This letter written on 1/22/2004 by Headmaster Rob Peterson provides information on current community service activities at BCD:

I will be leading a group of BCD2S students to Haiti in March where we will plant over 1,000 mango trees and help teach English to young children in the central plateau of Haiti, approximately 40 miles from the capital city of Port au Prince. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I previously ventured to Haiti in 1987 and was so moved by the people and the country that I welcomed the opportunity to take 2S students there for a service project. I will use Kidder's book with the students in the weeks ahead to prepare them for the experience.

While making plans to take BCD students to Haiti to serve others, I have reflected on other elements of community service at BCD. A significant part of the mission statement of our school calls for us to teach our students the value of "responsive and responsible citizenship." This is particularly important in the Berkshires where we can be isolated from the realities of the state, nation and world. Many of us choose to live in this bucolic setting to avoid the harried and harsh existence that is inherent in city life. It is important, though, that we allow our youngsters to learn about the world beyond their immediate lives so that a narrow focus or self-centered path does not absorb their daily lives. BCD does a wonderful job instilling the value of service in its students. Parents set an outstanding example of this in the countless volunteer efforts and hours they give to the school to make it a better place for everyone. There are the twenty-five members of the Board of Trustees and the fourteen parents on the Steering Committee of the Parents' Association who quietly commit their time, work and wisdom to ensuring the long-term health of the school. Parents also serve as "class parents," volunteer to chair or work on committees to organize dances, auctions and tag sales, drive on field trips, cut oranges for athletic games, serve special class lunches, help with book fairs and the list goes on. There is even a parent who shows up at 11:40 each day to help Lower School students organize activities at recess.

Students at BCD at every grade level participate in a wide variety of community service functions that help the local environs and help instill an ethic of service that we hope is lifelong. These activities are coordinated by teachers or parents and have certainly helped to craft a culture of service at BCD. Sixth grade students organize the paper and bottle-recycling program for the school. Lower, Middle, Upper and 2S students and parents all rallied this fall to raise money for the Sonsini family that is faced with the struggle of a life as three year old Eric battles neuroblastoma. Through weekly bake sales and generous gifts, the school raised $6,500 for the family. UNICEF is another cause that students focus on during the fall. The Middle and Secondary schools organize highly successful food drives near the holidays. The Parents' Association each year raises the consciousness of the community with its Holiday Gift Giving Program that provides gifts for Berkshire families in dire need of help to provide cheer for their children.

Every Thursday evening a team of students from Brook Farm heads to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Pittsfield to serve the homeless a hot meal. Veteran teacher Marcia Jones has coordinated this life-changing experience for BCD students for the past ten-plus years. Janie Goldenberg's 2S art students join forces with other area high schools to decorate the storefronts in Great Barrington at Halloween. Eighth graders participate in a clean-up day in Stockbridge, the school's host town. Last year the entire school community participated in a yearlong effort to educate school members and the greater Berkshire community about civil rights' activist and Great Barrington native son, W.E.B. Du Bois. Everyday students have jobs at lunch and snack to clean their rooms, tables and take out the trash. Some students have organized their own community service programs such as the Free Tibet Club at 2S. Lower Schoolers serve as peer readers for the younger Early Childhood students who learn so much from these role models. And our youngest students feed the birds all winter long and pick up litter to beautify our beloved BCD campus.

Yes, BCD does its share and more to make the community a better place, and our students are learning the value of reaching out and serving others. I want to thank the many teachers and parents who play a role in this important aspect of BCD life. It goes without saying that adults must strive to create empathetic children and develop tomorrow's leaders, and our modeling and support is critical in this process.