School Life
Academics
Learning Spaces
Thoughtful growth makes Millbrook Better by Design, and over the past 25 years, Millbrook has completed over 25 new construction and renovation projects, all of which have improved the campus life and learning experience of Millbrook students. Read below to learn more about Millbrook's inspiring places to learn.
The Frederic C. Hamilton Math & Science Center (MASC)
Millbrook built a new math and science center in 2009. The building is 25,000 square feet and houses four science classrooms with attached labs: chemistry, biology, physics, and general sciences, with the appropriate prep and storage to support these labs. Advanced study areas are also included. The math department has five classrooms and spaces for academic support materials.
The school has a significant teaching collection of eggs, taxidermy, fossils, and the like which are prominently displayed within the halls. The building's location on the campus was carefully chosen for its proximity to the Trevor Zoo and the natural marshes on campus, which allow for academic lessons to easily expand beyond the walls of the building.
This building was designed with the goal of achieving the gold level of LEED certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), and the US Green Building Council awarded us this designation in 2010. We are proud to make a strong statement about one of the five cornerstones of our mission: stewardship of the environment.
Highlights
List of 5 items.
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Ground Coupled Heat Source
Ground coupled heat source for heating and cooling. Sixteen wells dug 495' into the ground provide a base temperature to the building to minimize heating and cooling requirements from other energy sources. -
Solar Heat
The curtain wall circulation areas function as passive solar heat collectors and reduce the need for heat in the winter. In summer, these areas are shaded either by solar trellises attached to the building or by shade trees. -
Natural Day Lighting
The curtain wall provides balanced light into the classrooms and labs so that for most of the school year the need to turn on the lights is minimal. Over 75% of the building’s occupied spaces receive natural light. Views to the outside have been proven to assist in the assimilation of academic material. -
Reduced Water Usage
Rain water from the roof is stored in the interior and used as grey water flushing of commodes and irrigation of the greenhouse. All other runoff is handled in a bio swale, returning the water to the ground water system on site. Further reduction in water usage is provided by low volume toilets and waterless urinals. -
Natural Shade
The existing access drive and parking area are in use. A small amount of additional parking has been provided. Both the existing and the new paving are shaded by trees, providing for a reduction of heat absorption.
Highlights
List of 5 items.
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Excellent Ventilation
Chimneys house ventilation stacks required by the hoods in the labs, and vents provide mechanically assisted ventilation to all the teaching spaces. This reduces the need for air conditioning. -
High Indoor Air Quality
The paints, adhesives, glues, and carpets are all specified for very low to zero off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCS). The mechanical system was protected during construction so that there was minimal construction debris caught in the system. The building was ventilated and tested prior to occupancy. -
Solar Hot Water
All of the hot water is heated by vacuum tube panels located on the western end of the south-facing roof. This system provides water up to 190 degrees F. -
Solar-Powered Electricity
Solar photovoltaic collectors run horizontally across the flat sections of the roof and provide a small amount of electricity used in the building or returned to the grid. -
Use of Recycled Materials
Reused, recycled, local and certified materials have been used throughout. For example, 25% of the wood comes from sustainably managed forests (FSC certified). The rest of the wood was locally sourced. The steel has a high recycled content. The concrete aggregate, linoleum flooring, and tiles made from glass all add to the beauty and sustainability of the building.
Holbrook Arts Center
The Holbrook Arts Center provides 34,000 square feet of exceptional arts facilities for Millbrook students and faculty. Eighty percent of Millbrook’s students take an art course each semester, from offerings such as aesthetics, beginning and advanced drawing and painting, ceramics, and photography to guitar, music appreciation, acting, and theater arts.
The center includes: the Chelsea Morrison Theater, the Warner Art Gallery, the Menken Performing Arts Wing, the Murray Photography Suite, the Murray Dance Studio, music and ensemble room, recording studio and practice rooms, drawing/painting and ceramic studios, large lecture room, and classrooms. Having all of these spaces under one roof encourages not only creativity but also collaboration across artistic disciplines.
The center includes: the Chelsea Morrison Theater, the Warner Art Gallery, the Menken Performing Arts Wing, the Murray Photography Suite, the Murray Dance Studio, music and ensemble room, recording studio and practice rooms, drawing/painting and ceramic studios, large lecture room, and classrooms. Having all of these spaces under one roof encourages not only creativity but also collaboration across artistic disciplines.
Schoolhouse
One of Millbrook's oldest buildings, Schoolhouse is the academic hub of the school and sits in the center of campus on the Flagler Memorial Quad. It is home to all of our academic administrators and the Head of School's Office, plus English, history, and world language classrooms and department offices. The Flagler Memorial Library, a quiet haven for studying or researching a paper, spans the two topmost levels of the building. The lower level was renovated in 2018, creating bright classroom spaces and meeting areas for group work, study sessions, and meetings, and the upper-level classrooms were renovated in 2023. Schoolhouse lobby opens up to a balcony with views of athletic fields and the campus landscape, and in between fall and spring classes, students often relax there or within the spacious inner lobby on the plush couches all year long.
Trevor Zoo
There is no other high school in the world where students can learn and have responsibility at an on-campus Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)–accredited zoo. Recognized as a leader in conservation education, Millbrook's Trevor Zoo is home to more than 180 exotic and indigenous animals. All IIIrd form students spend a semester working at the Trevor Zoo as part of their community service requirement, and students can choose to continue their service work at the zoo as IVth, Vth, and VIth formers. The Trevor Zoo is also a unique resource for scientific research, and many students use resources at the zoo to conduct their Independent Research projects. Classes including Environmental Science and Animal Behavior are also held at the Trevor Zoo in the Jono and Jane Meigs Education Building.
Outdoor Classrooms
The outdoor learning spaces on Millbrook's 800-acre campus are incredible, and here, students engage in scientific lessons from the ground to the treetops. Whether collecting specimens in the wetlands, making observations in the forests above Ski Hill, or studying an endangered species at the Trevor Zoo, science is truly hands-on, and the learning opportunities are truly unique. Our outdoor learning spaces are not only an extension of our classrooms, but they are unrivaled by other independent schools.
