyed it, eventually bought clubs after arriving at Brewster, and began helping with the school’s recreational program.

Later, when students and parents asked for competitive golf, he agreed to help launch a team. The plan was to do it for a year, then find another coach.

That one year became a defining part of his Brewster career.

Getting started took persistence. Martin searched for players, found opponents, and asked people to help. Former Head of School Mike Cooper helped establish a relationship with Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club, giving the young program an extraordinary place to practice and compete. Local professionals offered instruction. Faculty members volunteered their time. Community members opened their courses to Brewster students.

Martin remembers those contributions with gratitude. His pride in the program is matched by his appreciation for the people who have helped it grow.

Today, his coaching emphasizes course management, understanding the game, recognizing individual strengths, and helping students make thoughtful decisions. This season, local golf experts and members of the Wolfeboro community, Bob Hughes and Dick Totarto, were also among those contributing their time and expertise.

“Realistically, we are all helping each other,” Martin said.

A Father, a Son, and a Team
For Martin, this championship season carries an especially personal significance: the opportunity to coach his son Charlie through his senior year.

Before arriving at Brewster, Charlie told his father he wanted to play varsity golf. Martin encouraged him toward the developmental program. Charlie had a different goal.

He wanted to earn a place on the team.

He worked for it, made varsity as a freshman, and quickly established himself among its leading players. That first year included a hole-in-one and a six-under-par nine-hole round that set a Brewster record.

Yet when Martin talks about coaching his son, he returns to Charlie’s care for his teammates.

“What I was most privileged to see was his ability to work with others,” he said.

Martin described Charlie as a talented teacher, someone willing to share his technical knowledge and help another player find an adjustment or understand an idea. Alongside former teammate Will Hunter and other student leaders, Charlie has helped sustain a culture of encouragement and shared improvement.

There are other longstanding connections within this year’s roster. Martin coached Carson MacDonald and Keller Peacock in middle school lacrosse, years before getting to coach them as senior golfers. Watching those relationships grow across different teams and stages of adolescence has made this season particularly rewarding.

The result is a team whose strength reaches beyond individual scores. Players help one another prepare, work through challenges, and keep improving. Each has a role in carrying the program forward.

An Extraordinary Place to Play and Learn
Fall golf at Brewster is a special experience.

Afternoons unfold across the changing landscapes of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, where students encounter different courses, different conditions, and new decisions with every round.

This season, Martin said, Brewster golfers played 10 different courses.

Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club, the varsity team’s home course, provides an exceptional championship setting. Kingswood Golf Club offers a classic Donald Ross design within a very short distance of campus. Bald Peak Colony Club has become another valued setting for rounds and practice, while relationships with Province Lake, Indian Mound, and other regional courses broaden students’ experiences.

These opportunities have grown through years of relationship-building, and through the way Brewster students conduct themselves when they arrive.

Martin teaches his golfers to appreciate the privilege of playing these courses. Respect for the grounds, consideration for others, and gratitude toward the people who welcome them are expectations of representing Brewster.

Those lessons give real meaning to the school’s commitment to place-based education. The surrounding community becomes part of students’ education, offering opportunities to develop judgment, independence, responsibility, and relationships.

The annual Winnie-Cat tournament is a particularly joyful expression of that connection. Now in its sixth year, it pairs Brewster golfers with Lake Winnipesaukee club members for an 18-hole tournament followed by a reception, dinner, and awards. Students and members get to know one another through a shared love of the game, strengthening the community around the program.

A Tradition Worth Joining
The program’s growth is easy to see.

Martin once searched for enough students to put a team together. This year, approximately 32 students came out for varsity and junior varsity golf, with JV now in its second year. Both teams are coeducational, reflecting the program's continued growth and opportunities for students.

Some players have continued their competitive careers in college. Tyler Berkman ’25 went on to NCAA Division I golf at St. Bonaventure, and Martin noted that Will Hunter is now playing at the Division III level at McDaniel College.

For students who love golf, Brewster offers the chance to pursue that passion within a school community that knows them, challenges them, and supports their growth. The program brings together competitive athletics, meaningful relationships, and an exceptional setting—an experience that helps students discover what they can accomplish and what they can contribute.

