News
October 6, 2016Brown School to Launch High School in September 2017
Brown School, an independent school that currently serves children nursery through grade eight, has committed to add a high school that is slated to open in September of 2017. The board of trustees recently announced that the school, which strives to inspire a love of learning in each child, will extend its current offering beginning with a ninth grade. An additional grade will be added each year until there is a high school that serves students through grade 12. There will be a town hall information session about the new addition held at Brown School on October 26, 2016 at 6:30 pm. All members of the public are invited to attend.
William Massmann, chair of the board of trustees, announced the hiring of Dr. David Hooks as the head of high school. Patti Vitale will remain as head of the current school community that serves students through eighth grade. Dr. Hooks comes to Brown School from outside of Philadelphia where he has many years of high school experience as an independent school administrator, teacher and college counselor. He has worked as an educator for nearly four decades and holds a doctoral degree in education administration (EdD) from the University of Pennsylvania. Suzanne Smith, a member of the board who has worked tirelessly to bring this initiative forward, believes that Dr. Hooks is the best person for the position after a national search. “We selected Dr. David Hooks for his passion, because he understands independent schools and individualized education and for his strong college counseling experience. However, we also appointed him because of his heart. He cares about students and we believe he will take excellent care of ours and our families,” said Smith.
Smith believes the new high school is a wonderful opportunity for students to work on projects that will help them discover interests that could ultimately inspire life passions.
Dr. Hooks, who recently began working at Brown School, is excited to execute the launch of the new school. “For me, this is the opportunity of a lifetime as an educator. To take on the responsibility of building a high school is both humbling and tremendously exciting. Humbling because the board, faculty and parents are putting their faith and belief in me to bring their dreams of creating a top-rate high school to fruition. Exciting because you are able to take all that you have learned in your professional life and apply it to a major endeavor. Providing strategy for each piece of the puzzle including, admissions, curriculum, staffing, extra-curricular programming and beyond, is a super exciting challenge,” he said.
His vision for the school is in alignment with the board. “I have seen first hand that Brown School is a first class 21st century model of how to properly educate children. The faculty is very talented and committed to reaching all children and they strive for “mastery” of skills in each class or subject area. This is the model I intend to put forward, broaden and deepen in terms of knowledge consumption and skills learned. Our academic curriculum and programming will be designed to educate the ‘whole child’ in a manner that will have them optimally prepared for college. I will personally put my years as a college counselor to work with the first classes to help each student find the best college ‘fit’. This is so they will be optimally prepared for and guided to the best possible college experience in which to complete their developmental transition from late adolescence to young adulthood and build the most solid educational foundation possible to prepare them for a career or graduate school,” said Hooks.
For the last several years many parents had hoped the school would extend through high school. Last school year a group of dedicated families worked on a sub-committee group to research and determine whether an addition was feasible. After much work by both the sub-committee and the board of trustees, the plan was approved. Current parents, such as Glynnis Hunt who has an eighth grader enrolled at Brown School, are glad to see this option being offered. “Our family is so excited to be provided an opportunity to continue the in-depth education and individual support that has been provided to my son during his education here. Brown School not only has strong academics, but places focus on hands- on learning and teaches students about collaboration and working together. In addition, they provide a mindful education that incorporates giving back to the community and developing empathy for others. It is a vibrant learning community that will now prepare students for college and beyond,” said Hunt.
Brown School has seen an increase in enrollment over the past few years to over 200 students. Head of School, Patti Vitale, has been asked by many parents and those outside the school about the possibility of extending the offering beyond grade eight. “This is such an incredible opportunity for our current students and for families who may be thinking about individualized educational experience learning for their child. We have been anticipating this positive change and look forward to next September. I am thrilled to work in partnership with the board of trustees and Dr. David Hooks to launch this initiative.”
Those interested in meeting with Dr. David Hooks or learning more about student enrollment for 2017/2018 should contact him at 518-370-0366. He can also be emailed at dhooks@brownschool.org.
