The Browning community joined together on December 16 in Temple Emanu-El for the School’s annual Holiday Program, “One World, Many Voices,” led by Music Directors Lucy Warner and Richard Symons. The much anticipated event, attended by parents and extended family members, began with remarks from Head of School John Botti. Mr. Botti spoke of his fondness for this festive time of year, how pleased he is to be leading the School as our new Head, and how aptly the stage had been set for this particular program by Community Day. Please click here to view photos and more details.
Read MoreThe boys in Grades Five and Six welcomed a special visitor on December 9. Keer Deng, who is from Sudan, talked with the students about his experience during the civil war in that country. Prior to his appearance, history teacher Mary Bosworth provided the boys with background materials. The boys had read a book on the topic, “A Long Walk to Water,” and watched the 2014 movie, “The Good Lie.” Hearing about Mr. Deng’s first-hand experience of escaping the war and coming to America certainly made the story all the more real. Click here to view photos and read more details of Mr. Deng's visit.
Read MoreEvery year the art department chooses a theme for all of the Browning boys to study. This year the boys are studying prehistoric art, looking at cave paintings and petroglyphs (drawings carved into rock) from all over the world. Click here to watch a video of the boys creating artwork that relate to this theme, which range from large stretched canvases to works on paper executed with cray-pas and watercolor.
Read MoreHead of School John Botti observed his first Thanksgiving Assembly (the School’s 29th) with the Browning community on November 22. Mr. Botti described the day as “a wonderful one,” to be shared with family and friends. A number of boys addressed the audience, reading from works that echoed Mr. Botti’s words that this holiday is meant to be spent with those we love, enjoying one another’s company and, of course, all the food and trimmings!
Performances by the Drumming Circle, Ovation Orchestra, Browning Balladeers and Form II Handchimes added to the festive nature of the event. Presidents of both the Middle and Upper School Councils remarked on the success of the school year so far, from the winning fall sports teams to the record-breaking amount of food (860 pounds) collected during the annual food drive.
The Class of 2017 and Director of College Guidance Sandy Pelz ’71 welcomed returning alumni, while the Panther mascot, along with music teacher Richard Symons, led the community in singing The Browning School Song.
After the assembly, alumni were treated to a reception back at the School where they mingled with former teachers and Form VI boys.
Click here to view photos and more details from the assembly.
Read MoreThe annual Middle School Shakespeare production brought “Macbeth” to the stage on November 16 and 17 under the direction of Head Librarian Sarah Murphy. As always, the cast – including girls from The Brearley School – impressed the audience with their acting skills and interpretation of the Bard’s language. Click here to view photos and more details.
Read MoreFor the second consecutive year, boys from The Browning Grytte newspaper staff, along with the editors of The Grytte yearbook, attended the 77th Annual Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) Annual Fall Conference at Columbia University. The students partook in a variety of sessions, with 80 from which to choose, with themes ranging from sports reporting, to editorial writing, to creativity. They experienced both learning from professional journalists and writers and from being on a renowned college campus.
The boys from Grade Four to Form VI gathered insight into what makes their writing, visuals and paper itself more appealing. They appreciated this opportunity to learn more about what they do outside of class. Click here to view video, photos and more details about the conference.
Read MoreOn the evening of November 9, The Browning School celebrated new Chairholders Mary Bosworth and Sam Keany. Ms. Bosworth, recipient of the 2016 Stephen M. Clement, III Chair for the Humanities, joined Browning in 2004 and is a Middle and Upper School history teacher. Mr. Keany, 2016 recipient of the STEM Chair, has taught at the School since 2001 and is Chair of the Science Department and Dean of Students.
The Stephen M. Clement, III Chair for the Humanities was established in 2009 to honor Mr. Clement's 20th anniversary as Headmaster, while the STEM Chair was first awarded in 2014 to honor a faculty member who advance the School's missions in supporting science, technology, engineering and math. Both chairs are awarded for three-year terms. Click here to view photos, video and remarks from the evening.
Read MoreBrowning boys, their families and the entire school community are never at a loss for finding the perfect book at the annual Book Fair each fall. Guest authors (including Browning faculty, friends and alumni), classroom visits and a cocktail party are all part of the two-day event orchestrated by the Parents Association and Head Librarian Sarah Murphy. Please click here to view photos and more details.
Read MoreCongratulations to all the Browning sports teams on a great season!
Browning boys George Allen ’17 and Joshua Jordan ’17 were selected as NYCAL All League Soccer Players this season. Coaches from all the varsity soccer teams rank the players in the league, and the top 11 make the All League team. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players. Well done, boys!
View photos and details from our coaches for Varsity Soccer, Varsity and Middle School Cross Country, JV Soccer, 7th and 8th Grade Soccer and 5th and 6th Grade Soccer.
Read MoreThe phrase “man’s best friend” as applied to our canine comrades took on a new meaning when a group of therapy dogs and their owners/handlers from New York Therapy Animals visited Browning for a Lower School assembly on November 10. These furry friends touch the lives of boys and girls, men and women, when they pay a comforting call to schools, libraries and hospitals on a regular basis. Click here to view photos and more details.
