FAILING OUR CHILDREN: WISCONSIN’S DEFICIT IN TEACHING PERSONAL FINANCE AND ECONOMICS

by Bob Solsrud, Head of School

In the May issue of “The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute,” Dr. Scott Niederjohn makes the case for Wisconsin schools to improve in the subject areas of economics and personal finance.  He notes only 25% of Wisconsin schools require economics, and only 21 states require economics.

The report mentions the results of Wisconsin students on a nationally normed Test of Economic Literacy developed by the Council for Economic Education.  The students taking the test scored a 14.5 of the 30 questions or 48%.  However, more interesting than the test results were the students understanding of the economic reality.

 Here are a couple of examples:

Ø  Business firms wish to sell their products at high prices.  Households wish to buy products at low prices. In a market economy, this conflict of interest is resolved by:

a.    Lawsuits…5% chose this incorrect answer

b.   Government…61% chose this incorrect answer

c.    Competition…11% chose this correct answer

d.   Collective bargaining…13% chose this incorrect answer

  

Ø  A basic role of entrepreneurs in the economy is to:

a.   Tell government what new products to produce and sell…
56% chose this incorrect answer

b.   Take the risks associated with starting a new business…

14% chose this correct answer

c.    Buy and sell the common stocks of corporations…

16% chose this incorrect answer

d.   Limit the liability of investors in new business…
14% chose this incorrect answer

Clearly, Wisconsin students do not comprehend the very basics of a market economy.  This is why free market economics is a required Upper School course at Brookfield Academy and why BAME (Brookfield Academy Market Economy) is part of our Middle School curriculum. 

Brookfield Academy students do graduate with a strong foundation in a working knowledge of the economy.

To read more about the report go to www.wpri.org.

Golfing "FORE" A Great Cause

Brookfield Academy's 15th annual golf outing, now known as the  Davis-Law Memorial Golf Outing, is on Monday, August 22 at Chenequa Country Club. If you've played the outing before, you know it is a fun-filled day of golf and camaraderie with Academy parents, alumni, faculty and other friends.

What you might not be aware of is that the golf outing is also a fundraiser and that all proceeds from the event support Brookfield Academy's Five Stars to Success scholarship program.

The Five Stars to Success scholarship program was established to provide academically qualified but financially disadvantaged students from Milwaukee’s central city the opportunity to attend Brookfield Academy’s Upper School. Over the past five years the golf outing has contributed over $85,000 to the scholarship fund. 



BA's first two Five Stars graduates,
Kellie Walton and Promyce Johnson with
program sponsor Mrs. Mary Law

Since its inception in 2002, 11 students have graduated from the Five Stars program and all 11 went on to college. This year, the first two Five Star students graduated with honors from their respective colleges. There are eight students attending Brookfield Academy as result of the program and your support will help ensure that they are provided the opportunity to create a future of limitless potential.

The Davis-Law Memorial is a scramble event so you do not have to be the world's best golfer to participate. And if you don't know a bogie from a birdie, skip the golf and join the fun that starts at 5:00 p.m. with the cocktail reception, auction and raffle, delicious dinner, and more.

Registration is fast, easy, and secure at http://www.brookfieldacademy.org/

There are many sponsorship opportunities available and these may also be made online. For more information, please contact Brookfield Academy's Development Office at 262-783-3200.

Hope to see you at Chenequa on August 22!

Take a look at photos from last year's event!

Blue Knights Shine at State Track Meet!

Fred Willis Earns Journal Sentinel Athlete of the Week Honors for Performance at State Track Meet

Willis, a senior track athlete, won three events at the Division 3 state meet Friday and Saturday, repeating in the 100 and 200 meters as well as the 400 relay. Willis won the 100 in 10.82 seconds and took the 200 in 21.81 to break the nine-year-old record of 21.89 set by Howards Grove's Marcus Ver Duin in the 2002. The Wisconsin football recruit also joined juniors Ethan Jaynes and Max Wrenn and freshman Ryan Send to win in 42.51 to beat the record of 43.32 the same team set in the preliminary round Friday.