“We are about fun,” Martin said. “We are about the love of the game.”

That love was evident in the calls and messages on the ride home. It lives in the alumni still following the team, the community members sharing their time, and the students helping one another become better players.

Congratulations to Carson, Charlie, Owen, Mason, Keller, Ebbin, Matteo, and Jacob, to Coach Martin and the coaching team, and to everyone who helped make this fifth consecutive championship possible. You have given the Brewster community so much to celebrate and the next generation of Bobcat golfers a wonderful tradition to carry forward.

A heartfelt celebration of opportunity, gratitude, and community brought Brewster's Curvey Scholars and their families together for an evening that reflected the extraordinary impact of the Curvey family's generosity.

There were moments of laughter, expressions of gratitude, and more than a few tears as Brewster Academy celebrated its Curvey Scholars on Thursday, October 15. But perhaps the evening's most powerful message came from the students themselves: opportunity has the greatest impact when it inspires us to make a difference in the lives of others.

Among the evening's most moving moments was a reflection from Kaaloni Boisvert ’29 of Wolfeboro, who shared her personal journey to Brewster and the profound impact of receiving a Curvey Scholarship. Her heartfelt remarks moved audience members to tears before she turned her gratitude into a challenge, encouraging everyone gathered to embrace the Curvey family's belief in giving back.

"When I think about what this scholarship has meant to me, I think about so much more than the opportunity to attend Brewster. I think about the people who believed in me and the possibilities I now see for my future," Kaaloni reflected.

The reception also welcomed three new Curvey Scholars into the program: Stella ’30 of North Conway, Lucas ’30 of Center Tuftonboro, and Maite ’30 of Strafford. Returning scholars shared lessons learned, offered advice, and reflected on the relationships and experiences that have shaped their time at Brewster.

Established in 2009 by the Curvey family, the Curvey Scholar Program provides exceptional students from New Hampshire's Lakes Regions with access to a Brewster education through four-year, need-based scholarships. What began as an investment in local students has grown into a remarkable commitment to their futures, including transformative travel experiences through the Curvey Fellowship Program and growing scholarship opportunities with an additional $20,000 annual award for two deserving Brewster students commencing this year.

Although Mr. Curvey was unable to attend this year's gathering, his son, Brewster Trustee Scott Curvey, represented the family with the same deeply personal commitment that has distinguished the program from its beginning. Throughout the evening, Scott engaged warmly with scholars and their families, listening to their stories and witnessing firsthand the impact of his family's generosity. The experience was deeply moving, underscoring the relationships at the heart of the Curvey legacy.

For Lynne Palmer, Brewster's James C. Curvey Endowed Program Director, those relationships are what make the program truly extraordinary. A longtime member of the Brewster community, Palmer works closely with the Curvey family and scholars, providing the continuity, mentorship, and personal attention that have become hallmarks of the program. Her position, established through the family's generosity in 2021, was the first endowed staff position in Brewster's history.

"The Curvey family has always believed that opening the door to an education is just the beginning," Palmer shared. "They care deeply about who these young people become, the experiences they have, and the ways they will ultimately make a difference in the world. Watching our scholars speak with such confidence, gratitude, and purpose is incredibly meaningful. It is a privilege to help carry forward the Curvey family's vision and to witness its impact year after year."

Head of School Kristy Kerin also joined the celebration, recognizing the scholars and the remarkable partnership between Brewster and the Curvey family.

The program is a powerful reflection of Brewster's enduring commitment to access and the principles of the Brewster Model®: recognizing the potential in every student, nurturing meaningful relationships, and providing the support and opportunities young people need to thrive.

As the evening concluded, the message was unmistakable. The Curvey Scholar Program is about far more than financial assistance. It is about believing in young people, opening doors, building community, and inspiring a new generation to extend those same opportunities to others.

And judging by the voices heard that evening, that legacy is in very good hands.

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Learn more about the impact of the Curvey Scholar Programs at Brewster.

Adrien Broom doesn’t just take pictures. She makes pictures.

The Brewster Class of ’98 alum is a fine-art photographer and multimedia artist who builds elaborate surrealist tableaus for her portraiture subjects. “I like to create worlds that don’t exist, and provide a little bit of escapism,” says Broom. “The bizarre/beautiful combination is what I’m going for. That’s what speaks to me.”

