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classroom to narrow down the choices from twelve to two. Students created voter registration cards and election posters, and some even campaigned for their favorite name. When you combine bold thinking and authentic learning, compassionate, global-minded community members follow naturally. While learning about voting as a civic duty, students are learning about the importance of their voice—that their thoughts and ideas can influence a classroom and a community at large. Because of the sand table, students were able to practice collaborative skills, use appropriate communication, and show care and kindness when disagreeing. They became emboldened to change the landscape of their classroom setting, recognizing that even at ages four and five, they have creative and innovative ideas to share. Our hope for our youngest learners is that they continue through their Brimmer
community reflecting our Core Values in action, making Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Honesty, and Equity integral parts of their identity as they change and grow. Our goal is that they walk through their Brimmer experience as innovators and collaborators while sharing their interests, thoughts, and the foundations of who they are. Authentic learning is going apple picking with a fifth-grade Buddy and then using said apples to explore measurement and sorting. It is taking the initiative to teach classmates about an important topic by leading a discussion, like one student did when sharing the story of how she got her name: “I was named after my great-grandmother. Her name was the same as mine, but they called her Honey!” The second big question we ask students to explore is, “What is your role in your community?” PK students have been exploring the difference between wants and needs and helping fill backpacks full of school supplies for students just like them in the Greater Boston area. To inspire students
to design with great imagination and skill, we paired them with our ninth-grade Geometry students to design birdhouses for the Brimmer Organic Garden. Through Family Share, where students and parents share important aspects of their culture and family dynamics, students build compassion, empathy, and understanding for their classmates and the various cultural differences that come together to make our beautiful Brimmer community. In PK, we believe in setting the foundation for what it means to be a student and a learner, not just within the walls of Brimmer but out in the world as global ambassadors for change. We see them reaching Middle School and joining the play or musical, feeling confident on stage; trying a sport that feels unfamiliar; or adding their background knowledge of engineering and coding to the Robotics Team. We see them reaching twelfth grade with a greater understanding of who they are as they start the College Counseling process. We see them one day becoming the engineers, scientists, artists, and teachers they said they were at age four. ■
Leaving a Legacy By Dan Birdsall, Associate Director of College Counseling, Director of US Leadership Programs As with the start to their Brimmer experience, students begin their work with the College Counseling team—the first formal step in their extended exit interview from high school—by considering who they are, what they value, and how this might translate into a university experience. By the time they reach us, the exercise is lighter on finger paint, Play-Doh, and crayons and more oriented toward online surveys and college database platforms, though the core task is remarkably similar. As we regularly remind students and families, there are approximately 2,000 four-year colleges and universities in the United States! This means both that there is somewhere for everyone in the American college landscape and that there
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Spring 2025
Brimmer Magazine