Two State Records in Two Days
La Crosse - Another day, another state record for the Brookfield Academy boys' 4x100 Division 3 relay team. "The more the better, right?" said junior Max Wrenn. Wrenn and junior Ethan Jaynes, freshman Ryan Send and senior Fred Willis set a state record of 43.32 seconds in the event Friday, They finished in 42.51 Saturday. "We wanted it and we went after it," said Wrenn. The key to the over-night improvement, according to Wrenn, was that the team worked on their handoffs. "We really worked on our handoffs," he said. "Especially me, in the third leg with Ryan, we definitely improved there. That did it, I guess. Yesterday we knew we had to work on the handoffs, so we focused on that and knew if we did it right and got it to Fred (for the anchor leg), we could win it." Two state records in two days? "They're both pretty exciting," said Wrenn. "But this (second one) is definitely a bonus."

BA girls' 400 relay takes second in state!

l to r: Bailey Vipond-junior, Mary Liz Kim-sophomore, Mackenzie Bonk-freshman, Catherine Courchaine-senior

What is at the core of a Brookfield Academy education?

by Dr. Robert Solsrud, Head of Brookfield Academy

During a Memorial Day Celebration, I heard the words, “We should honor those who honor us.” This statement brought to light how BA, through its understanding of a Liberal Arts Education in a Free Society, so meaningfully “honors those who honor us.”

Georgetown University Professor James V. Schall explained that “The terms of liberal education and free society arise out of the same source, out of the classic notion that we can and should first rule ourselves and that such rule is in our personal power.”


BA School Goal #1 - Character: Learn to act responsibly in a free society realizing the moral consequences of our actions.
To learn to act responsibly in a free society requires us to understand the need to rule ourselves for some purpose. We must teach our students the difference between an evil purpose and a noble purpose.


BA School Goal #2 - Individuality: Learn to appreciate their unique talents and to exercise these gifts responsibly.
To learn to act responsibility in a free society requires us to seek the truth because that is the highest power we have – to know the truth of things.


BA School Goal #3 - Truth: Recognize and pursue transcendent, objective truth.
To learn to act responsibly in a free society requires us to be a learning community that nourishes wonder, provides curiosity, stimulates creativity, and inclines the minds.


BA School Goal #4 - Intellect: Understand that learning is a goal in itself, and perfection of the intellect is the purpose of a liberal education.
To learn to act responsibly in a free society requires us to bring our students to an understanding that self-rule is at the heart of civil order.


BA School Goal #5 - Heritage: Understand the traditions of western civilization and particularly the United State of America.
At Brookfield Academy, we do “honor those who honor us” by graduating responsible, constructive, free people.”

Spring Sports Highlights

Boys Track Takes Three Conference Crowns

The Brookfield Academy boys track team recorded three first-place finishes at the Midwest Classic meet on Tuesday, May 17, at BA's Fields of Freedom.

• Senior Fred Willis - 100 meter dash (10.54)
• Junior Ethan Jaynes - 200 meter dash (22.65)
• 800 Meter Relay Team -Willis, Jaynes, senior Alex Vipond and freshman Ryan Send (1:32.99)

Girls Track Wins Two Relay Conference Championships

• 800 Meter Relay Team - Sophomore Mary Liz Kim, Senior Catherine Courchaine, Junior Bailey Vipond, and Freshman Mackenzie Bonk (1:50.28)
• The same four sprinters won the 400 Meter Relay (52.65)

Girls Soccer Team Conference Champs

BA is now 16-3-2 and 10-0 in conference play. The Blue Knights are ranked fifth in the state in the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association state poll.

• Ally Anderson named Defensive Player of the Year
• Eimile Pesch named Offensive Player of the Year
• Liz Collins unanimous First Team
• Ana Bayerlein First Team
• Kristen Collins First Team

Baseball Takes Second in MCC Standings

The Blue Knights concluded conference play with an 11-3 record, finishing second in the Midwest Classic Conference. BA will host a first-round WIAA playoff game on Friday, May 27 at 4:30 p.m. against Waterloo.

• Junior Jake Kolasinksi named Player of the Year

Boys Tennis Takes Second in Conference

• Junior Justin Saeian placed first at no. 4 singles and earned first-team all-conference

Golfers Continue Good Play

As the weather improves, so does the Brookfield Academy Golf Team. BA place fourth in the MCC Championship at Hartford Country Club on May 18, shooting its lowest 18-hole total of the season, a 347.   The team also placed second in the regionals and will now travel to sectional play.

• Freshman Daniel Romero was first-team all conference and Player of the Year for the MCC.
• Freshman Liam McCarty Conference Champ

Oh, What A Year!

