Seven Myths about Independent Schools 

Adapted from the National Association of Independent Schools:

In the world according to Gossip Girl, everyone knows that independent schools are full of rich, snobby, drug-addicted prepsters; and those are just the parents! Myths about independent schools are alive and well, recycled in media old and new, and we welcome this opportunity to tell the truth about these myths as they relate to Brookstone School.

Myth #1

Brookstone is a school for the rich kids.
While Brookstone, like other private schools, has a number of families with two professional parents, we also have a number of single parent families and some in which parents are working two jobs in order to give their children the best possible education. Brookstone also has a number of middle to upper middle class families who find a way to afford a quality education for their children, seeing it as the best investment they can make in their children's future, whatever the cost and sacrifice. The common thread among Brookstone families is that they place a high value on the education of their children.

Myth #2

Brookstone is not the real world.
Unlike the real world, Brookstone is safe, structured, and teaches and reinforces value. In this way, Brookstone is counter-cultural to the real world. However, Brookstone students are extraordinarily well prepared for the real world- for college, the workplace, and for life. Recently, an Education Longitudinal Study from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showed that private school graduates in disproportionate numbers earn college and graduate degrees, report high career satisfaction, vote and engage in civic activities, and generally contribute to make the real world a better place. Brookstone alumni are in all parts of the world doing great things at work and in their communities.

The truth of the matter is this: Every one of us is dealing with things in our own life. We struggle. Our goal is to teach our students to put others before self and always be aware of the struggles others may be going through.  We mentor.  We have relationships with children at Fox Elementary and have exchanges with children in Africa. We study other people. We guide. And we counsel. We open our kids’ eyes to see those around them and give them a sense of empathy for others, with the ultimate goal of putting others before self. We hope that they will see others and put others before themselves – ultimately hoping that this becomes “the real world.”

Myth #3

Brookstone is not affordable.
Private schools such as Brookstone are expensive but not unaffordable. It is expensive to hire the best teachers, maintain small classes, and provide a full-range of sports, arts programs, and activities. And at Brookstone, we expect all of our students to participate, unlike public schools in which only the top athletes and artists are served.  We give those opportunities here at Brookstone. We want all of our students and parents to be involved.  Therefore, we seek a wide spectrum of students and families.

Brookstone offers need-based financial aid, which discounts the “sticker price" for a significant number of families so that they can afford to send their children to a high quality school. Do not be afraid due to “sticker shock.”  Approximately 20% of the students at Brookstone receive financial assistance. Financial aid is computed according to a formula that takes into account a number of things like the number of people in the family, assets and liabilities, the amount of taxes paid, and payments being made to other tuition-charging institutions. Families of relatively high income often qualify for some financial aid.

When you consider spending money on education, you will have to ask yourself: Is it worth it? Ask yourself - Can I put a price-tag on teachers and coaches investing themselves in my child’s life? Is there a price for the effect of excellent mentoring for our children? Teaching them character as well as academics? Brookstone teachers and coaches invest themselves daily in our students’ lives. The relationships built at this school are priceless and enduring.

Myth #4

Private schools like Brookstone are snobby and have cliques.
This is a common misperception that is totally dispelled by a visit to the school. We hope that you will find that we are an educational institution focused on character. We value the heart as much as the head. This sense of community pervades every aspect of who we are as a school and is the main value that our alumni take from the school. 

You may think that all Brookstone students have been friends all their lives and/or all their parents are friends. This is simply not true. We add students at every grade level, and the diversity of the program and the student body makes it impossible for students and families to remain sheltered and comfortable in a separate community. Furthermore, our parents don’t want that. Our new families are so quickly absorbed into the Brookstone community that it is difficult to tell who is new and who has been here since the beginning.

We constantly introduce new students, new friends, and new parents to the community so that all of us are meeting new people and building new relationships on our journey through the school with our children.

Families who have transferred to Brookstone, even from other private schools, frequently comment on the genuine friendliness and kindness of our faculty, staff, students, and families. While a number of our students have gone to school together since preschool, they love new classmates and making new friends.

Myth #5

Brookstone  lacks diversity.
Brookstone values an inclusive and diverse environment. All of our students benefit from being part of a diverse environment and understanding and appreciating the differences and similarities among friends from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. The comfort that Brookstone students have with diversity serves them very well once they leave for college and in the workplace after college. Our student body is made up of approximately 20% students of color in the upper school and 13% in the school overall. We draw students from areas all across Columbus, outside of Columbus, and from other counties in Georgia and Alabama.

Myth #6

Brookstone has an alcohol and drug problem.
We do more at Brookstone in terms of drug and alcohol education than any other school in the city. Do some of our students struggle with the influences that pervade society? Yes. But, so do students who attend any school, whether it is public or private, in the nation. 

If we think that there is a place in any school, in any church, or in any community where students are not confronted with the issues of drug and alcohol use then we are being foolish. 

