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Celebrating 100 Years of Brooks School

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Celebrating 100 Years of Tradition, Excellence and Community
at Brooks School

Since our founding in 1927, Brooks has been guided by enduring values that continue to evolve to meet the needs of our students and community — all while honoring our mission:

“At Brooks School, we seek to provide the most meaningful educational experience our students will have in their lives.”

Timeline

For nearly 100 years, Brooks has provided truly meaningful educational experiences through immersive learning, a strong sense of belonging and a culture of exploration.

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1926-1946

The Early Years

1927

Founding of Brooks School

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Brooks School opened on September 29, 1927, with 14 boys, six buildings and a small faculty led by 24-year-old Frank D. Ashburn, its first headmaster. Named for Phillips Brooks, the Episcopal school has since been guided by Ashburn, Peter Aitken, Larry Becker and current head John Packard.

1930

Dedication of Ashburn Chapel

Old chapel at brooks

Dedicated in 1930 as a temporary meetinghouse, the Frank D. Ashburn Chapel soon became permanent, expanded in 1938, and was fully renovated in 2014 to seat 444 with added classrooms and gathering spaces. Beloved for its simple, intimate design, it fulfills Ashburn’s vision to “tremble with the future.”

1931

Founding of the Dramatic Society

Black and white photo with big hearted Herbert.

Brooks’ Dramatic Society, founded in 1931, staged plays like The Crimson Cocoanut and O’Neill’s Where the Cross Is Made in the old Frick Dining Hall. That same year, students also performed Faculty Frightfulness, a six-act comedy parodying the headmaster.

1931

Birth of the Brooks Shield

Early Brooks shield.

In 1931, Headmaster Frank D. Ashburn invited shield designs, and by 1932 the school had adopted its motto, Victuri te salutamus, proposed by Charles P. Lyman ’32, P’69. That same year, faculty member Russell S. Morse created the official Brooks shield, first appearing on The Bishop’s cover.

1943

Commencements in Wartime

War time student in observation tower on Cow Hill.

During World War II, many fifth-formers graduated early to enter military service before college. At Brooks, classes often merged: the class of 1944 graduated with 1943, 1945 with the remaining 1944, and 1946 with 1945.

 

1947-1962

Postwar Growth and Connection

1948

A League of Our Own

Football 1948 Roxbury Latin Game.

In 1948, Brooks became one of eight founding members of the Independent School League. Early competitive sports included football, hockey, baseball and crew (launched on campus in 1930). Over time, soccer, basketball, wrestling, squash and tennis joined the roster of interscholastic athletics.

 

 

1954

The First Exchange Students

1954 exchange students.

In Feb. 1954, Brooks welcomed its first exchange students, Richard Walter Jahn of Western Australia and Satoshi Kawamitzu of the Ryukyus, through the New York Herald Tribune’s Forum program. Honored in the yearbook as honorary classmates, their visit was praised as part of the “fight for world peace.”

 

1963-1980

An Era of Change

1965

Franklin H. Benson

Franklin H. Benson

Franklin H. Benson of New Haven, Conn., the first Black student at Brooks, joined the class of 1968 through the Ulysses S. Grant Foundation. He went on to Lake Forest College and Yale Divinity School, later serving as a pastor before becoming director of the William H. Plummer Seminary in Virginia.

1966

Founding of Wilder Speaking Prize

Cobey Brothers 2016

In 1966, brothers H. Todd Cobey ’61 and John Cobey ’62 created the Wilder Speaking Prize, an oratory competition honoring longtime teacher F. Fessenden Wilder. The first winner was Frank Blake ’67, future CEO of Home Depot; recent winners include brothers Jack Rousmaniere ’28 and Charlie Rousmaniere ’25.

1979

The First Women of Brooks

Admissions Girls Day 1979

Brooks became coeducational in 1979, enrolling girls in the third, fourth and fifth forms. The first to graduate was Alice Babcock Pearce ’81, joined by 15 classmates who helped shape the school’s new era. Reflecting later, Pearce called it “an honor” to be among the pioneers and “pave the way for future women at Brooks.”

1981-2007

Expanding Horizons

1986

Launching the Exchange Program

1985-86 African Exchange Program

In 1986, Assistant Headmaster Richard F. Holmes H’73 launched Brooks’ Exchange Program with schools in Kenya and South Africa, sending and hosting four students. It doubled within a year and now spans Botswana, Hungary, Peru and Scotland, sustained by endowments from 1991 and 2010.

2004

Students on the Forefront

Students on the Forefront 2010.

Launched in 2004, Students on the Forefront offers rising sixth-formers internships in research and industry, first in the sciences and now across fields from technology to the arts. The program equips students with advanced skills and a deeper understanding that they bring back to their final year at Brooks.

2008-Present

Innovation and Resilience

2008

A New Home for Science

Science Center at Brooks.

The Science Center opened its doors. Joe Napolitano ’09, who was a student at the time, commenced his professional relationship with Consigli Construction through Brooks’ Students on the Forefront of Science program, interning for the company during the summer months when they were building the school’s current Science Center. 

 

2011

Winter Term

Students during Winter Term

Since 2011, Winter Term has brought fresh energy to campus each January, with students and faculty diving into a single immersive course for three weeks. The program encourages focused, experiential learning while allowing teachers to design classes around their own passions.

2018

Opening of the Center for the Arts

Center for the Arts.

The Center for the Arts opened with contributions from four Brooksians: architect Lee Berman ’07 (Ann Beha Architects), Todd McCabe ’89, P’15 (VP, Consigli Construction), Joe Napolitano ’09 (Project Engineer, Consigli) and student intern Jordan Price ’19.

 

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

Student in classroom during COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike any year prior or since, students and faculty slated to return to campus from Spring Break on Wednesday, March 25, never did. Due to the COVID-19 international pandemic, the on-campus community was forced to conduct academic studies and hold Prize Day that year remotely. 

 

 

2022

Opening of the Admission Building

Construction of the new Admission building.

Brooks transformed the center of campus with the construction of a new Admission Building. Replacing aging structures that had served generations of students, the facility created a welcoming first impression for prospective families while establishing a new gathering space at the heart of campus, connecting the community to Lake Cochichewick and the Center for the Arts.

 

 

2023

Opening of the Demoulas Family Boathouse

Demoulas family boathouse.

In 2023, Brooks opened the George and Evanthea Demoulas Family Boathouse on the shores of Lake Cochichewick. Made possible through the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, the state-of-the-art facility ushered in a new era for the rowing program, providing exceptional training and gathering space for future generations of Brooks student-athletes.

 

 

 

100 Things We Love About Brooks

As we celebrate a century of excellence, explore 100 Things to Love About Brooks — a collection of stories, traditions, people, and moments that make our community truly special.

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Celebrate our Community

Members of the Brooks community are invited to celebrate this milestone year with a variety of regional and on-campus events, culminating in the Centennial Celebration on campus from
June 11–13, 2027.

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