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I always admired the large classroom windows that framed a picturesque view of the outdoors. I often thought about how fortunate the students and teachers were to have such a beautiful view and natural light.  However, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the challenge of keeping the students focused when it snowed. I imagined the excitement of the little ones, knowing their sleds awaited them at recess. The echoes of their laughter and gleeful shouts will forever remain a cherished memory.

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I remember helping with my daughter's middle school volleyball teams when we first started at BT and then coaching my son's basketball teams in lower school. We spent lots of time in the Roberts Gym. Remembering the excitement on their faces as they began their athletic journey in the Robert Gym always brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. It could have been 110 degrees or 40, they didn't care. They just wanted to be in that gym playing.

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I will never forget that this was the place my boys started school. Where they learned to read books, made their first friends, got through hard days, and decided they loved school.

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As we embark on this exciting journey of our campus transformation, I reflect on Zehv's remarkable growth here at BT. From his shy kindergarten days to the confident, vibrant boy he is today—a child brimming with curiosity and enthusiasm! What an incredible journey.

We are continuously grateful for the caring teachers and vibrant community that have shaped his development. Memories of moments at the picnic table under the Lower School tree, chatting with fellow BT parents while we waited for dismissal are etched in our hearts.

As we bid farewell to the current Lower School facilities, I express appreciation for our memories and hopes for the future Lower School. May the new campus remain a place where our children are Known, Inspired, Challenged.

Zimbelman Family

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I remember when we had our first BT fun day and Dr.Gibbs got on zoom and announced that we’d have no school for the rest of the afternoon and everyone in my class jumped out of their seats in excitement. We were out of uniform so we knew something was up but we weren’t sure what. It was such a fun afternoon of treats and hanging out with friends. It was unforgettable.

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I will always remember the playground. Except the monkey bars.i don’t like those. I also remember the dead bird in the nature classroom. I also loved the walk in each morning with my mom to the lower door on Circle drive. And that’s all I want to say.

Jet Daugherty.

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We only had a year to enjoy the building and playground, but it was a year full of fun, friendships, and more.

Now, Maël and Léa can't wait to see the new building and make new fun experiences, and continue to learn.

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I will always remember my favorite Buckeye tree near the gaga pit. That tree made life pleasant with the shade it made. My class would always have a Buckeye rush when they fell from the Buckeye tree.

-Briar Rains

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I remember when I was little we found a squirrel and named chubby, he lived in the buckeye tree. I was fun to see him run around!

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It was heartbreaking to say good bye to the 15 trees we lost, especially the mighty Cottonwood and amazing Ash that provided so much learning opportunity, specimen collecting, insect observation, leaf, branch, trunk and twig discoveries and mostly beauty and love! We will miss them dearly, their magnificence and grace, their ever changing presence through the seasons and how they made us feel, but we look forward to the opportunity to plant more trees, to give future generations of children the experience to feel the joy that we had! ❤️

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Lower School at B-T is Where It All Started…

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Lower School at B-T is Where It All Started…

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…for us lifers, Nursery School through 12th Grade. Now we all are provided another opportunity to learn a crucial life lesson all over again — that change is the only constant, we must savor the small things and cherish those we love. I celebrate the continued evolution and adaptation of Brownell-Talbot, while looking back through the mists of time with a distinct and unique fondness that will be with me forever even though that hallowed hall is no more.

— David J Peebler, 1980

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Brownell-Talbot was where I began my teaching and coaching career in 1972, and the Roberts Gymnasium was where I taught my 1st class and coached my 1st Basketball game. This was the home of one of the most memorable basketball teams in the history of the School in 1980 (19-3).

Down the hall was where my future wife Patty taught Lower School Science. B-T has always been our home away from home and the Lower School wing and Gymnasium will have long lasting

memories for both of us.

Dave and Patty Brown

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I remember learning how to type through boxer shorts wrapped on keyboards in the lower school lab. I remember the library nearby: the height of the bookshelves, the greens and blues and browns of the furnishings, the nooks and crannies, and my first experiences playing Oregon Trail. The climbing ropes in the lower school gym. The boiler room under the gym and the storage area for old jerseys and football paraphernalia. The downstairs hallway where the musical cast would warmup for rehearsals. I remember hatching chicken eggs in Mrs. Petrulis class in the upstair hallways, not far from where my younger brother was learning how to read. Many a dream of mine will still be set in the halls of BT; I'm very grateful for my time there.

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So many of my formative Lower School memories circle back to the playground. Even if I don't visit BT again, I'll still miss that place.

I remember taking a running start to climb the tall, tall slides, that once-impossible challenge of my younger years. I remember climbing up the rolling slide, clinging to the roof and pedaling my legs as if I was on a treadmill. I don't think I've ever seen another rolling slide like that one; it felt like it was one-of-a-kind. I remember the swingset, swinging high enough to kick the evergreen branches, then jumping off and feeling the sting of my hands on the woodchips. I remember the little corner of the playground where we would play house, and climbing across the metal bridge between the rolling slide platform and the tall-slide tower.