With the number of days left on the school calendar now in the single digits, it is the perfect time to take a look back and reflect upon the year Brookfield Academy and its students have had. BA is proud of its many accomplishments during the 2010-11 school year including:

• Record enrollment of 855 students at the end of the year.


• Ten seniors named National Merit Finalists, with two earning National Merit Scholarships. Five additional students were named National Merit Commended Scholars.

• Freshman Liam McCarty won the 12th Annual Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

• Dozens of BA students performed on stage in one of many performances including Dear Edwina Jr., The Curious Savage, The Music Man, Hamlette, Hard Candy, and The Adventures of Lewis & Clark. Many more participated in the many music events held on campus throughout year.

• Senior Kelsey Hojan-Clark won her fifth and sixth WIAA swimming state titles.

• Senior Jawad Arshad placed first in the 2010 Stock Market Simulation essay contest and was also named a runner-up in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.


• The Middle School MathCounts team placed fourth regionally.


• The Upper School academic decathlon team placed second in the state.


• The BA chess team placed ninth nationally.


• Senior Sofya Kozlova was awarded two national silver medals for photography in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.


• BA students performed countless hours of community service throughout the year.


• Graduation of the 64 amazing students in the Class of 2011 who are ranked among the best scholars in the nation and had 308 college acceptances!

These are just a few of the too-numerous-to-list accomplishments by our fantastic students throughout the year. It would take several pages to make this list complete. As we head into the final days of this highly successful school year, we encourage you to stay connected to BA during the summer months. Visit the web site, follow BA on Facebook and Twitter, and watch for email newsletters with all the news you need to know. Have a great summer!

Winter mornings are bitterly cold at the top of the hill, but Lower School scholars warm our hearts with cheers of delight when we announce that the sledding hill is officially open for its first riders of the season. Their enthusiasm for this longstanding Brookfield Academy tradition is infectious.

If our youngest scholars only knew how many Brookfield Academy traditions will actually shape their lives once they graduate prepared for college and life. As adults, we know the value of traditions, and we would like to cheer whenever we see one play out during the day. For now, we will wait anxiously for the day when our scholars grow up and return with stories of how the traditions in the Lower School influenced their futures.

There are certain to be stories about morning assemblies, where, with honor and regardless of the weather, a student raised the flag, and the pledge and prayer kicked off the day. A student or two will certainly remember the time spent at recess playing tirelessly with friends, practicing kindness and respect. Scholars will recall weekly visits to the library, gym, art, music, and language classes. Even the tradition of homework, where the lessons of the day were reviewed and mastered, and poems were memorized, will bring fond memories.

More than any tradition remembered, however, will be the commitment and dedication of their teachers. Brookfield Academy teachers know their students and take the time to help each one of them reach his or her fullest potential. They model lifetime learning by continuing to study their profession and apply that knowledge in the classroom, where mediocrity is cast aside and high expectations are the norm.

Here at BA, every season brings its lessons along with treasured traditions.

Heather Caponi, LS A-2 Division Head

The popular BAME (Brookfield Academy Mini-Economy) simulation gives Level 7 and 8 students lessons on how an economy, a competitive market, government, banking, and politics coexist with each other.

After a recent BAME market day, I overheard a student exclaiming that he had a lot of Peschos (BAME currency) and would soon be "loaded." Often, students in BAME focus on instant wealth and overlook the important lessons of this simulation. Our themes of

Personal Responsibility and Gratitude Inspires

present ideas that can be woven into the lessons of BAME, reminding students that they will make contributions to others in their future.

Billionaires such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have said the rich have benefited from their nation’s assets and systems to become wealthy. Gates and Buffet are committed to giving away the majority of their wealth through a program called "The Giving Pledge." What message can we give our students while still within the borders of Freedom Hall and so diligently earning the mighty "Pescho"?

• We can raise awareness that generosity is not just about giving money but also about giving of self. It is less about the size of the check and more about the personal satisfaction of giving and the outcomes seen.

• We can teach that giving back does not have to be made with a financial donation. Students can give of their time and talent to make a difference.

• We can remind students that what we have today at Brookfield Academy is the result of hard work, support, and donations from many people over the course of 50 years. Students are the ones who are reaping these benefits.

Being thankful for what we have allows us to give back and inspires us to do more as responsible, constructive, free people.

