A Dream Come True

If you think watching the ball drop in Times Square is the best way to start the new year, you should have been at Brookfield Academy on Monday, Jan. 4 when everyone was having a ball celebrating the opening of the new Upper School, Patriots Hall.

Upper School students - genuinely excited to return from a two-week vacation - met in Freedom Hall for a final assembly.

Then they took a brisk, ceremonial walk to their new home in Patriots Hall, passing between throngs of Lower and Middle School students waving American flags and cheering them on.

Upon entering Patriots Hall, students experienced their first assembly in the new field house.

Bob Solsrud, Head of School, welcomed them by sharing some impressive facts about the amazing new Upper School facility:

* At 110,000 square feet, Patriots Hall is double the size of Freedom Hall
* More than 1,000 donors contributed to the capital campaign that funded the construction
* The campaign raised $12.5 million, plus another $2.5 million in estate gifts
* More than 250 volunteers gave of their time and effort to serve on committees and to solicit gifts

Most importantly, Dr. Solsrud told the students, Patriots Hall symbolizes the goodness and determination of the human spirit, accomplishing this worthwhile endeavor for others regardless of the sacrifices involved. What is clearly evident, more than a beautiful building, is the enthusiastic and committed philanthropic spirit that made this dream a reality.

What a glorious way to begin 2010.

Happy New Year!

You can find more photos from this historic event on Brookfield Academy's Flickr account.

Blair Witch BA Style

Not long ago, some BA students went searching for library books. What started out as an innocent search for books turned into a night they will never forget. While the whereabouts of the kids remains a mystery, the following video was recently discovered at the exact location of the new Patriots Hall library....





When Patriots Hall construction is finished and building transitions take place, there will be four libraries on campus that will need to be filled with plenty of age-appropriate books, resource materials, furniture and storage systems. This was the need presented during the "Raise the Paddle" portion of the Live Auction at last weekend's Dinner Auction. A group of Upper School students made this short video to help convince donors to raise their paddles high It certainly did scare the donors into action as they contributed over $85,000 to the libraries! And, happily, a search party found the students in the Beyer Construction trailer, going over building blueprints with Patriots Hall Project Manager Leonard.

Project Manager Leonard

Auction Action

With the Patriots Hall building project generating genuine excitement, the BA community again demonstrated its generosity by making the 2009 Dinner Auction an unbelievably successful night. The 250 attendees enjoyed a terrific evening of fun and camaraderie while never losing sight of the fact that the evening was designed to generate support for the campus-wide needs that Patriots Hall will create. Held for the first time at the Pfister Hotel, this year's theme, "Under Construction," truly captured the buzz that is surrounding Brookfield Academy.
Some of the highlights of the evening included an appearance by one of the world famous Milwaukee Brewer racing sausages, the unveiling of two videos: the student-produced Patriots Hall Library project video and Peter Eggert’s always excellent “Thanks, Mom and Dad!” video, not to mention an astounding $87,000 in "Raise the Paddle" for BA libraries.

The night culminated with a dance where guests truly showed that they are better bidders than they are dancers. There is no truth to the rumor that BA is going to replace the auction with a "Dancing with the Stars-type" event. Some of the revelers took "cutting a rug" a bit too literally. Fortunately there were no broken bones and all made it home safe.

When people ask how Brookfield Academy can continue to put together such an extraordinary auction, the answer is quite simple. The role played by our volunteers in organizing and executing this event is unequivocally the most important reason for its success. Led by co-chairs Amy Strong and Judi Balistreri, the volunteers are responsible for every facet of the event and they leave no stone unturned. Blogger joins with the rest of the BA community in thanking the co-chairs and the volunteer staff for their selfless effort. Not surprising, Blogger has heard that the volunteers are already busy planning the 2010 Dinner Auction, but strongly suggests they take a well-earned few days of vacation.

Blogger also thanks the many student volunteers who provide essential assistance to the auction.

Blogger and the students thank all who attended Under Construction for their enthusiastic support of Brookfield Academy. As Dr. Solsrud said in his opening remarks, "It doesn't get much better than this...."