I remember jumping out of from between the gaps in the bouncy-bridge railings to escape whoever was It during tag. I remember the JK days when we played Chase instead of Tag (which was just a weirdly gendered version of normal tag). The tall tower with the three slides that was our safe base when we played Crazy Polar Bear With Rabies in 3rd grade (the game KG invented, which was just tag but couldn't climb the tall-slide tower if you were it). I remember how people would climb the back of the ladder and reach their arms out to ambush the people inside when we played Tag. I remember how proud I was that I could jump from the tower to the ground and bypass the ladder entirely.

I remember the dirt patch between the swings and the basketball court that first-grade-me was convinced had dinosaur fossils (it didn't). I remember swinging upside-down and rightside-up on the pull-up bars, hanging upside down or standing atop them just to prove to myself that I could. I can feel the nervousness I felt the first time I sat on top of the circular monkey bars, achieving some intangible milestone of growing up that only existed on that playground. I can recall the summer when I found tunnels in the bushes by the classrooms, and crawled through them, and remembering that moment years later when I saw Totoro for the first time. I never went back to explore those tunnels after that summer, and I regret not doing so.

There was a tall tree by the parking lot that had a large hole at its base; we would stick our arms up the "cursed squirrel hole" and swear that we felt the squirrel scratching us. High up on the tree, there was a "button" under a flap on the bark that we would try to hit with rocks and sticks and wood chips. What did the button do, exactly? I don't quite remember anymore. It was such a grade-specific memory, but I don't remember which one. 2nd grade? 3rd grade? A year later, we no longer believed in the legend of the rabid (ghost?) squirrel in the cursed tree. We must've thought rabies was pretty funny back then.

I remember the how the ravine over the fence felt like a forbidden, wild forest filled with poison ivy (even though you could see the cars driving on the road on the other side). I remember seeing the cottonwood seeds float in from the other side of the fence during spring. I remember finding cicada shells, or even freshly molted cicadas when I was lucky, on the big tree by the picnic tables during summer camp. I remember putting on snow pants to play outside in the winter, and rolling down the grassy hill in the spring.

I remember how we returned from Camp Kitaki in 6th grade and somehow convinced the school to build a gaga ball pit. I remember walking along the plastic border of the playground with my arms oustretched, trying to keep my balance as I circled the entire playgound. We would start from the sandbox, because the double-border where the sandbox met the playground edge was easier to stand on.

(I'd almost forgotten that we had a sandbox)

(I hope I don't forget anything else)

I remember the aura of static electricity left on my skin from the plastic slides, and the feeling of painted metal railings under my skin. I remember the pinch of old metal chains on the swings, and the rubbery plastic coating that replaced them. I remember the chalky feeling of dust on the black platforms under our feet, the heat under our hands as we raced and climbed and leapt and swung.

BKS

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A defining moment in my life was when my daughter, Georgia Drew, walked into Tami Petrulis’s classroom for the first time. It was also her first day at BT. I knew immediately that my decision to bring Georgia to BT was the right decision as she and I both felt welcomed and at home. It was here my daughter was able to catch up and progress from a failed public school experience. We will be forever grateful. 🙏🏼💙💛

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Unforgettable memories of the old school building

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Unforgettable memories of the old school building

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I will miss my old lower school building. I have so many memories with my friends that I will always remember. I remember the time I was on the swing and I reached up high as the tree. I also remember that time when I won at the Gaga pit and the time I got up to the monkey bars and the tall sliding slide and the rolling slide. I will miss my classes, the hallways and all the fun we did. I will miss the time I played soccer with Dalton and Enzo and more Gaga then ever and that time we had Kona ice. I liked how the building had a stage where we performed and all the Halloween party and the shamrock disco! Miss you old building. You will always be in my heart.

Love,

Nirvaan Kc 🙏💕

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I was in high school at Brownell in the ‘50’s when the school was built. I recall toting books and papers from the old white building to the new school. We were happy to have such nice space, but also sad about saying goodbye to that old rambling wreck of a white building. I remember making a tile in Ms Meyers art room for the tile wall. I was thrilled to see it hung with the others from our classes on the entry way wall. I thoroughly enjoyed the individualized tour of the school on May 20, 2024. Thank you to the warm and courteous staff for that, and all you’ve done to make B T a great school. I’m eager to see the new building when it is completed. Your friend and alumnus, Marlene Rohrke Pantos, class of 1961.

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My Aunt painted this lovely picture from a photo of Chet walking into the old building for "Hopes and Dreams" day before 3-year preschool. Today, he "jumps into Middle School". Lot of good memories in there!

The Thompson-Knotts Family

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I remember the fist time I started playing on the playground, I was so caught up with everything I could do that I completely forgot about being scared. 2 yrs later it is where I became friends with one of my best friends then 3 years after that I became friends with my other best friends and the three of us have been inseparable since. I remember playing bumper cars on the swings, sea monster, groundies, walking the border, and cafe. I will never forget everything that happened on this playground but I am excited for the change.