50p
First Month in Hope House
October 10th marks the one month anniversary since Hope House welcomed all 61 new and returning Hopelings through Brentwood’s gates and into our second home. This remarkable group of young women faced the daunting challenge of adjusting, in many cases, to a brand new school or re-adjusting to Brentwood life after having been away for more than six months, living in a bustling boarding house, and, of course, doing all of this in accordance with COVID mitigation guidelines. Fortunately, I am overjoyed to say that there is no group of people that I would rather face this challenge with.
Hope’s Assistant Houseparent, Mr DeSandoli, states that each year, some of the greatest difficulties of adjusting to life at Brentwood are not only “being away from family and friends, getting used to new and typically more rigorous routines” but also “realizing that all of those feelings are totally normal and most new students are feeling the same way”.
Hope’s wonderful staff and Grade 12s play a huge role in supporting new and returning Hope girls through this transition. Hannah W, ‘22 expressed huge gratitude to everyone, especially the 12s who made her “transition super easy and were very welcoming, since it is so difficult to be coming to a new school during COVID”.
Hannah found it “difficult to connect with new people outside of Hope House” due to the learning cohorts put in place by the COVID regulations, but “It was really easy to make great connections with fellow Hope girls”. These new rules have no doubt changed many aspects of the Brentwood experience. Despite that, Mr DeSandoli commends Hope House on the fact that “We have been able to be pretty normal in a time that is definitely not normal”.
Mr DeSandoli also notes that Hope House spirit and morale has remained as strong as ever, but “We really miss the Grade 9-11 day students being in the house and can't wait for them to be back”.
Some highlights of early Hope House enthusiasm include coming in 2nd place at the annual Interhouse Eco-Challenge and being the champions of Interhouse Cross-Country alongside our brother house, Privett. It is clear that the pink and blue are already a force to be reckoned with.
Another new Hopeling, Davey L, Hope ‘22 was happy to say that she “had not expected such a positive experience when coming to a new school, and everyone was incredibly welcoming. I always have someone to talk to”. It means the world for Hope’s Grade 12s and staff to hear such positive feedback from our new sisters and we have wholeheartedly enjoyed getting to know these amazing people.
I, along with the rest of Hope House, am incredibly grateful for an amazing first month back in Hope, and I look forward to the months to come.
Maddy W, Hope ‘21
Hope’s Assistant Houseparent, Mr DeSandoli, states that each year, some of the greatest difficulties of adjusting to life at Brentwood are not only “being away from family and friends, getting used to new and typically more rigorous routines” but also “realizing that all of those feelings are totally normal and most new students are feeling the same way”.
Hope’s wonderful staff and Grade 12s play a huge role in supporting new and returning Hope girls through this transition. Hannah W, ‘22 expressed huge gratitude to everyone, especially the 12s who made her “transition super easy and were very welcoming, since it is so difficult to be coming to a new school during COVID”.
Hannah found it “difficult to connect with new people outside of Hope House” due to the learning cohorts put in place by the COVID regulations, but “It was really easy to make great connections with fellow Hope girls”. These new rules have no doubt changed many aspects of the Brentwood experience. Despite that, Mr DeSandoli commends Hope House on the fact that “We have been able to be pretty normal in a time that is definitely not normal”.
Mr DeSandoli also notes that Hope House spirit and morale has remained as strong as ever, but “We really miss the Grade 9-11 day students being in the house and can't wait for them to be back”.
Some highlights of early Hope House enthusiasm include coming in 2nd place at the annual Interhouse Eco-Challenge and being the champions of Interhouse Cross-Country alongside our brother house, Privett. It is clear that the pink and blue are already a force to be reckoned with.
Another new Hopeling, Davey L, Hope ‘22 was happy to say that she “had not expected such a positive experience when coming to a new school, and everyone was incredibly welcoming. I always have someone to talk to”. It means the world for Hope’s Grade 12s and staff to hear such positive feedback from our new sisters and we have wholeheartedly enjoyed getting to know these amazing people.
I, along with the rest of Hope House, am incredibly grateful for an amazing first month back in Hope, and I look forward to the months to come.
Maddy W, Hope ‘21