Millbrook School is a wonderful boarding school in Uupstate New York surrounded by woods, land, and small towns. The following are reasons why I love it so much and why I think it is the best boarding school upstate.
1. Drew Casertano, the Headmaster.
This man is the best Headmaster I have had and will ever have (I apologize if this offends anyone). Mr. Casertano takes the time to know every student, faculty, and staff and is dedicated to every aspect of the school, from classroom curriculums to lacrosse teams. He even dyed his hair blue once to show his school spirit. He is easy-going, amiable, friendly, dedicated, wise... the list can go on. All he wants is the best for everyone and so far he is doing a wonderful job.
Note: If you ask him if he knows what your name is (first, middle, or last) and he cannot figure it out, he gives you a cookie from his magical cookie jar.
The jar is full year round.
Another note: He does not age and neither does his hair. See proof below.
2. We are a tight-knit, friendly, and awesome community.
Not trying to brag but we are all pretty much best friends.
We love doing things together and as a team. You can find students and teachers having lunch together, hanging out in the common room talking about the latest music video or the coolest book they've ever read, or on the turf field playing another boarding school in the area and winning. There are so many events happening on campus all the time with the numerous clubs and organizations, sports teams, and art groups. For example, there's Winter Weekend, a weekend where dorms compete in numerous activities such as this bubble gum contest, where one must find a piece of gum in a plate of whipped cream and blow a bubble.
It gets pretty intense. But we keep competition friendly and, in the end, everyone's a winner. Am I right?
3. We make learning interactive and interesting (also known as fun).
Millbrook is diverse in its education. There are so many ways to learn and so many classes to explore. We have the basic Math, English, and History classes but we also have Forensics, Psychology, Constitutional Law, and many other courses. But what makes Millbrook very special is the unique learning experience students encounter in each class. For example, in Biology you can catch the students going marsh-mucking. Yes. I said marsh-mucking.
Millbrook has a beautiful marsh, surrounded by woods and land. One can usually catch students and teachers exploring the surrounding nature and applying it to classroom lessons.
There is also a zoo... with red pandas. And other animals, of course.
If it's not outside the classroom, there is still unique learning in the classroom. For example, we learn poetry by standing on chairs, which sounds weird but that's sophomore-me in the background with the tribal print dress and I still remember this day.
Interactive learning is extremely effective and Millbrook is not afraid to take advantage of it.
4. We appreciate and love the arts.
The art department gets better and better each year. Millbrook students love to explore their creativity and display it in different forms of art such as photography, ceramics, or dance. Everything is either showcased in halls, articles, galleries, projects, presentations, or performances. There are Arts Nights where the performance arts put together a concert to showcase projects. Students and teachers sing, dance, act, etc.
These nights are my favorite nights of the year and one of the many reasons I still visit Millbrook.
5. The professors.
The relationships student's make with the professors at the school are unique. Students can be found hanging out with teachers in the offices, at advisor dinners, during formal dinners on Thursdays, at sports events, and in the dorms. The professors are always there to help with anything. They are also the coolest people in the world. Just take a look.
I still maintain close connections with all of my teachers from Millbrook. They are the best.
6. The Campus
800-acres of beauty.
It's breathtaking.
This list goes on and on. I could keep going but my eyes hurt from staring a screen for too long and I've hit my word limit. If you want to experience Millbrook, apply and visit today! Here's their website.
