Moving Day

Some families move once, maybe twice in a lifetime. Not satisfied with such a mundane existence, the Brookfield Academy family is moving twice in six months. In January, the entire Upper School moved from Freedom Hall to the new Patriots Hall.

Today the Middle School is moving from Liberty Hall into the newly remodeled Freedom Hall. The "new" Freedom Hall has undergone extensive renovation and movers are now bringing semi-truck loads of desks, tables, chairs, computers, and books into the new Middle School.


Once the equipment is moved into the building, teachers, administrators, and administrative assistants will get to work setting up their new classrooms and offices.



And, yet, there is still one more move to make! Eventually the recently vacated Liberty Hall building will become home to the Level 3-5 Lower School. Before that move takes place, though, Liberty Hall will undergo some significant renovations and changes in order to better prepare it for life as an elementary school building. All this movement is the culmination of the campus-wide capital campaign project that has seen Brookfield Academy double the amount of space available to students in all three divisions. While there are some short-term headaches, all agree that the long-term benefits are worth the hassles.


Mr. Ricci, Head of the Middle School, "dreaming" of life in the new building.

It was Bruce Barton who said that "When you are through changing, you are through." After a summer of change, blogger thinks Barton will excuse BA if it decides to take a change break.

State Champs!

The BA Boys’ Track team cruised to the first boys’ state championship in school history, with a dominating performance at the WIAA Division 3 State Boys Track Championship on Saturday, June 4, at UW-La Crosse's Memorial Stadium. The Blue Knights scored 80 points, well ahead of Webster and Burlington Catholic Central, who tied for second place with 30 points each. The point total matched the third highest earned points in history for all divisions.

Junior Fred Willis led the way with a first in the 100-meters (10.88) and the 200 (22.23), a second in the high jump (6 feet, 7 inches), and the anchor leg of the winning 800 relay team. Sophomore Ethan Jaynes took second in the 100 (11.06) and the 200 (22.88). Sophomore Max Wrenn and senior Taylor Davis joined Willis and Jaynes in winning the 4x200 relay race (1:39.86).

Senior Nate Heppe seized gold in the 800 (1:55.67) and was fifth in the 1600 (4:29.94). Heppe anchored the 3200 relay team which finished third (8:05.17). Seniors Neil Warren and Taylor Davis and junior Vikram Purewal joined Heppe on that team.

Senior Troy Huff was third in the high jump (6 feet, 6 inches).

The boys’ track team joins the 1987 girls’ tennis team and numerous Field Hockey teams as the only state champions in school history.

Congratulations to Coaches Jaynes, Malloy and Olizia for their dedication and commitment to the team and the track program. And to the track athletes, BA Blogger joins the entire BA community in congratulating you for this magnificent achievement.

The state championship caps an extraordinary year of athletic accomplishments in the Upper School. Listed below are some of the major highlights of the sports year:

· Football--Co-Conference Champs and WIAA State Playoffs

· Boys’ Cross Country—Seventh in state, Div. 3

· JV Girls Volleyball--Conference Champions and MCC Tournament Champions

· Girls Swimming—Two-Time Individual, Sectional & State Champion, Journal-Sentinel Swimmer of the Year, WIAA Swimmer of the Year

· Boys’ Basketball--Conference Champions (Freshmen, JV and Varsity), WIAA Regional Champions

· Boys’ Swimming--Individual & Sectional Champions, Individual Second in State

· Girls’ Soccer—WIAA Regional Semi-Finalist

· Boys Track--Conference Champion, Sectional Champion, State Champion

· Conference Player-of-the-Year in Football, Boys’ Basketball, and Boys’ Baseball

· 26 First Team All-Conference Players in boys’ and girls’ sports

BA Blogger is posting a blog by Chad Gunnelson that is on Wisconsin Sports Network www.wissports.net. This blog was posted on 5/30/2010.

Division 3 Boys Team Projections (20 or more points)

Brookfield Academy 61, Whitehall 31, Oshkosh Lourdes 27, Iola – Scandinavia 26, Lena / St. Thomas 23, Edgar 21, River Ridge 20

Brookfield Academy and head coach David Jaynes look to run away with the Division 3 team title this year. Behind the legs of top sprinters Fred Willis (JR) and Ethan Jaynes (SO) who look to go 1-2 respectively in the 100M and 200M they should easily outscore the field. Brookfield Academy should also get points from Nathan Heppe (SR) in the 1600M, Troy Huff (SR) in the high jump, and their 800M and 3200M relays. Also look for strong showings from Whitehall and Oshkosh Lourdes who should round out the top three teams in the D3 field this Friday and Saturday.

