Brooks School’s annual Winter Term wrapped on January 31 with a symposium event that allowed students to show their families all the opportunities they explored, skills they learned and adventures they enjoyed during the month. And what a month it was!

Watch video from the Symposium in Brooks’ Instagram “Winter Term” highlights.

From January 6 through January 24, every Brooks student dove into a one-topic course of study from among 35 options. With class choices including “Innovations in Sustainability,” “Raku” pottery making, “Subversive Stitches: Activism and Service through Textile Art,” “Mindfulness” and “El Camino” (which challenged students to walk the 80-mile El Camino de Santiago in Spain), there was a wide variety of subjects to explore.

Seven students even created their own class, through the “Independent” option. One pursued piano composition, while other duos did a creative writing workshop, worked as teaching assistants at local schools and engaged in internships: one at a marketing firm, the other with a judge in the Boston Federal Courthouse.

See all the courses in the Winter Term catalog.
 

Check out photo albums from each class.

Many classes took daily field trips off campus and 11 included overnight travel. Destinations ranged from New York, New Orleans and Florida to Ireland and Spain.  

“The classes feel a little bit braver. Conversations feel a little bit deeper, and the community feels closer because we’re learning with each other in new ways,” Director of Theater Meghan Hill said about Winter Term.

“Winter Term 2026 was full of fully immersive experiences, with students and teachers working side by side, exploring new topics and passions,” said Director of Winter Term, Dean of Teaching and Learning Joanna McDonough.

“It’s always a favorite time on campus because we dive deeply and meaningfully into content and skills that we usually don't have time for. Winter Term deepens our connection to each other. Never again will students spend three weeks with the same group from Winter Term 2026. That's what makes it so special.”

New this year, course registration rolled out by class year, starting in September. “This allowed more students to enroll in top-choice classes during each round of the registration process,” said McDonough. By November 1, class rosters were confirmed and excitement kicked off.

“Time to Try Something New!” news story with reporting by students in the 2025 "Going Viral: Marketing Winter Term" class.

Whether a student was part of the “Guardians of the Sea” SCUBA class — during which all of the members earned their PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water certification on a trip in Bonaire — or “Mock Trial,” they learned something new, saw new places and likely made new friends along the way.  

“These weeks give us many more opportunities for community activities and a chance to connect with those around us,” Angela Fabbo ’27 shared in Chapel at the beginning of the program. “I think for most students, including myself, Winter Term is … one of my favorite parts of [school. It’s] such a perfect time to enjoy the best parts of being at Brooks.”

Learn more on our Winter Term page.