July 09, 2010
Dear Brandon Hall Family:
As a valued member of the school family, you know there are a lot of exciting things taking place at Brandon Hall School. It is my pleasure to write to you today to bring you up to date as to some of these changes. In the seven short weeks since I became Headmaster of Brandon Hall, the time has mostly been filled with wonderfully positive conversations regarding our future. The Brandon Hall mission, “focusing on the strengths of the individual, Brandon Hall provides personalized college preparatory classes for students who desire a more intensive educational setting and whose strengths and potential have not been fully realized or celebrated”, has been boldly embraced by the board, by me as well as my administrative team and sets the tone for our planning for the school’s future.
Months ago, conversations began about the possibility of adding a girls’ boarding program at Brandon Hall. Input was solicited from students, parents, staff, and referral sources. Each and every constituency/group overwhelmingly endorsed the idea. Thus, on June 25, 2010, the Board of Trustees of Brandon Hall School unanimously voted to change the by-laws of the school to include the female boarding component. The following week, a generous gift from an interested Foundation helped set in motion turning the dream into a reality.
On August 22, 2010, Brandon Hall will open an on campus cottage devoted to the boarding of eight young ladies, grades 7-12. Incorporated into the residential portion of this cottage will be the presence of the Director of Women’s Services whose job will be dedicated to providing counseling support, coordination of activities, and the adjustment to boarding school life for these young ladies. As is the case with all BHS students, these initial eight female boarders will be selected based on their desire to attend Brandon Hall, past academic history, intellectual capacity to achieve in our specialized environment, and their extra-curricular interests.
Brandon Hall School is unique in its objective and ability to design and implement for each student a Personalized Education Program (PEP) that embraces learner diversity and delivers an opportunity for turning potential into reality. The PEP objectives recognize a student’s learning style, address multiple intelligences, provide a strengths-based curriculum that may not be found in a traditional academic setting, and direct one-on-one college advisement. At Brandon Hall, differences can be found in the student body as well as in the faculty, enhancing our distinctive personalized learning environment.
Celebrating our international worldview, we will begin this fall integrating an international theme into our curriculum and students will thematically study a country selected by the student body. This new curricular addition will culminate with BHS students visiting the country that was studied during the school year. Through our Fine Arts Department, BHS students will have the opportunity to travel to New York City, further enhancing the education and student life at Brandon Hall. On the extracurricular side, we will be hosting our first annual Homecoming festivities, which will include the retirement of our first athletic jersey, recognizing an outstanding student athlete. A prom, pep rallies, and additional clubs, including cheerleading and dance are also new additions to BHS.
We view the BHS experience as a partnership between the school, students, and parents, and the broader community and we have included new initiatives for you, our parents, in our planning. A revitalized Parents Guild, lead by Justine McDonald, will sponsor many school activities and provide continued supportive efforts to assist our great faculty. Also, a Booster Club will be established as an avenue for parents to specifically support our athletic teams.
As I hope you can see, we have many things to look forward to at BHS. Brandon Hall is the beacon of personalized education in the south and I’m proud to be part of this amazing school and trust that you share that pride with me.
Sincerely,
John L. Singleton, Ed.D.
President and Headmaster