Annual Dinner: Record Gathering Highlights “The Brunswick Difference”

Brunswick School welcomed more than 800 parents and faculty — a record turnout — to its Annual Dinner on Thursday, September 11.

 

Sanjeev Mehra, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, began the evening with a set of remarks highlighting “The Brunswick Difference.”

 

“There are shared values that bind us together as a school community,” Mehra said. “The consensus, engagement, and dedication to excellence of everyone here tonight really makes Brunswick shine in a way I suppose we might call ‘The Brunswick Difference.’”

 

Mehra and his wife, Karen — the parents of four boys — are marking the beginning of their 18th year as part of the Brunswick School community.

 

“The Brunswick Difference shines in our unity,” Mehra concluded. “Our school continues so strongly on its path of Courage, Honor, Truth because of our collective determination and continuing work together in a community that values and strives for exceptional achievement.”

 

Mehra introduced Headmaster Thomas W. Philip, who began by pausing for a moment of silence and reflection on the anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

 

Philip cited changes occurring in the workplace, in society, in communication, and in connectivity that will inevitably force colleges and universities to change how they teach and how they evaluate applicants.

 

“You might think that all this means that schools like Brunswick are stuck in a holding pattern,” Philip said. “Actually, from my point of view, this period of change is best looked at as a period of enormous opportunity for our school.”

 

Philip added that, no matter what the current trend is in education, Brunswick School always puts character development first.

 

“To the extent that we can navigate the tightrope between the lessons of success and the lessons of failure; between the experiences of collaboration and those moments of well-deserved, individual recognition; between college aspirations and the experiences of life that truly build and strengthen character, then surely, together, we are giving these boys our best.”

 

“We are fulfilling our stated mission. We are preparing young men for life.”

 

And, especially in times of change, Philip said, there should be fundamental elements of constancy.

 

“One constant that has and never will change at Brunswick School is our focus on the development of strong character. Courage, Honor, and Truth infuses literally all that we do.”

For more photos and a video of Headmaster Thomas W. Philip's speech, visit http://www.wickpics.org/p533113355.