A Fantastic Fall Family Weekend
In a break from the routine (but always exciting) rhythms of boarding school life, the Millbrook community welcomed families to campus for Fall Family Weekend. Events began with an international family dinner on Thursday evening, before students happily guided their parents through a day in their lives on Friday and then left for the first long weekend of the school year.
The inflated campus population was evident as everyone processed along the Flagler Quad bricks to attend Friday Assembly in the Flagler Memorial Chapel. Even as Vth formers and their families skipped Assembly to attend a College Counseling program with several college representatives in the theater, there was a delay as a larger crowd than usual slowly filled the chapel to capacity. The student prefect–led affair went off smoothly, though, and everyone headed back out for another block of classes.
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Parents enjoyed the chance to experience for themselves the elite education their children are immersed in daily. Later in the day, and again on Saturday, they’d have the opportunity to dive even deeper into their child’s education through one-on-one conferences with their teachers.
To cap off the academic day, parents joined Head of School Jonathan Downs ’98 back in the chapel for a state of the school address. Emily Brien ’28 opened for Mr. Downs with a lovely rendition of Sarah Bareilles’ “She Used to Be Mine,” earning a rousing ovation from the packed chapel.
Mr. Downs then connected the coming-of-age message in the lyrics to Millbrook’s year of integrity. “As I shared with your children at the convocation this fall, if integrity is wholeness and being true to oneself, then we first must wrestle with the conviction of “who am I” before any child can achieve or practice integrity,” he said. “The whole journey of high school is actually about exploring that question, discovering an answer, and then probing it, and poking it, and reshaping it for the rest of their life.”
He also delineated the excellent state of the school, highlighting healthy application numbers, the success of the Annual Fund, and the boys dormitory construction project that is well underway. But the heart of his address was a passionate plea for a move away from screens and a return to using reading to guide students to learn how to learn.
“The irony in front of us, I would contend, is that the children who stay off screens longer and away from the tempting shortcuts of the world will be smarter, better equipped, more prepared for the technologies of the future than those who are spending every waking minute on a screen,” he explained. While Millbrook is proactive in this area—by limiting cell phone usage during the academic day and structuring assignments to eliminate AI shortcuts—he advised parents to assist by modeling healthy reading habits for their children at home.
“The irony in front of us, I would contend, is that the children who stay off screens longer and away from the tempting shortcuts of the world will be smarter, better equipped, more prepared for the technologies of the future than those who are spending every waking minute on a screen,” he explained. While Millbrook is proactive in this area—by limiting cell phone usage during the academic day and structuring assignments to eliminate AI shortcuts—he advised parents to assist by modeling healthy reading habits for their children at home.
After the address, parents spread out around campus to watch athletic practices before gathering to cheer on the girls varsity soccer team to a 5–0 victory over Frederick Gunn under the lights on the turf field. As they cheered, the community feasted on decadent food-truck fare, including lobster rolls and deep-fried cookies.
If you missed out on family weekend this fall, all is not lost. You’ll have another chance to take part in the festivities when Spring Family Weekend rolls around next year!
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