Brookstone School - Be The One

In this episode of the Be the One Podcast , we are joined by Jason Branch, a proud Brookstone alumni, parent, and board member. Jason reflects on his personal journey through Brookstone, sharing how his experiences shaped who he is today. He also discusses how his children are thriving at Brookstone, highlighting the growth and opportunities they have encountered. Tune in to hear Jason’s vision fo...

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Ed Martin, Brookstone School's Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement. Ed shares his vision for the future of Brookstone, reflecting on the successes and challenges of his first year with the school. He also provides exciting insights into an upcoming capital campaign that promises to propel Brookstone to new heights. Whether you’re a cu...

Today, we are talking to the incoming Head of Upper School, Cindy Todt. Cindy has been at Brookstone in a variety of roles for more than a decade, including US Math teacher, Dean of Faculty, and head of Brookstone Summer Camp. She has seen Brookstone from a lot of different angles and we look forward to talking to her today as she begins this new undertaking.  If you are interested in having your...

Today, we are talking to two seniors Mary Kinnebrew and Olivia Raines from our Applied Leadership Class. Leadership is one of our Core Values here at Brookstone and it is so important to us that we have an entire class devoted to it. Mary and Olivia share with us some of the things they learn and do in class and then some special reflections on Brookstone as they look back over their senior year....

Today, we are talking to Lower School Counselor Haley Champion and College Counselor Jeremy Mack about College Board testing, timelines, and accommodations. This is a very niche episode, but one full of important information. If you are interested in having your child become a part of the Brookstone family, reach out to  Anne Parker,  our Director of Enrollment for more information or visit the Ad...

Today, we are talking to all three of our school counselors together in a wonderful round table discussion! We talked about all kinds of things related to our students - like how to establish and respect boundaries, how to navigate friendships and romantic relationships, why it is so important to keep talking to our kids, and more!  If you are interested in having your child become a part of the B...

Today, we have a very special guest for you, Coach Bob McKillop, legendary Davidson basketball coach and college coach of future NBA superstar, Steph Curry.  Coach McKillop boasts a remarkable career, highlighted by over 600 career wins, 23 conference championships, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, and an unforgettable elite 8 appearance. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee, he is recognized...

Today, we are talking to Pre-K teachers Abi Corcoran and Taylor Colwell. They are here to share with us all about the concept of Shared Journaling, which we incorporate into our Pre-K Classrooms. They even presented on Shared Journaling at the NAEYC Conference (National Association for the Education of Young Children) this past fall alongside Dr. Jan Burcham, Associate Dean for Education at CSU. ...

Today, we are so excited to welcome seniors Swift Branch and AK Jones, who are the leads in this year's Spring Musical - High School Musical! They are here to share with us all about the upcoming show, their love of theatre, and more. They are both incredibly talented, both on and off the stage, and you will NOT want to miss this show. Playing March 8th and 9th at 7:00 pm, and March 10th at 2:...

Today, we are talking to a special guest, Will Straughan, Founder and CEO of Soundcheck Prevention Network , an organization dedicated to substance misuse prevention. Will and his team have been on campus working with our Upper and Middle School students and holding meetings with parents. We are so grateful to partner with them and to have them here to help us navigate these waters, which always s...

Today, we are talking to Student Ambassador Prefects, Marjorie Bickerstaff and Anaya Johnson. I so enjoyed my conversation with them about all the things they love about Brookstone and about being an Ambassador. They do a fantastic job in that role, by the way, which you know if you've ever been given a tour by them!   If you are interested in your child becoming a part of the Brookstone famil...

Today, we are talking to Bonnie Smith, Asst. Head of School and Director of the Learning Center here at Brookstone. This episode focuses specifically on some of the terminology associated with the Learning Center that parents might have questions about, but if you have questions about the services the Learning Center offers, we invite you to listen to Bonnie's first podcast interview, is Episo...

