Get a Hole-in-100 and Win!

Brookfield Academy, and the Davis-Law Memorial Golf Outing, are pleased to introduce the first ever Hole-in-100 Raffle! Win a one-week stay at the five diamond luxury Greenbrier Resort in Sulphur Springs, WV. One lucky winner will enjoy spectacular mountain views from a beautiful 2,600 square-foot Greenbrier Cottage with four bedrooms that sleep eight. The three 18-hole championship golf courses are more than enough reason to lure golf aficionados to White Sulphur Springs. Only 100 tickets will be sold so your odds of winning are 1 in 100 or better! Ticket price is $100 each and you can buy more than one ticket.

The drawing will be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, August 24 at the Davis-Law Memorial Outing, Chenequa Country Club, Hartland, WI. Need not be present to win. For more information and to purchase your Hole-in-100 Raffle tickets, visit the Davis-Law Golf website and click on Hole-in-100 Raffle. Good luck!

$300,000 = $800,000

Is this new math?

No! It is real math and you can be part of the equation.

Patriots Hall is really starting to take shape. The project survived a harsh winter and is on schedule to open sometime in early 2010. While the Soar with the Stars...A Stellar Opportunity campus-wide capital campaign has raised more money, from more donors, and with more volunteers than any other fund-raising effort in school history, our work is not finished. Brookfield Academy has always been a back-to-basics school, and this is as basic as it gets:

• We have raised an incredible $11.7 million for the Soar with the Stars campaign


• We need $300,000 to reach $12 million, at which point a generous supporter will add $500,000


• This challenge match gift will be given only if we raise the remaining $300,000


• We cannot afford to let $500,000 walk away - so we need your help!

We are calling on all parents, alumni, alumni parents and grandparents to help finish this campaign. With everyone joining together, we can raise the remaining $300,000 and put the final star on this campaign. If you need persuading, contact Bob Solsrud and he will personally take you on a hard hat tour of Patriots Hall.

Be a part of the future at Brookfield Academy!

Business...As Usual!

While schools are generally portrayed as fairly inefficient and financially mismanaged, one particular school has recently been recognized as a "top ten small business" by the Waukesha Area Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Times of Milwaukee. That school is Brookfield Academy and it earned the award for its entrepreneurial spirit, its commitment to mission, and its ability to grow in a difficult economic climate. Especially impressed with the school's successful capital campaign activity, the panel that evaluated over 60 applications also appreciated the school's independent ethos and philosophy of freedom. Although BA is not a business in the traditional sense, like the other nine businesses recognized by the panel, BA is a professional organization with a commitment to quality. The school truly understands that competitive market forces greatly influence consumers and it knows that the only way to ensure success is through a commitment to excellence in program, people and facilities. To be a "top ten small business" is to validate the hard work and effort of all associated with Brookfield Academy, both past and present. Brookfield Academy thanks the Waukesha Area Chamber and the Biz Times for its recognition of the Academy's hard work and effort to be the best.

The award was presented to Dr. Solsrud on June 11 at a luncheon held at the Country Springs Hotel and Waterpark. Several alumni were in attendance and recognized at the event.

Tom Boyce, Doug Bayerlein '74, and Tim O'Malley '79

Sandy and Stew Davis '64

Evan Zeppos and Larry Pesch

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...."

Beam Me Up

With the Patriots Hall building project moving along at a rapid pace, the signed beam was recently lifted and placed in the southwest corner of the building. Over 800 people signed their name to the beam that was carefully lifted to its final location, where it will become part of the history of Patriots Hall. This was the last beam to be placed in Patriots Hall.

The building is really beginning to show progress. Although the rough winter put the construction schedule behind by almost three weeks, the builders have already made up all that time and are back on schedule. Walls are beginning to go up around the academic wing and the outer brick is being placed on the gymnasium. Blogger is amazed at how big the building is!

Be sure to check out the webcam for the latest look. BA Blogger recognizes Eggert Farm Productions for the photos of the beam placement.

Leaving A Mark

In a celebration of the future, BA students from Level A to Level 12, along with their teachers and staff, journeyed across the street to sign what will be the only beam in Patriots Hall, the new Upper School, not covered by bricks, dry wall or other building materials. Academy students, faculty and staff created a little history by signing their name and including some rather unique messages on one of the Patriots Hall 30' steel beams. And, of course, because this may be the only time BA students were allowed to write on school walls, over 800 people took full advantage of the opportunity! Throughout the course of the day students not only signed the beam, but were given an orientation on Patriots Hall. Despite the rather harsh winter, there has been great progress on the building project and students began to envision the location of the academic wing, the library, the student commons and the gymnasium. Students were especially surprised by the fact that the building will be double the size of the existing high school. When asked who could lift the 1200 pound steel beam, one student enthusiastically shouted "Chuck Norris" and all agreed that Chuck Norris was a worthy choice. "My mom," "my dad," "Superman and Superwoman," "Arnold Schwarzengger," and "me" were some of the other individuals presented as capable of lifting the large beam. Ironically, "Chuck Forklift" was not mentioned in the list of people capable of lifting the beam, but at the end of the day, this Chuck came and put the beam inside the job site. It is scheduled to be placed in the building sometime before spring break.
With the signing of the beam, students leave an indelible mark on their school and one that will live on far beyond their years at the Academy. When they return to visit campus, one suspects they will inevitably visit the beam and remember the day they left their mark on BA.
This was one of many activities planned to engage the students in the Patriots Hall building project. It is an exciting time for BA and the goal is for all to feel a part of the excitement. From the looks of the many smiling faces, putting their stamp on the future certainly accomplished that goal. To see pictures of each class signing the beam on this historical day, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/brookfieldacademy/sets/72157615033436960/ or watch live action of the day's events in this short video.