Her photos—which have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world—are windows into fantastical realms inviting viewers to come inside, look around, pore over details and ponder what they’re seeing. Why is that young woman on a settee with a fox? What about that giant tortoise, the squid reading a book, or the little girl walking across a forest floor softly aglow with lamps?

 “I enjoy hearing what people think, from all the different puzzle pieces,” she says.

Her photography draws heavily on connecting viewers to childhood imagination, with enchanted forests, animals, myths and fairytales, suffused and seasoned with whimsy. But even with a veneer of the unusual, everything Broom composes for the camera is real—real people, real props, real things, no digital effects, no AI fakery. “I find joy and connection and inspiration in physical, hands-on work,” she says. Some of her setups can take months to plan and execute, and even stretch across years.

Many of her photos feature young girls, which Broom admits are often avatars for her own childhood, filled with discovery and wonder. Her acclaimed exhibit A Colorful Dream is currently wrapping up a six-year tour of museums and cultural institutions throughout America. “I’m really proud of that,” she says. Broom built the elaborate sets for each part of the exhibit’s story, each using specific colors for objects and materials to depict a young girl growing up in multi-hued dream worlds.

It all started for Broom, colorfully enough, in the small town of Lyme, Conn., a place with a rich history of creativity. “America’s first art colony was in Old Lyme,” she notes. Her father, a hobbyist photographer, owned a construction business and restored old houses, which Broom says inspired her recent Holding Space: The Historic Homes of Artists and Writers. That exhibition was a series of narrative images, staged to summon the mojo of creatives—like Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson and Jackson Pollock—where they once breathed, lived and worked. “The love for the feel of these old spaces is kind of ingrained in my DNA,” she says. That exhibit is currently on display at the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, Conn., and will be going on tour in 2027.

“I was very lucky,” she adds. “My parents really encouraged the arts as a very important part of my childhood and dive into that part of myself.”

There was another reason, too, that she gravitated more toward drawing, coloring and making things. She had a mild case of dyslexia, which caused some struggle with reading and language. “But anything visual, where I could express myself, it was like cutting butter,” she says. “It was just so natural and so rewarding.”

At Brewster, she remembers how much the school stoked her love of the arts. “A lot of kids were really into music and drawing and painting,” she says. “It gave me confidence.” She also played basketball and tennis. “I loved my tennis coach, Mr. Martin,” she says, recalling how he showed support for her after she ran temporarily afoul of Brewster’s code of conduct. “He said, ‘She’s a good kid. She’s a hard worker. She deserves a second chance.’ That was a super life-changing point in my life, having an adult stand up for me like that.”

Another thing she remembers from her Brewster years was the cultural diversity of being around students from all over the world. “It was wonderful being a teenager from a little woodsy town,” she says, “and making friends who grew up completely different from me. That’s carried on throughout my life.” She met her longtime best friend, Katherine Zeitz, at Brewster and visits her each year at her home in Germany. Two of her other Brewster besties, Jill Krumsick and Jill Popovich, made the trek last spring for Broom’s exhibit when it opened at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma.

After graduating, she went on to get a degree in computer animation and art history from Northeastern University and study art in Florence, Italy, and London. “Living and working in Europe,” she says, “changed my life and my art.” But soon she felt her life derailing. “I had a horrific breakup in my late 20s. I was totally heartbroken. I lost a job and ended up moving back home trying to figure out who I am and what I’m doing.”

Then some of her friends threw her a lifeline. “They were in a band, and they were like, ‘Adrien, you’re a hot mess. We’ve got to get you out of the house.'” They took her on the road as their photographer. And that’s how she spent a decade, off and on, traveling with the band.

In 2014, she published a book of her pics, Inside Looking Out: On the Road with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, a collection of portraits and snapshots of the Vermont-based group performing, hanging backstage, on the bus, with fans and just goofing around. “Photography saved me,” she says. “For the first time, I felt joy. I didn’t really realize how unhappy I was until I picked up the camera. Capturing those moments fed my soul.”

