Parents gathered early Saturday morning in the Pinckney Boathouse to learn about becoming a champion for their children’s school. Over coffee and pastries, parents heard about the three areas of volunteering where they can become involved.

Margaret Martin, associate director of admission, explained how parents are a critical component in the admissions process and discussed the three ways in which parents can contribute to what is known as PAN (Parent Admissions Network). The first opportunity is reaching out to families in their own communities, including in the schools that their children attended prior to Brewster, and talking about their student’s positive experiences at Brewster. Another area that is so important to the Admission Office is having parents reach out to prospective families through phone calls, offering to answer questions about the school, the application process, or welcoming families to the Brewster community after they have enrolled. Current parents also may have the opportunity to attend a school fair that is happening in their area of the country on behalf of the Brewster Admission Office.

PAN volunteer Melinda Fitting (Katherine ’08) who attended the breakfast shared that “Brewster is an easy school for me to promote, and I’ve been happy to promote Brewster in any way I can.” She spoke of a colleague’s daughter who is now a Brewster student, in part due to Fitting sharing her positive experience about Brewster.

The third component of admissions networking with prospective families is hosting or attending regional receptions. Guests at such receptions typically include current parents, alumni, Brewster admission officers, and prospective families. Martin noted that the mix of these attendees help connect prospective families in a way that helps them become comfortable with Brewster.

Next, Martha Trepanier ’83, associate director of development, spoke about the critical factor of fund raising for the school, adding that although tuition is expensive, it still doesn’t cover the full costs of educating our students and this is why fund raising is so important. John Hunt (Andy ’09), speaking on behalf of he and wife Susan, offered that “The school has done a lot for our son,” and so he asked himself “What can I do since I’m not here everyday?” In his volunteer role, John phones other parents and educates them on the difference that their contributions can make to a school like Brewster.

Beth Hayes ’81, director of parent and alumni programs and special events, then spoke about what parents – both near and far – can do to help support events on campus. She acknowledged parent Patti Edson (Caitlyn ’08 and Megan ’09) as one of her biggest cheerleaders. One the many events that the Parent Office orchestrates each year is the annual teacher appreciation event. At this early March event, each faculty member walks away with a beautiful gift basket, generously donated and created by Brewster parents – near and far. Edson noted that Brewster teachers truly appreciate the effort that goes into the evening, the gift baskets, and other prizes. Hayes added that such an event would not be possible without the time, creative, and monetary investments of Brewster parents.

Any parent who would like to become involved with the volunteer opportunities at Brewster, please contact the above staff members and let them know of your interest. Be a champion for Brewster.

From Good to Great

Following the Breakfast of Champions, Mike Cooper welcomed parents to the very recently renovated Anderson Hall for an overview of the opening weeks of school. Cooper began by acknowledging that the group before him was the first to use the Hall since it began undergoing renovations in August upon completion of Brewster’s summer programs. These renovations included configuring a space originally designed for worship purposes into a space optimally suited for musical performances. The alter area was transformed into a proscenium theater with significant lighting and acoustical enhancements. The proscenium area is higher than the original alter area, creating much better sight lines for the audience. Cooper acknowledged that both the renovations and the initial purchase of the building were done with the significant help of parents.

To give parents a glimpse of Anderson Hall as a new performance facility, the HOWL chorus stepped onto the stage. Under the direction of Andy Campbell, with Kathy Marker accompanying on piano, HOWL performed John Lennon’s Imagine.

Referencing the Brewster Principle – Respect, integrity, and service: serve yourself and others with your best in all you do – Cooper told parents that as a community we continue to examine our core principle to ensure that we remain true to who we say we are. “What makes us great? What can make us better? That’s what we continue to look at.”

Beginning with the opening school assembly to lessons in the classrooms and dorms, faculty and staff work with students on the skills that they need to navigate – what at times can be difficult decision making – with a sound moral compass. “We continue to re-enforce what you’ve done as parents,” he added.

Cooper then spoke of how Brewster came to its decision to block access to the popular social networking websites Facebook.com and MySpace.com. The school stepped back and looked at why we put technology in place to begin with, he explained. We did it to enhance education, noting that some of the sites that are now blocked do not enhance the use of technology in teaching and learning.

Earlier in the week Cooper had e-mailed parents about the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a survey that all students will complete by the end of October. The survey, which will be taken anonomously, is designed to monitor risk behaviors that contribute to leading causes of death, disability, and social problems. By participating in this survey, we hope to understand the activities that our students are involved with and with this knowledge, learn what we can give students to help them make the best decisions to move forward, Cooper explained.

Cooper concluded his parent remarks speaking briefly about a two communication resources that Brewster is considering. The first is an electronic sign-out sheet for students to use when going off-campus. The second is a quick message system that could be used to communicate urgent or emergency messages to student cell phones. Parents will hear more about these initiatives as they further develop.