Looking Forward, Looking Back

17 January 2012Rachael K

Janus, a Roman deity, was responsible for the safe passage of humans over thresholds. Doors, exits, entrances, and gates alike were all carefully monitored by this two faced figure, with one of his faces looking forward, the other looking back. The month of January, named in honour of Janus, is the representation of this fresh start and changeover. From the Brentwood perspective, I believe the passage from 2011 into 2012 has kept Janus busy.  

The changing of the year bears more significance than merely tacking a new calendar up on one’s wall, or creating a New Year’s resolution. The first month of the new year is a sort of limbo; the potential for fresh ideas is strong, but one’s psyche is still influenced by the occurrences of the past. After this initial month, however, the new year is generally known to be a time to look forward, to anticipate exciting, upcoming events. 

2012 brings a slew of finishing touches to Brentwood’s new Global Studies and Visual Arts Center. The addition of this new building on campus has caused quite the buzz among students and faculty members alike, because of its unique design (the Brentwood wave), its technological upgrades, and its resume of eco-credentials. Brentwood students know that they will soon be learning in a brand new facility, a modern structure which has taken time, effort, and, I’m sure, oodles of philanthropic dollar to complete. 

Students from other corners of the world are, unfortunately, not as blessed as we are to have such spectacular learning resources. 

During the summer of 2011, I was fortunate to travel to Central America for a three week, student volunteer program. My task? To teach rudimentary English, lead arts and crafts projects, and kick around a ball during recess with a large group of incredibly happy, elementary school children (many of whom beat my high school volunteer peers pretty badly at soccer, almost embarrassingly so). My group’s main goal, however, was to help build/refurbish two local school houses in the area of Liberia, Costa Rica. 

Schools that, honestly, don’t resemble Brentwood’s new building at all. 

While the new Global Studies and Visual Arts Centre is being completed by the skillful hands of trained professionals, the buildings I was working on in Costa Rica were framed by, quite frankly, inexperienced students. The school buildings had, at most, three rooms, which collectively housed all the local children from grades one through six. Having just one sink, one bathroom, one computer, and minimal lighting, the schools lacked many of the amenities Brentwood automatically adds to its facilities. 

Even though they lacked some of the techno-toys Brentwood has, however, the students in Costa Rica still felt like the luckiest people in the world as we worked away on their classrooms. They were greatly appreciative and excited to know that, in their new school year, they would be able to go to their new three room school house every day. This definitely put the Brentwood campus life into perspective for me. 

The parallel excitement between both the Costa Rican children and Brentwood students to learn in a new environment provides a link between our two schools. While the framework of the facilities may vary, the mutual anticipation towards new work in academics, arts, and sports is a passion shared by both groups.
 
Janus can look back through the door of 2011 and see the foundation of both Brentwood and Costa Rica’s new school house being laid. 

Now, Brentwood’s structure stands almost complete, its exterior framework standing proudly on its own. The school house in Costa Rica was almost completely finished when I left at the end of the summer. 

In 2012, we will all have something to look forward to. A little perspective often shows us our blessings, and how fortune can pop up in the most unexpected of places; maybe in the form of new tools, buildings, or even the absence of early morning construction noise. 

Students, wherever they are, have different accommodations to help them center their learning. Overall, however, no matter what building you place a child in, the learning itself will, at the end of the day, be the school’s most important contribution. 

Rachael K