Tour de Brentwood

As I walk down the halls of the Ross Building, I start to notice something that happens at this time every year. It seems that at any given time around now, there is at least one family trailing behind Mr. Backer around the Brentwood campus. The parents are taking in the school with a calculated appraisal while the prospective students let their eyes caress the curves of the campus with glimmering eyes, thirsting to learn more.  I take particular joy in meeting these families as I fondly remember when I was a nervous, slightly confused, and rather excited ‘tourist’. Alex House was a labyrinth of white stucco and the Centre for Arts was just nearly finished.   I often wonder what I would tell a younger version of myself on a tour, or what I would ask myself now. It’s always a fun time when you are selected from a group of students to answer a touring family’s questions, though I must say, most prospective students ask the same questions.  Q: “What’s your favourite part about Brentwood?” A: The really close family atmosphere and supportive environment, Q: “Are the classes really hard?” A: They were definitely a step up, but the teachers are extremely supportive and if you are struggling, there is always extra help or peer tutoring. Q: Is it like Hogwarts? A: Are you kidding?! Yes, of course! We’ve got it down. It’s a bit scary how well we have it down honestly. Thankfully, in addition to the scariness of blurting out a seemingly pre-programmed response, that pre-programmed response happens to be vastly true. It’s easily understandable why a touring student may be slightly intimidated by the big buildings, uniforms, and general organized chaos that is Brentwood, but they shouldn’t. Fear not! In reality, Brentwood is a highly accepting and fun place to be. On my first day at Brentwood as a curious Grade 9, I was welcomed by an abundance of friendly orientation assistants. I soon found new friends and even got a Snowball date without trouble. My main advice to touring students and their families is to talk to current students. We will answer your questions honestly, promise. Brentwood is certainly unique, but it’s quite easy to fall into its routines. Counting down the days until Orientation 2015, Jaclyn C, Alex ‘16