After members of the Class of 2022 processed hand-in-hand with first graders onto Robert L. Cosby Field — a longtime First Day tradition — Head of School Thomas W. Philip opened Brunswick’s 119th year by addressing the faculty and student body.
Philip’s message at the ceremony — the first to be held outdoors and the first full-school gathering in two years — acknowledged the adversities presented by the global pandemic and the challenging days that very likely lie ahead.
“At Brunswick, we are always practicing for challenges — practicing how to face them when they inevitably come and how to overcome them and become stronger by doing so,” Philip said.
“But I also want us also to look beyond these times with confidence and optimism for the future — and to get back to the real business of Brunswick School.”
Philip referenced the following hallmarks of being a Brunswick boy.
Being kind to newcomers and strangers
Respecting others and ourselves
Being curious and inquisitive
Working hard to better ourselves
Arriving on time and being in dress code
Listening to and looking others in the eye
Being polite
“More than anything, though, we need to appreciate that we are all part of something greater than ourselves — and attempt to fulfill our lives by contributing to the greater good.
“And, of course, we need to strive to live lives marked by Courage, Honor, and Truth.”