After members of the Class of 2025 processed hand-in-hand with first graders into Dann Gymnasium on Edwards Campus — a longtime First Day tradition — Head of School Thomas W. Philip began Brunswick’s new academic year by addressing the faculty and student body. 

Philip’s message at the ceremony focused on “new beginnings,” as this past summer was one in which Brunswick saw its Upper School on Maher Avenue transformed through construction, its Lower Middle School (Grades 5 & 6) recreated on King Street, and its Pre School and Early Learning Center opened at the new campus on Lake Avenue.  

“I was struck by how much has changed over the 122-year history of our school as we cleaned out buildings and classrooms and prepared for construction,” Philip said, referencing the old typewriters, microscopes, textbooks, wooden chairs and desks, and thick, heavy laptop computers that have since been replaced as time has progressed and technology has advanced. 

“And when we were finally done and had decided what to keep and what to throw away, it felt like a lightness of being and a new beginning,” Brunswick’s eighth head of school said. 

“Education is nothing if not about new beginnings — it’s true for students, for faculty, for parents, and for schools.”

And yet, as Philip reflected on the school’s history and all the change that has occurred, he settled on one distinct realization. 

“In the end, what is unique and special about Brunswick School isn’t so much about what has changed, but what hasn’t,” he said. “What has always served our boys and our school well — no matter what the challenges or what the changes — has never wavered.

“We are committed to developing a strength of character in our boys and to our mission of preparing young men for life under the direction of three very simple and clearly defined words: Courage, Honor, and Truth.” 

He cited ways in which all students and faculty could be representative of Brunswick’s motto as they began the year: Moving on after a disappointment or setback; making new friends; doing the right thing; valuing your reputation; keeping your promises and commitments; being grateful for good fortune; and telling the truth in all things, even if you are tempted to lie because you are worried you made a mistake or will get in trouble for something you might have done. 

“To be truthful and honorable takes courage, so we’re back at the beginning again,” Philp said as a way of conclusion, before declaring the 2024–2025 school year officially open.

“With those words as your guide, you can achieve almost anything.”