Doug Ricci, Middle School Head

Advocating For Our Independence

Wisconsin’s educational landscape is undergoing noticeable tremors reverberating throughout the nation. While tension and rhetoric are increasing, isn’t it refreshing and encouraging to be at an independent school free from the current political turmoil?

As an independent school, Brookfield Academy eschews government funding to avoid inclusion in this inevitable confrontation. Our independence encourages freedoms that form the foundation and ultimate strength of our school. That strength is manifested by our freedom to define our unique mission, determine our curriculum and programs, hire mission-appropriate faculty, and admit mission-appropriate families.

We are fond of saying, and rightly so, Brookfield Academy is held accountable to its "stakeholders" (parents, students, alumni), not bureaucrats or politicians. We embrace our freedom by providing the best educational experience for families seeking the perfect match between their beliefs and educational aspirations and our mission, philosophy, program, and people.

A Brookfield Academy Education is Like No Other

by Lauren Smyczek, Class of 2008

As a recent graduate of Brookfield Academy, I often reflect upon my time at BA. I think about the many ways in which a Brookfield Academy education is above and beyond other schools. The small class sizes and the world-class faculty are two that come quickly to mind.

With the class size limit, I received individual attention, crucial to the cultivation of my young mind. Being able to learn from the incredibly skilled and knowledgeable instructors in such a setting reinforced what I was learning all the more.

Another treasured quality of my education is BA’s devotion to the humanities—classics, languages, history, literature, philosophy, and performing arts.

Beginning in Lower School, I was exposed to the cornerstones of civilization in the studies of the ancient Greeks and Romans. I have started to realize that a true education is grounded in this study of the human condition starting with ancient history, rather than just a study of one's own era.

I am deeply grateful for my Brookfield Academy education. I sense that I will continue to reap its benefits for the rest of my life. I know it did much more than equipping me for the essays, research, and readings that university years hold. For me, Brookfield Academy was a preparation for life.

Overall, however, I am fully aware that though I can sense rather vaguely the ways that BA has prepared me, I am still far too young and inexperienced and too near it to be able to recognize fully and articulate exactly what BA has done for me. And I look forward to the explorations in the rest of my academic career, my professional career, and my relationships to continue to reveal to me the boundless value of the Brookfield Academy experience.

by

Rose Mueller, Class of 2008

Reflections on a Brookfield Academy Education

On the first day of my Environmental Science class this semester, the professor asked how many of us had studied Latin. I was the only student who raised my hand. "Toto, we’re not at Brookfield Academy anymore."

I am currently a junior at Wisconsin Lutheran College. I am pursuing a Major in German and Minors in History and English.

Had it not been for my academic preparation at BA, I would not be as successful as I am. Because of the many excellent BA teachers who helped me learn and grow, I am able to excel in college. Thanks to Mrs. Cupertino, I was able to raise my hand in my Environmental Science class. Thanks to Mr. Wasmer, I knew who John Locke was. Thanks to Dr. Jurken, my college Biology class was merely review, while many others were learning the information for the first time. Thanks to Mr. Wyer, I was able to get more out of

Beowulf than my classmates were. I could go on, but I have a word limit!

The best part of my Brookfield Academy college preparation is that I can help others. Because I am able to succeed in my classes, I am also able to work as a tutor to help students who have not had the same educational background. The teachers at Brookfield Academy taught me how to write papers, solve problems, and analyze poetry, so now I am able to help others do the same.

The incredible academic preparation, along with the work ethic and life skills that my BA teachers instilled in me and in every other student at Brookfield Academy, is invaluable. No student who graduates from BA can possibly say "Thank you" enough to our amazing teachers and to our parents for choosing the best possible option for our education.

Rose Mueller '08

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!

Solsrud Receives Marquette University Alumni Award

Dr. Robert E. Solsrud, Grad '73, Grad '03

Congratulations to Brookfield Academy Head of School Dr. Bob Solsrud who recently received the Educational Policy and Leadership Achievement Award from Marquette University. The following announcement is on the Marquette University website:

Achievement Award - Dr. Robert E. Solsrud, Grad '73, Grad '03

Dr. Bob Solsrud has been on a mission — an educational mission for more than 40 years. As head of school at Brookfield Academy since 1993, he also has taught, coached and been athletic director. Along the way, he developed a real commitment to independent education, which he says, "provides the freedom to define a mission and pursue it with unbridled energy and enthusiasm."