The key is education and arm our children with the knowledge they need to fight against the influences that they face in our society. We do that. We also make clear in every forum that here at Brookstone we firmly stand against the use of drugs and alcohol.  Does this mean that all our families and children are perfect? Not at all. None of us is perfect. But, we do not close our eyes to the issues. We deal with them and handle them in a serious manner. 

You can be assured that a clear and consistent message of the at-risk behavior of drug and alcohol use is something that is dangerous to the goals we desire:  the development of the mind, body, and spirit of the child.

Myth #7

Brookstone is only for really smart kids.
Really smart kids do graduate from Brookstone, but not all of our students come to Brookstone that way. Because of talented teachers who have high expectations and a school culture that encourages students to work hard, Brookstone is able to help good students become better students and great students become excellent students.   Our teachers stay after class all across the school to hold "tutorials" for any students who need additional help or want to review for tests. In the upper and middle schools, activities are not allowed to begin until extra help is over.

It is cool to be smart at Brookstone, and motivated students who work hard can enjoy great success.

We hope that you will find this attempt to debunk these myths helpful as you proceed through the admissions process at Brookstone School.

Brookstone Mother of Four Talks About Brookstone

Why I love Brookstone  

I have a long history with Brookstone School.  I have been a student, a graduate and now, a parent. I have seen the school through multiple lenses and over the course of decades.  And since I have two Upper School students, one Middle School student and a kindergartener, I get to see how Brookstone works from top to bottom and in between.  And I love every part of it.

I’m not alone.  My kids love school.  They love their friends and they love their teachers and I’m not just saying that.  As we were all gathered in the kitchen last night doing homework, one of them piped up about how much he enjoys all of his classes.  No one asked him this - he simply volunteered this information.  He said he’d been nervous at the start of the year, but now he honestly enjoys them.  Enjoys them.  Wow.  That’s saying something.

There’s also something pretty cool about hearing my boys talk to each other about school.  To overhear one say to the other - Oh, you will love that class – you should definitely take that next year.  Or, He is such an awesome teacher and y’all will really do some cool things in there.  Hearing comments like that make a mom’s heart full.  High school can be difficult, and some days are easier than others, but my kids love it.  They really do.

And I don’t think that just happens naturally.  The faculty and administration do an amazing job at making these kids feel like one big community – like a family.  The freshman retreat, Link Crew, and the grade chairs – these are designed to build bonds among our kids and to remind them that they are being looked after.  We should never take these things for granted because other schools simply don’t have them.

The middle school is no different.  And middle school is HARD - some would say harder than high school!  But when you walk through those halls – there is joy and laughter and a sense of camaraderie amongst the students and the faculty that I KNOW wasn’t there when I was in middle school.  My kids feel safe.  And when my 7^th grader comes home and I ask him how his day was, and he says, Awesome – well, that’s simply remarkable.  Even if he can’t (or won’t :) elaborate further, that one word is all I needed to hear.  Awesome, indeed.

Then there is my big kindergartener - who has such an enthusiasm for school that it is surely contagious.  He bounds into school and bounds back into the car and he is always grinning ear to ear.  What more could you want!?  And the new uniforms?  He calls those his “special costumes.”  Love it.

But before you jump to the conclusion that Brookstone is my only school experience, let me assure you it’s not.

My children have attended private school, public school, Christian school, Catholic school and Montessori school.  We’ve pretty much done it all.  I’ve seen and experienced first hand a variety of schools in size, style and demographic.  And let me tell you, there is no place I would rather be than Brookstone.  I am so very grateful for what it has meant in my life and in the lives of my children.  I just can’t say it enough.

Community doesn’t just exist everywhere.  Kids don’t automatically feel comfortable or safe at school.  Parents often don’t know each other and certainly don’t know all the other kids.  Teachers don’t communicate with parents as a matter of practice.  Coaches don’t often have any involvement with their athletes off of the playing field.  These things matter.  And they are part of what make Brookstone different and so very special.

No school is perfect.  We know that.  No school experience is without its bumps in the road, rough spots or personality conflicts.  That is part of life.  But I am grateful to be at a school where I truly feel every teacher and administrator is FOR my kids and FOR my family.  That is a unique and wonderful thing and we should not take it for granted. 

So thank you, Brookstone.  Thank you for all you built into my husband and me as students and thank you for what you are building into our children now.  Thank you for the memories and friendships that have lasted through generations and for the amazing new families you bring into our lives each year.  Thank you for being visionary enough to change, but holding fast to things that have made you strong.  Thank you for teaching us that we lead as we serve.

Thank you, Brookstone.

And since it is the height of football season, perhaps it is only fitting to end with a cheer!  Do you recall these words shouted on the sidelines for years and years?  Maybe even saying them will conjure up a specific memory of who was with you at the time…what the uniforms looked like…what sounds were going on around you.  Just think about it…

I said, it’s great to be a Brookstone Cougar!  Yes, it’s great to be a Brookstone Cougar! 

Well, it is indeed.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.