Read MoreHead of School John Botti is pleased to appoint Dr. Betty Noel to the position of Director of Diversity at The Browning School. She is excited about current plans in the works, including the formation of a new Diversity Committee comprised of faculty and staff, as well as the School’s third annual Community Day on December 15. The latter offers an opportunity to celebrate the Browning community and to take a closer look at the world outside its walls as well. Please click here to read more details from Mr. Botti and Dr. Noel.
Read MoreNo sooner had Head of Lower School/Assistant Head Laurie Gruhn announced that there would be a Halloween parade at Browning this year, than many excited Lower School boys began planning their costumes. On Halloween Day, October 31, they donned their outfits in the afternoon and prepared to parade around the block.
Head of School John Botti, dressed as Clark Kent (alias Superman, of course) led the parade of boys and faculty who, as Ms. Gruhn said, “got into the spirit” of the holiday. Parents joined in the fun, too, either in person or by watching the livestream video produced by seven Form V boys in the Video Production class.
Earlier in the afternoon, older Browning boys got into the act as well, showing off their costumes and posing for photos in the cafeteria. Needless to say, it was a day to remember at The Browning School! Click here to view photos.
Read MoreOn October 28 in conjunction with the Common Book, a group of panelists organized by Head Librarian Sarah Murphy spoke to boys in Forms II-VI about immigration law as part of a school assembly. Click here to view photos and more details about the assembly.
Read MoreOn October 26, the Alumni Association featured Steven Eisman P ’18 at this year’s Class of 2000 Distinguished Speaker Series. Nearly 150 guests returned to Browning for this special event.
Mr. Eisman is best known for shorting subprime mortgages during the recent housing market. He is currently a managing director at Neuberger Berman in New York, overseeing the Eisman Group within the firm’s private asset management division. In the 2015 film "The Big Short," Steve Carell's character was based on Mr. Eisman. Please click here to view photos, video and more details.
Read MoreFor the second consecutive year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), the varsity soccer team donned pink jerseys in a game against LREI (winning 5-1) to support the Susan G. Komen organization. Click here for pictures, a video and more details.
Read MoreOn October 14, the third and fourth graders, along with a group of Browning juniors and seniors, traveled to Black Rock Forest for a day of forest exploration and sustainability activities. The juniors and seniors are members of Browning's Sustainable Design science elective taught by Emilie Wolf and Betty Noel; the younger boys are taught by science teacher Julia Kingsdale. The older boys helped lead the younger students on a nature hike, a survey of local arthropods, and a tour of Black Rock Forest's many sustainable features. The boys learned about solar panels, a geothermal heating system and composting toilets. They also enjoyed a rare opportunity to connect with a natural New York forest, bringing back not only a deeper understanding of sustainable design but also several "creepy crawly arthropods" who now enjoy their new home in the Lower School science lab and daily care-giving by the Grade Three boys! Click here to view photos.
Read MoreThe Form V and VI boys in the sustainable design class, taught by Emilie Wolf and Dr. Betty Noel, propose to turn the School’s fourth floor terrace into a greenhouse. This project came about as part of their class discussion of what it means to be sustainable and environmental in the 21st century. The boys have been applying their knowledge to a real-world application by doing a LEED assessment of the terrace in order to produce a floor plan and budget proposal allowing Browning to move forward in developing this greenhouse.
To this end, the class traveled in early October to the Upper West Side to meet with NY Sun Works, a non-profit organization that has facilitated the design of greenhouses in over 40 schools in the city's five boroughs. Click here to view photos and read more.
Read MoreOn October 6, under the leadership of Head of Upper School James Reynolds and with an assist from Mssrs. Iwelu and Wisniewski, Form III departed from Browning on the traditional Form III trip to Pine Forest Camp in Pennsylvania. Please click here to view photos and read a detailed report.
Read MoreLower School Assemblies, held nearly every week at Browning, present an opportunity for Browning boys to shine, whether by demonstrating their expertise on the Composer of the Month or recommending a good book they have read. As of this week, “The Panther Report” has put our fourth grade boys in the spotlight as budding journalists, eager to share their knowledge of world-wide weather, upcoming events at Browning, Mark Zuckerberg’s $3 billion pledge to cure disease, candle making, highlights of Italy, and our new Head of School.
The first edition of “The Panther Report” thoroughly impressed the audience of teachers and fellow students who eagerly look forward to the next installment in two weeks’ time. Fourth grade teachers Rachel Gerber and Meg Epstein explained, “We wanted the fourth graders to learn about current events and also be able to educate the lower grades in a fun way!” They are pleased and proud of the boys who spent many hours researching and producing their segments. Click here to view photos and video.
Read MoreEvery fall, the Forms V and VI boys are whisked away for three days to visit several college campuses, a trip we believe is unique to Browning. This year, schools visited in order included Union College, Skidmore College, Dartmouth College, University of Vermont, Champlain College, Middlebury College, Bennington College and Williams College. Click here to view photos and video.
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