Today, we are talking to Dr. John Harkey, Upper School English teacher, and our Page One Nominee for teacher of the year this year. John has been a basketball coach, is heavily involved in our Deliberate Life Program and has also recently written the screenplay for an actual movie - " Let Light Perpetual ," which debuted on the side of the Ponce Building in Atlanta this past fall.  If yo...

Today we have a special episode for you - the audio from our Positive Masculinity Panel held last month for our teenage boys. The title of the panel was Positive Masculinity in Action: Fostering conversations about character, healthy relationships, and respect. Over the course of the evening, the panel discussed such topics as, what is positive masculinity? How do we equip our boys to contribute t...

In today's episode, we are talking to Brookstone Alumni, Chris Woodruff. Chris is president of The Cotton Companies, a local real estate developer whose motto is "Cultivating Community Through Impactful and Compelling Real Estate Development." You will love hearing all about his vision for Columbus and the projects he's been involved in. He also has some really great nuggets of wisdom to share, so...

Today we are talking to Jeremy Mack from our College Counseling office. Jeremy, alongside Frances Berry, helps guide all of our students and parents through the college process. We are so grateful for all they do for our students and I can't wait for you to hear more. To learn more about how your child can become a part of the Brookstone family, reach out to  Anne Parker,  our Director of Enro...

Today, we are talking to Javonne Stewart, our Head of our Lower and Intermediate Schools. Javonne joined the Brookstone family in 2019 and has led our littlest learners through some difficult years - i.e. a global pandemic! But in addition to navigating COVID, we talk about the importance of our core values, how she ended up in education, and even the story behind how Forest Fridays began.  To lea...

Today we are talking to Jessica Wolff. Jessica is a member of the Class of 2003 is being honored as one of our Distinguished Alumni this year. Jessica works at the CDC as a Lead Health Scientist and Team Lead in CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention. She also serves as the Public Health Director of the Overdose Response Strategy, a national program that brings together public health and law enforc...

Today we are talking to Libba Dillon, Class of 2005, who is being honored as a Distinguished Alumni this year. Libba is an Interior Designer at Malone Office Environments, owner of Park Place Interiors, and co-owner of Fountain City Coffee. She is a busy woman indeed, making spaces beautiful all over this community!  While it is too late to join us at the Distinguished Alumni Dinner this year, rea...

Today, we are thrilled to welcome back to the podcast, our Head Boy and Girl Prefects, Madden Dismuke and Remi Miller. We talk about the Prefect system, how their senior year is going, what they are looking forward to and more!  To learn more about how your child can become a part of the Brookstone family, reach out to Anne Parker, our Director of Enrollment or visit the Admissions Tab on our webs...

Today, we are thrilled to welcome back to the podcast our Head of School, Henry Heil. Henry has been in his new role since July and we thought Fall Break was a great time to check in with him! We have been thrilled to have him here at Brookstone, as well as his sweet family. It's been a wonderful start to the school year and I know everyone will look forward to hearing from him on the "St...

We have a very special guest for today's episode, Judge Ben Land. Judge Land was in private practice for over two decades before being appointed to serve as a Superior Court Judge in 2018 and then to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2020 where he continues to serve today. He is the first of our three Distinguished Alumni being honored this year to be interviewed on the podcast and two others wi...

In today's episode, we are talking to Anne Parker, Our Director of Enrollment. Even though it feels like we have just started the 23-24 school year, Anne and her assistant Meg Baker are already working in the 24-25 school year and admissions season is in full swing. Applications are live now on our website! Go to brookstoneschool.org/admissions to learn more and to start the application proces...

In today's episode, we are talking to Meghan Blackmon, Director of Servant Leadership and the Blanchard Leadership Institute. We have just wrapped up the Lower School Week of Service and it's the perfect time for her to share with us all about Servant Leadership here at Brookstone and the heart behind it!  For those of you interested in learning more about service opportunities through our...