News at Renbrook School | Top Private Schools for Academic Success

Renbrook School Celebrates Flight Day

5/30/2023

In recognition of our rich aviation history, Renbrook School recently held a day-long Flight Day celebration after a 3-year pandemic-induced hiatus. Flight Day is an annual all-school event that began in 2010 and joyously celebrates the deep connection between Renbrook School, the Frederick B. Rentschler family, and Pratt & Whitney.

Renbrook School Dedicates Hiking Trail to Retired Kindergarten Teacher, Steve Arnold

5/2/2023

Barbara Doyle

When Steve Arnold retired from Renbrook School in June of 2022, he left a legacy for students of all ages. During his 32 years of teaching, Mr. Arnold demonstrated his love of the outdoors and his commitment to outdoor teaching and learning in part through the miles of trails that he created on the Renbrook campus atop Avon Mountain.

Renbrook Students Shined on the Slopes this Year

4/10/2023

Several Renbrook students demonstrated exceptional skills and success in their ski programs this year, and we're so proud of their commitment, hard work, and accomplishments. It is a pleasure to share the good news about our students and their endeavors!

Renbrook Chess Team Wins Fifth at State Championships

3/29/2023

The Renbrook Chess Team has been hard at work this year, refining their skills, and it has clearly paid off.

Eighth-grader Savanna Singh featured on We-Ha.com

3/21/2023

Ronni Newton - Managing Editor - We-Ha.com

An eighth-grader at West Hartford’s Renbrook School is holding a jersey drive to benefit children in developing countries and also to help keep textiles out of landfills.

Renbrook School MATHCOUNTS Team Shines!

2/9/2023

Twelve Renbrook students in grades six through eight participated in the Hartford Chapter MATHCOUNTS competition on Saturday, February 4, 2023. There were 17 teams and 131 individuals from area public and private schools who competed in the event.

Dr. Kelly Bird presents at Independent School Management Conference

12/2/2022

Barbara Doyle

Five Ways to Make Your School Makerspace a Thriving Space of Belonging

Dr. Kelly Bird, Director of Renbrook Beginning School, joined Margaret Powers, founder of Creative Thinking Partners LLC, and ISM Consultant Joshua Nelson, as presenters in a webinar on makerspaces for Independent School Management this week.

Makerspaces are dedicated areas where students use hands-on techniques and tools to design, experiment, build, and invent. These spaces foster learning through inquiry and help develop students’ real-life, critical-thinking skills. But teachers often find it challenging to use their school’s makerspaces effectively and equitably. Dr. Bird and her colleagues discussed the value of makerspaces and how to ensure these specialized areas support student belonging and fruitful learning.

Key Points included:

Scheduling tips to promote collaboration and ways to create connections across subjects for interdisciplinary projects.
The benefits of designating a makerspace coordinator in each school division.
The importance of creating a scope and sequence for specific skills students can choose from.
The impact of the environment’s physical design on student interest and sense of belonging.
Concrete steps to build a shared commitment to learning through "making."

Dr. Bird received her Doctorate in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Her dissertation, MAKING Space: Teacher Perceptions of How

Participation and Choice are Mediated in Maker Education in Independent Schools has informed her important work here at Renbrook School and beyond.

Renbrook School Featured in West Hartford Lifestyle Magazine

11/7/2022

Renbrook School was recently featured in the November edition of West Hartford Lifestyle Magazine and Glastonbury Lifestyle Magazine. Head of School Matt Sigrist talks about our mission and the Renbrook difference. Our own Katie Jackson graces the cover with her woodworking students. Enjoy the full article here.

Maggie Doyne, Author and Philanthropist Visits Renbrook School

10/26/2022

Last week, Renbrook welcomed humanitarian and author, Maggie Doyne. Maggie is the founder and CEO of the BlinkNow Foundation that funds a children's home, health clinic, women's center, and K-12 school in Surkhet, Nepal. Maggie met with our Lower and Upper School students for a spirited and inspiring conversation about her life's work. She also joined us for an evening parent event to discuss her new book, Between the Mountain and the Sky: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, Healing, and Hope.

