This school year the key to life at BB&N has been flexibility in routines, traditions, and schedules. Such flexibility was front and center in the two days that Project Adventure recently facilitated team-building activities with the Class of 2024 at the Upper School that typically took place during Bivouac.

It was shark week at BB&N for seniors in Terry Cox's Marine Geology Cass before March Break. All semester, students have been learning about the history of the ocean floor and different marine species. So far they had dissected clams and squid. Then came the dogfish shark.

If it's the first two weeks of March and you come upon nattily dressed students rehearsing emphatic speeches in isolated corners, then you know it's time for the annual rite of pre-Spring-Break passage, the Sophomore Debates.

Upper School Students Aanika Patel '21 and Daniel Wang '22 attended the Round Square International Conference (RSIC) in Indore, India in 2019. Not only were they inspired by the vibrant, global discussions that they had along every step of the way, they also thought it was important to bring the experience back home.

In early December, Bradford Kimball '24 became the first BB&N student to win the National History Bee, which was delayed six months this year and held online due to COVID.

Students in the production of OR21, a retelling of the Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, worked hard all fall under more than challenging circumstances that included rehearsing while practicing social distancing and braving long shoots during cold weather.

In a year that has witnessed dramatic and challenging social upheaval, BB&N’s annual MLK Luncheon felt more prescient than ever this winter as more than 200 community members gathered virtually to celebrate the day that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

BB&N continues to prioritize the health and safety of our community, and to that end a partnership between BB&N Dining Services and a local food non-profit is making a difference for those in need. In response to concerns about excess food waste surrounding school lunches, a new program is turning unused meals into vital resources for the food insecure.

Science teacher Michael Chapman stands before an iPad mounted on a tripod and speaks to his four Honors Chemistry students doing today’s lab remotely—three at home and one, an on-campus senior, who Zooms in to this class of junior-cohort students. 

"Only two brief paragraphs are devoted to Frederick Douglass's encounter with abolitionists in his new career as a public speaker for the cause of abolition," says English teacher Sarah Getchell to her AP English 11 class. "We've talked about this as a rhetorical text, intended to persuade its readers. Why, from a rhetorical standpoint, would he choose to end his Narrative as he does?" 

Utilizing virtual platforms, masks, and social distancing, BB&N’s student musicians persevered this winter to bring the sounds of the season to life through a series of wonderful performances.

Considering their options for the 2020–2021 play season from mid-lockdown last April, theater teacher and director Ross MacDonald, along with his colleagues scenery and lighting designer Eugene Warner and costume designer Louise Brown, ticked through the many pandemic-imposed restrictions.