Dear Brown School Family,

As we approach the last week of school, it's time to bid farewell to another incredible academic year. It's been a journey filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable memories. We wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation and wish you all a fantastic summer ahead!

To the parents, we extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support throughout the year. Your dedication and involvement in your child's education have made a significant impact on their progress and achievements. From attending parent-teacher meetings to assisting with homework, you have been the guiding light for your children. Your love, encouragement, and countless sacrifices have shaped their success, and we are truly grateful.

To the students, you have shown immense resilience and determination, especially during these challenging times. Your commitment to learning, adapting to new circumstances, and overcoming obstacles has been truly inspiring. We have witnessed your growth, not only academically but also in character, as you have embraced new challenges and pursued your passions. Your accomplishments, big or small, have filled our classrooms with pride.

Now, as the summer break arrives, we encourage you all to take this time to recharge, rejuvenate, and explore new horizons. Use these weeks to indulge in activities that bring you joy and allow you to unwind. Whether it's spending quality time with loved ones, embarking on adventures, or pursuing hobbies, let this summer be a celebration of your achievements and a time to create cherished memories.

Remember, learning is not confined to the walls of a classroom. Embrace the world as your classroom and seek knowledge in every experience. Explore new books, visit museums, engage in community service, or simply find solace in nature. Let curiosity be your guide and never stop discovering.

To the parents, we encourage you to continue nurturing your child's thirst for knowledge beyond the classroom. Engage in meaningful conversations, encourage their creativity, and provide opportunities for growth. Embrace the precious moments of togetherness and cherish the laughter and joy that summer brings.

As we bid adieu for now, we want to express our deepest gratitude for being a part of this wonderful school community. We are immensely proud of each and every one of you. Remember, the bonds we have formed and the lessons we have learned will forever be cherished.

May your summer be filled with endless laughter, sunshine, and beautiful memories. Stay safe, embrace the warmth of the season, and return in the fall, rejuvenated and ready for new adventures.

Love,

Dr. Angela

By Senior Alex Diakov

As Taylor Swift once said, “Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you.” This has certainly been a tumultuous 4 years, but hey, we made it. It's crazy to think that at 2:40 today the bell rings for the last time and we leave this place saying goodbye to so many people and memories. We screamed at the top of our lungs at basketball games and pep rallies, awkwardly shuffled with a friend or significant other at dances, and even worked together on the arguably unnecessary (but so worth it) mock election. But when thinking back on a specific experience that really relates to this class’ journey through high school, my mind immediately is drawn to Tremont. 

Nestled in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, our class embarked on hikes, saw a waterfall and  the stars, played games together, laughed together, and learned about the biodiversity of the area. Even though this trip was so long ago, many of us still cherish the memories made and believe it to be a defining moment for the class. But when thinking back on this trip, I realize we can relate the sights and symbols we saw to our unique journey through high school.

Seeing a waterfall was definitely a highlight of the trip. Waterfalls are constantly moving swiftly, with new water replacing the water that had just fallen. Many of us didn’t realize how fast we were moving through high school, but more importantly how fast we were growing up. While it may have gone by quickly, the growth we had was beautiful. We all grew in ways we could have never imagined especially during the pandemic.  This seemed to be a low point for many of us, so I don’t want to dwell on it for long, but it is part of our journey and it is important to acknowledge these low moments because often it leads to more growth. It offered many of us the confidence to find ourselves and start ignoring the judgment around us. Waterfalls grow larger by eroding the soft rock around where the water is flowing and our class will continue to keep growing and persevere, as strong as the water flowing from a waterfall.

Meteor showers do not tend to be common, and some of us got the chance to witness this rare event at Tremont. Some believe that if you wish upon a shooting star, you will receive what you wished for. Many of us, even at the start of this year, joked about how we hoped and wished it was graduation, eager to go on our divergent paths into the future. Little did we know, sitting here now, so many of us are afraid to leave. We are all stars in our own way and I know that those who have helped us get here, teachers, parents, guardians, and friends have helped give us the tools and strength we need to keep going, and move on. These people will always be here for you, so don’t be afraid to ask for help; it makes you no less strong. Additionally, the moments and memories we shared as a class are rare, just like a meteor shower, so we need to make a promise right now to each other to never take a single moment for granted. This is the last year of being in this high school as a class, laughing in our hallways on the way to APUSH, crying about an essay (thanks AP research), smiling at the silly antics in the lunchroom, and walking on the parking garage during class. We are forced to say goodbye to the people and routine we have formed here over the past four years, but I have no doubt this class will continue to be successful.

There’s some games that many of us know such as Song Association. We played this common game at Tremont in teams, all around a campfire. For those who may not know how the game works, you are basically given a word, and you and your team have to sing a long lyric with that word in it. My team won the first round and we got the luxury of picking the next word. We pick the word love. Now in hindsight, this was an awful choice because I’ll bet all of you could think of at least 10 songs with this word, so fatefully we never finished this game. I think it’s fitting that we never finished this game; this action represents moving on to the next chapter of our life. When thinking about the word we ended on, and a common word used in Song Association, love, I think about the connections we made with each other over the past four years. Many of us truly have forged lifelong connections, people who we truly can say we love. Watching all of you throughout the past four years I have seen all the talents and love you possess. Mark my words: this class is going to be successful because I think we hold the key to really making it, and that's the ability to bond with a group of people so much that you learn to just be your genuine self, which, in my opinion, is where we are all able to be our best. When faced with challenges, it may be tempting to fall back or quit, but never forget to challenge yourself because this class is going to do big things. Our class has always been able to laugh or smile with each other, even when facing unspoken hardships and difficulties

We don’t entirely know what's next, but we have a foundation of people and support systems we have built over the last four years that can help carry us through to the next phase of our life. They helped us grow up. And even though we grew up, full of laughs, tears, dreams, and disappointments, we still have so much more growing to do. Thank you specifically to our guardians, family, administrators, counselors, and teachers who always ensured we felt safe and always offered us an outlet whenever we needed it regardless of if it was school related or life related. You all helped us throughout this journey of high school and our lives. You had us reading picture books when we were young, then chapter books, and now we are moving on to the next chapter of our lives, turning another page: moving on. Senior class, next I want you to look around. We need to thank each other and ourselves. Often I find we do not give ourselves enough credit for what we have done, but even when we don’t we always have a friend ready to lift us up. Know that we are in this together as we jump into the next phase of our lives and when faced with adversity, do not back down because the people in this class have ALWAYS found a way to persevere and reach their goals. To the class of 2023, peace out.