Welcome to Renbrook, and welcome to our website. We hope you will use this resource to glean whatever information you need about us, whether you visit the site only once or on a daily basis. For those who are new to the concept of private school education, we hope you will call for an appointment or come by for a visit. Despite the convenience and accuracy of modern technology, schools are “people” places; there’s nothing like seeing children and teachers in action to give you an immediate sense of what life is like here on our campus.
Common Values: It's never easy to describe a place like Renbrook in a brief format. There is such variety here, such diversity of race, religion, cultural and socio-economic background—and we value the differences which our families bring to the school. On the other hand, there is remarkable conformity in regard to basic values; we all care about many of the same things. We care about hard work and high achievement. We are about treating others with respect and about service to the community. We care about honesty and truthfulness and responsibility. We care about initiative and perseverance, and about taking advantage of one’s opportunities. We also care about warmth and humor and fun. Learning should be fun!
Many Measures of Success: There are many opportunities at Renbrook to excel. Our middle school and ninth graders win awards every year in areas such as mathematics, foreign languages, and music—to name a few. Our record of secondary school placement is exemplary, boosting nearly 85% of our graduating ninth graders into their first-choice schools.
We are proud that each year a large proportion of our seventh graders are recognized by the Johns Hopkins Talent Search. Our athletic teams fill the trophy case in the front hall every year. And achievement doesn't occur only in Upper School. Our fourth and fifth graders, for example, produce average scores on the Stanford Achievement test which are above the 90th percentile. The list goes on.
In addition to these kinds of public recognition, we like to judge our school by qualitative criteria as well as by quantitative ones.
- How well can a student conceptualize a math problem?
- How skillfully can he or she argue a point in history class?
- How well can even a beginning reader go beyond literal understanding and infer meaning from a text?
- Can students speak fluently in the foreign language they are studying?
- Can they develop a topic in writing?
- Do ideas intrigue our young learners?
- Are they motivated to learn on their own, when a grade is not hanging in the balance? Can they learn from their mistakes?
A school is more than its classes, more than its curriculum, more than its buildings. A school represents attitudes and habits of mind which, when formed early, directly influence the intellectual and emotional and even the moral quality of one’s life as an adult.
At Renbrook we use the various disciplines and a multitude of teaching techniques to develop the habits and attitudes which will make such a difference later. The bottom line for us is not grades, but a child's ability to teach herself what she needs to know—and the ability to recognize and take advantage of opportunities wherever they are to be found. School, like life, should not be defined by numbers.
Our Community: I hope that from this website, even from a distance, you will feel the qualities I have mentioned. I hope the strong sense of community on which the school prides itself will come through this medium and will make you want to pay us a visit. Renbrook School is all about opening doors—literal doors and figurative doors. Our gates and courtyard are open, and our big front door swings open to greet all who enter. We are in the business of opening all sorts of doors for our students.
For those who are already part of the Renbrook family and who seek specific information about daily activities and events, I hope you will find this website well customized to your needs. I hope you will find this means of communication faster, immediate, and thorough as well. I hope that every electronic contact you make with us provides both accurate data and an accurate sense of the tone of the school where your children spend such a significant portion of their educational lives.
Joy to Share: And to our alums—may the messages and pictures on this site make you want to come back, remember, and relive your younger days. A visit to the campus will rekindle happy memories and reassure you that the spirit of the school you loved as a youngster still shines bright. The school's symbol, an armillary sphere, is after all a sundial; it uses the light of the sun to mark the passing hours. There is much light in the passing hours at Renbrook, and much joy to share—joy that one only finds among students of this age group. We are never too old or too sophisticated to cherish that special quality in this special place!
I look forward to welcoming you one and all!
Armistead Webster, Head, Renbrook School