In between trips with the Nocturnals, she’d come home and experiment with other types of photography. She’d set up more formalized, orderly environments for her pictures, creating visual narratives and honing what would become her artistic “signature” of telling stories with dioramas. That’s when it all came together, the realization that at last, she’d arrived in the sweet spot she’d been seeking.

“It’s almost like being in a romantic relationship,” she says. “Suddenly, you find a good match, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is what it’s supposed to be like.’ That’s what I felt like when I started heading down this path. Now it’s clicking. Now I’ve found my way.”

These days, Broom’s way often leads to Guilford, Conn., and her home “in the middle of the woods” that she shares with her husband of three years, musician Nico Chiotellis. “He was in bands for a long time in L.A. and New York, and then kind of pivoted to producing,” she says. They also have a place in Brooklyn Heights, a historic New York neighborhood. “I hop back and forth.”

As she talks, Broom is in Guilford, settled into a chair and watching the weather. “It’s a cozy, rainy day,” she says. Like her childhood home in Lyme, she’s surrounded by woodland; she calls her office “the tree house” because that’s all she sees when she looks out the windows. “It makes me really happy,” she says. “It makes me feel like I’m inside one of my photographs. Even when it’s dreary and rainy and gross, it’s still magical.”

Magic plays a big part in what she does, how she does it, and why she does it. “Magic has become such a blanket term for all sorts of things,” she says. “But I feel like there’s a magic in our world that we can’t really explain.” Sometimes it’s something beautiful, or sublime, or beyond words, that reawakens a sense of appreciation and awe. “I try to recreate it in my work, to tap into it.”

She’s always found magic in the trees, in the forest. Leaves and bark and towers of greenery have been lifelong sources of fascination and inspiration. Her recent exhibit Mystical Murmurs at the Florence Griswold Museum in Lyme was “all about the mystery of the woods,” she says, and the centuries of folklore, superstition and fairytales rooted there.

For that project, she collaborated with husband Nico on an audiovisual set that involved the creation of a “larger-than-life faerie ring,” a circle of oversized sculpted mushrooms and motion-activated music. “You step inside the circle and hear the faeries’ music. It was hypnotic and beautiful.” She’s been in talks about doing a similar exhibit at the Salvador Dali Museum, in St. Petersburg, Fla., the world-famous showcase of the late Spanish surrealist painter. “I’m excited to explore the folklore of the Florida swamps,” she says, “and create something more local for the museum.”

Broom says her photography consistently circles “back to an appreciation of the natural world that surrounds us.” Another of her projects, 2019’s Farm-to-Camera, asked viewers to look at Mother Nature’s bounty through photos of garden vegetables positioned in elegant picture frames.

She continues to look toward Mother Nature. “There are a lot of animals that have become very comfortable with just coming up to the house,” she says of watching the wildlife at Guilford. She loves the “otherworldly” howls of coyotes at night. Deer wandering through the property made it into her Mystical Murmurs project.

Her to-do list includes venturing deeper into filmmaking. “I would love to make my stories ‘move’,” she says. She’s already been shooting short videos to incorporate into her exhibits. One of them, for the project she titled Being, featured her younger sister wandering around at night inside Wentworth Woodhouse, England’s sprawling private home, wearing a luminescent dress with more than a thousand tiny LED lights hand-sewn into it.

There are challenges to doing what she does. But she meets them with perseverance and resilience. “I throw my whole body and soul and bank account into making this work. Sometimes it doesn’t, and you just try again. Funding for an artist is something I think every artist is always trying to figure out.” She raises money for her projects through Kickstarter campaigns, doing occasional corporate work (like her projects for Disney, Rolex and American Express) and commissioned private portraiture.

“For a long time in your career, you hit a bump and you’re like, Well, that’s the end. After a while you realize they’re just bumps, and you keep going. I’m proud of myself that I’ve been able to do that, take the failures and learn from them.”

The ultimate reward, she says, is feeding her appetite for creativity, nourishing her artistic vision, sharing it with others, and relishing that she’s where she wants to be in the world—and in the fantasy worlds she makes for her camera.

“I don’t think,” she says, “there’s anything else I want to do.”

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This story is featured in the Fall 2026 edition of Brewster, The Magazine. Read more stories, explore campus news, and catch up with the Brewster community in the full issue.