Brentwood Orientation Week

Something very out of the ordinary happens every Labour Day Weekend at Brentwood. For some strange reason, more than a hundred Brentwood students volunteer to return to school early and help the faculty and staff prepare to welcome the new students. While most of us are yearning for at least a few more sun drenched, lazy days of summer, Orientation Assistants arrive from all over the world to decorate and liven up the boarding houses for the arrival of the newbies. Orientation is an important aspect of all students experience at Brentwood and most of them will remember it for many years to come. On the Sunday of Orientation, the Student Executive Council arrives to take part in a dinner and planning session with Mr Patel, Ms Murtland and Mr Sullivan. On the Monday morning, they rise early to hike Cobble Hill and begin to bond as a group of leaders. The Orientation Assistants arrive later on Monday and the evening is capped off with a welcome back BBQ and evening preparations in the Houses. Tuesday is an incredibly busy day that begins early and ends late. New families and students begin driving through the gates as early as 8:30am to be greeted by students and staff who direct them to their boarding houses and their new home away from home. We all understand how this day can be intimidating and eventful, but the end goal is to welcome these students and families into their new Brentwood family. A new addition to the process this year were the House reveal videos that each new student received on the morning prior to their arrival at school. Feedback was very positive for this new touch in the process. The Orientation Week hits a high note on the Wednesday evening when the Houses arrive at the Foote Athletic Centre to take part in an evening of Fun & Games and bonding that strengthens the connections to the House culture for each new student. Tribal chants, colourful garb and the traditional game of “Huckle Buckle” are performed with enthusiasm and artistry as each competitive House looks to start the year off on a positive note. By Thursday evening, we are all together as a school. The returning students are back on campus and are programmed into their academic classes in preparation for a schedule of abbreviated classes on the first Friday back. After the dust settles on Orientation Week, we have on-boarded roughly 200 new students and took the first steps toward the beginning of another school year. I am always impressed by the amazing new students and also the incredible Orientation Assistants who give up the end of their summer vacation to volunteer their time to make the Brentwood experience a special one for our new student body.