The Brunswick Trust N E W S L E T T E R
Brunswick Trust Report – Winter 2025
B
runswick boys have demonstr ated the power of generosit y through these frigid winter months. This generosity can have an inward focus as our boys learn to practice resilience in the face of setbacks. We also show the generosity of kinship as boys within and across divisions work together on our best practices for being kind, responsible, and supportive. Finally, the many service efforts in all divisions prove the commitment of Bruins of all ages to the needs of those in our immediate communities.
Character & Leadership
T
rust Time at the Pre and Lower Schools has featured lessons designed to encourage a “growth mindset” in academic life, similar to the much more commonly accepted mindset in athletics. In sports, a “growth mindset” is a given: everyone accepts the idea that when the human body gets exercise, muscles get stronger, faster, and more resilient. In the classroom, that’s not always the case. When a “fixed mindset” prevails there, sometimes dangerous beliefs about ability can hold students back. Brunswick Trust Coordinator Kate Duennebier used a dumbbell in the first of two Trust Time lessons to show boys how, in sports, when an athlete continues to push hard, lift weights, and practice every day, muscles get bigger and stronger. The brain is also like a muscle, she told boys, and gets stronger with practice and perseverance. “If we work, push past the hard stuff — if we exercise our brains — it also grows and gets stronger,” she said. “Students sometimes don’t know how to keep pushing when things get hard in the classroom.”
A second Trust Time lesson focused on updating the axiom “Practice Makes Perfect” to “Practice Makes Progress.” A slideshow put together by teacher Brian Couglin showed the evolution of Ford cars from 1910 to today and served as a visual illustration of the relentless pursuit of progress and innovation in industry. Boys then turned their attention to their own lives and were asked to think about subjects they might like to improve in — with the end goal being progress, not perfection. “I really care about this,” Duennebier said. “In classrooms when things get tough, this is the exciting moment. I want nothing more than students to know this.” continued on page 2
CHARACTER
D I V E R S I T Y, E Q U I T Y,
H E A LT H
SERVICE &
& LEADERSHIP
INCLUSION &
& WELLNESS
S U S TA I N A B I LI T Y
BELONGING