Eighth Grader Excels at Track & Field

6/8/2022

We are excited to celebrate eighth grader Chidi Moemeka for his amazing accomplishments in track recently, In the Spring of 2022, Chidi, along with his team at Capital City Track Club, competed in the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Nationals. Individually, Chidi won the National Championship in the 55 meter hurdles. Additionally, his relay team earned All American honors by placing fourth in the 4X200m.

The Pandemic Within the Pandemic: COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism

5/26/2022

Alana McDonough

During the month of May, we have celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in a variety of ways at Renbrook School. Students have read numerous books, presented at assemblies about AAPI influencers, shared personal stories, and completed projects.

Seventh grader Alana McDonough focused a recent “Key Convictions” project on hate and hate crimes directed at Asian Americans. Alana was inspired by the uptick in events due to COVID and its origins in China. Alana has written a thoughtful, important, and passionate paper, and her own Asian American heritage surely fueled that passion.

Enjoy Alana's paper here.

Shelley Grant '21 gives moving chapel talk

3/11/2022

Last month, Shelley Grant '21, a Renbrook alumna and current student at Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, delivered a chapel talk.

A chapel talk is a brief speech written by a student and delivered to their fellow students and faculty. Chapel talks focus on themes that are personally meaningful to the speaker; they are reflective and range from the moving to humorous to motivational.

In her moving chapel talk, Shelley tells her story as a Ghanaian American. She shares her love for poetry as both a bridge and an outlet and recites three of her original poems. You can watch Shelley's talk here.

Renbrook Student is Making His Mark in Caring for the Environment

2/22/2022

CJ Glooch is an eighth grader at Renbrook School and a budding environmentalist. CJ is part of the Trustee Scholar program at Renbrook and chose to make a difference in his community and in the world by doing something good for the planet. The Trustee Scholar Program is student-initiated service learning designed to fulfill an identified need within the school or the community while fostering personal growth and leadership for the student. Students in the Trustee Scholar Program must choose a project, make a proposal to the Board of Trustees, volunteer a minimum of 15 hours with the organization, and deliver a final presentation about what they learned from the project to their peers and the Board of Trustees.

Renbrook School featured in ESPN Video Honoring Teachers

12/14/2021

When the school year kicked off this fall, ESPN wanted to thank teachers for the incredible work they do and their commitment to students everywhere. Renbrook School is honored to be featured in this video celebrating the excellence of teachers everywhere. The video, narrated by Rece Davis of College GameDay, was featured on ESPN networks and we are proud to be a part of it.

Renbrook Sixth Grader Demonstrates Immense Talent in Irish Step Dance

12/7/2021

Renbrook sixth grader Balian Buttimer has been Irish Step Dancing since he was 4 years old. He made Preliminary Champion Level by age 8 and has been competing at a champion level in his age group since then. At normal Feis competitions, both boys and girls compete against one another in their age category. However, at larger competitions such as Regional Oireachtas, Nationals and Worlds, dancers only compete against their own gender, again in their age category.

Renbrook Sixth Grader Makes a Big Difference

11/30/2021

With her big heart, big smile, and big aspirations, sixth-grader Tommi Manafort has made quite a difference in the lives of several children with serious medical needs.

8th Grade Student Council Speech - Zaki Shamsi

11/23/2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. Here is the final video in showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel. We invite you to listen here as Zaki Shamsi presents his bid for Student Council President.

8th Grade Student Council Speech - CJ Glooch

11/16/2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as CJ Glooch presents his bid for Student Council President.

8th Grade Student Council Speech - Ari Peres

11/9/2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as Ari Peres presents his bid for Student Council President.

8th Grade Student Council Speech - Hadley Edwards

11/2/2021

Renbrook School strives to create great leaders in our students and we are so proud of the nine eighth-graders who stepped up to the podium recently to present their Student Council speeches to their Upper School peers. They were eloquent, thoughtful, and courageous as they presented their ideas and requested the support of their classmates. We are showcasing each of these nine speeches here in our News channel and invite you to listen here as Hadley Edwards presents her bid for Student Council President.

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