Community

We begin each morning with assembly. Here, our youngest students begin to sense and appreciate that they are part of a larger community, and our older student demonstrate their responsibility for that same community. Here, school spirit brings 600+ students to their feet. Here we celebrate our individual and community accomplishments. Here, our students perform the classic composers, share their original rock music, speak to issues that concern them, and make us laugh. Assembly is our common denominator.

Family-style lunch is another way in which our community is cemented. We have three lunch periods, one for 7th and 8th grades, one for 9th and 10th grades, and one for 11th and 12th grades. Teachers join students for a sit-down hot meal (although our food service also provides lots of other options!). This structured pause in our day facilitates students, especially new ones, getting to know other classmates and faculty.

Our campus — its size, its architecture, its feel — reflects our preference for simplicity and informality. This is not, however, at the expense of state-of-the-art facilities that undergo constant improvement to meet the needs and talents of our students, faculty, and coaches.

A group of parents founded Burroughs, and ever since parents have played an integral role in the life of our school. A full calendar of student performances, parent meetings, and athletic contests provides the opportunity for parents/guardians to develop relationships with their children’s teachers, principals, coaches, counselors, friends, and friends’ parents. Communication between school and home is a priority and is facilitated via the head’s and principals’ open-door policies, an advisory system which kicks in from the get-go, formal and informal reporting from classroom faculty, and a personal counseling department

For those who are interested in broader involvement, volunteer opportunities abound within the context of an active Parents Council, which sponsors student, parent, and community events, provides a variety of services and raises funds for the school. Unlike most independent schools, our parents also hold a majority of the seats on the school’s governing body, the Board of Trustees, which manages the school’s finances and facilities and sets policy with the head of school.