This year has passed far too quickly; the calendar shows that it is almost time to say goodbye to our seniors. They graduate on May 16! We will surely miss this extraordinary group of students. Colleges often ask how students impact their school community. With this class it is easy to say: “At every turn of the way, they have made a difference in our school.” They have broken athletic records, earned championship titles in academic competitions, performed with talent and grace in drama productions, led student government with wisdom and humor, created award-winning art work, and nurtured lasting friendships with their peers and their teachers.

They have earned acceptances from colleges all across the country. Some will head to the east coast to attend schools such as George Washington University, Princeton University, Grove City College, Brown University, University of Maryland, West Point, and University of Pennsylvania. Others will go south to such places as the University of Miami, Trinity University, Texas Christian University, Bob Jones University, University of Dallas, Vanderbilt, Southern Methodist University, University of Tampa, and Emory University. The Midwest will keep those who have chosen to attend colleges such as Illinois Wesleyan University, Mt. Mary College, Drake University, Macalester College, University of Wisconsin campuses at Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Waukesha, and River Falls, University of Minnesota, St. Norbert College, St. Louis University, North Central College, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Art and Design, University of Notre Dame, Beloit College, University of North Dakota, Kenyon College, and Washington University. One will venture all the way to University of Hawaii and one will be at the opposite end of the U.S. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

These colleges and universities are proud to have our students become their students. We all look forward to hearing about the accomplishments these young women and men will earn in the years ahead. They are well prepared! We are excited for them and we are very proud of them!

The BA Blog is honored to welcome guest blogger Cristina Zeppos, Class of 2010.

When I’m asked, “Where did you go to high school?”—an almost daily question—I’m proud to answer, "Brookfield Academy." As a “lifer,” I have memories from Level A through high school. In Level A class, reciting the poem “Ten Apples” was the first of many challenges I would face in the next 14 years. For a five-year-old child, standing in front of an assembly of students and parents was a daunting task. By Level 5, though, I confidently recited a poem on my own with the entire Lower School as an audience.

Middle School was stimulating, and I learned the skills needed to succeed in the Upper School. Writing lessons, language classes, and history lectures prepared me for high school. Having the Head of School as basketball coach when we won the league championship was a highlight, too!

My early years at BA gave me wonderful childhood memories, but the Upper School provided the opportunity to flourish. I picked classes where I had an interest and enjoyed new subjects, such as the graphic design class. Serving as co-captain, with one of my senior classmates, of this year's girls varsity basketball team--and achieving our best record in four years--is a great memory.

With graduation now a memory, I have moved to the next stage of my life: Vanderbilt University. It will be a challenge, but Brookfield Academy prepared me well. With hard work, amazing teachers and wonderful parents, I am ready to go to the next level, and I have the confidence that I can and will succeed.

Thank you, BA!

It has been an exciting and rewarding year for development efforts at Brookfield Academy. The excitement began in August when the Soar with the Stars capital campaign achieved its goal of 12.5 million dollars. (That seems like years ago!) The opening of Patriots Hall in January was perhaps a once-in-a lifetime event for the school. Strong donor support for projects across the entire campus has allowed us to speed up the renovation project timelines for Freedom Hall (new Middle School), Liberty Hall (Lower School 3-5), and Constitution Hall (Lower School A-2.) The establishment of two new endowed scholarships and record-level support for the scholarship program in general are signs that the BA community values people as much as bricks and mortar.

There is no great mystery to a successful development effort. The results are largely dependent on the dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work of the people responsible for making the ideas, values, and beliefs of the BA mission work. Led by an exemplary Class of 2010, BA has experienced an extraordinary year of academic and extracurricular achievements. Winners in the classroom, on the athletic field, and on the stage, the efforts of students, teachers, coaches, and directors have created a level of expectation and achievement that gives donors confidence in the fundamental values and beliefs of Brookfield Academy. Simply put, people are enthusiastic about supporting a winning organization.

As a BA fan, Blogger can unequivocally say that this has been a winning year for Brookfield Academy. Whether it is numerous National Merit finalists, athletic conference championships, or sold out theater performances, students have achieved it an unparalleled level this year. It has been an honor to be part of the success!