Community Day Celebrates Browning and the World!

Browning boys and faculty members participated in Community Day on December 18. Assistant Head of School, Laurie Gruhn explained, “Today, a new tradition was started at Browning! Building on the intraschool morning prior to Thanksgiving Break, boys and faculty members now have a full Community Day. It was a day to celebrate community, both in our school and beyond our walls. Starting with recognizing where we all come from, to coming together as a community, and then reaching out as a community, it was aptly called Community Day!”

Event coordinator and science teacher Dr. Betty Noel elaborated on the details, explaining that the first activity involved the boys adding a pin to a shared Google Map indicating where their family is from. Then during second period, the boys played traditional intraschool games, including board games, Pictionary, charades, etc. A scavenger hunt took place during third period (the iPad app, Klikaklu, was used by the boys who had to identify and photograph Browning items based on riddles), followed by a community lunch in the Cafeteria and Lower Gym. After lunch, the boys separated by division. The Lower and Middle School boys returned to their homerooms, while the Upper School boys helped set up for an assembly in the Lower Gym. The Lower School boys also made sandwiches for the local New York Common Pantry.

Videos were shown at all division levels. Lower School boys watched “Flyaway Home,” Middle School boys enjoyed “Time for School,” “and Upper School boys saw “Fruitvale Station,” a powerful and emotional film discussed by two special guest speakers.

“A lot of planning went into creating this day,” noted Dr. Noel. “Special thanks to our division heads Laurie Gruhn, Chris Dunham and Jim Reynolds.” Ms. Gruhn added, “As a community, we are incredibly grateful to the Diversity Committee (faculty members Giurissa Grace, Janet Lien, Sarah Murphy, Megan Ryan and Brett Wisniewski), as well as faculty members Rachel Gerber, Susan Kehoe, Susan Levine and Dan Ragsdale.”

Ms. Gruhn added, “We also recognize the enormous efforts of Melinda Aponte and her Cater to You crew, Ken Marshall and the maintenance staff, as well as the entire technology department who made the map and scavenger hunt possible. Most of all, applause goes to Ms. Noel, the overall event coordinator of this day, who oversaw every detail and logistic, from groups, to rooms, to the hunt, to the map, etc. It was simply fantastic, a special day, indeed. Well done, one and all!”