Bob credits his Marquette education with giving him the leadership skills and virtues necessary to enhance the educational climate and culture at Brookfield Academy.
Along with helping ensure the educational success of pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students, Bob set his sights on an even bigger goal: the largest capital campaign in Brookfield Academy history. Despite the troubling economy, a 110,000-square-foot Upper School for 320 students just opened.

Others are taking notice of the academy's success, too. The Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce and BizTimes Milwaukee last year recognized it as a Top-10 Small Business.
Bob's personal mission in life — which he says is "living a life reflective of God's goodness and mercy and using my God-given talents to the best of my ability" — takes him beyond his educational efforts. He is engaged in his community, where he visits nursing homes for Bible study, helps with his church's food pantry and coaches middle school basketball.

A Semester at Sea - An Experience for a Lifetime

Katie Kohls '07 spent the fall semester in the Semester at Sea program through the University of Virginia. For four months, Katie traveled the world on a ship, attending class on board and disembarking for adventures at many different ports of call. During her journey, Katie was one of three students chosen from the more than 650 students on the trip to write a blog which was posted on the Semester at Sea website. On one of her adventures, Katie spent a week in Ghana. A portion of one of her posts from this part of her journey is re-blogged below. To read more about Katie's adventures at sea, visit her blog at http://kjo-adventure.blogspot.com/

Ghana: Befriending Locals in a New Habitat

The third morning came early with the timely sunrise. Since Ghana is so close to the equator, the sun rises and falls year round at almost exactly six o’clock. At sunrise, I was on a bus headed to Kyebi, a town on the slopes of the Atewa Mountain Range. Our bus stopped three hours later on the side of a dirt road. Looking out my window I saw a green mountain shrouded in low clouds and there appeared to be nothing but thick jungle on the other side. We were lead through the density to a village opening. It was a picturesque reality of poverty.

My team and I set to work, continuing the brick laying work that preceded us. These clay bricks had been molded in wooden frames and laid to dry. We made mortar, by combining concrete sand with water and mixing with a shovel. Alternating the brick pattern for fortitude, we worked quickly to spackle before our mortar dried.

Our other job was to fill a ditch with dirt so that it could be walked over. But where’s the dirt? Spencer was handed a large pick and was shown the answer. Create the dirt. So he swung away at the land and I shoveled the dirt five feet to the left to fill the ditch. Manual labor in Ghana is hot, not attractive but blazing… literally. Randomly, our Ghanaian supervisor started a brush fire in the area directly between the house and me. Random fires I found through the many bus rides are actually quite frequent. There is much garbage, but who is going to come to this jungle village and come get it? So here and many other places they just light the garbage on fire- no big deal. Careful where you throw your trash.

We sat in the shade and ate lunch that the village people provided for us. Missy and I laughed at the nonchalant fashion that chickens, baby goats, and children ran around the area. We decided to pass on the chicken dish. After lunch a local boy stopped me asked to see some of the pictures I had on my camera. He laughed when he saw a picture of himself. I wondered if this was the first time he had seen one. He was delighted when I allowed him to play photographer. All of his friends came out and posed for him. He directed them and gave them props. It was fun to watch and even more fun to look through his artwork alongside him.

In the end we had only added a few layers of brick and done odd jobs, but it was a nice to think we contributed to someone’s home. Wow, how my definition of what a home can be has changed.

I Am Free!

"Liberty" is more than the name of a campus building for Elfie and Ned Gallun, long-time supporters of Brookfield Academy. It is a tangible concept that makes even the air smell sweetly different.

As a teenager in 1951, Elfie Gallun made an incredible and courageous journey from communist East Germany to the free West. To this day, she and her husband, Ned, do not take personal or political liberty for granted.

Ned and Elfie have embraced Brookfield Academy for its philosophical focus on the precious, priceless, and perishable nature of freedom. Their son, Martin, graduated from BA in 1988, and Ned served on the Board of Directors from 1986-1988. Over the years, the Galluns have continued to generously support the school. To recognize their exceptional commitment to the ideals of Brookfield Academy, an informative display honoring Elfie Gallun's escape to freedom has been installed in the Liberty Hall foyer.

This educational exhibit uses pictures and narrative to tell the story of Elfie's remarkable journey during World War II and the years following from Danzig, Poland to the United States of America, where she was awestruck by her first sight of the Statue of Liberty.

Read Elfie Gallun's full story in the upcoming issue of Knights Notes.