Art Club | Chess Club | The Drama Club | En Avant | Environmental Club
Grytte Newspaper | Grytte Yearbook | The Investment Club | The Key Society
The Lit | Mock Trial | Model United Nations | The Multicultural Club | The Music Club
La Pantera | Upper and Middle School Student Councils | Community Service
Art Club
This club is offered for boys who wish to further enhance their art experience at Browning. The students work on group projects that are created to enhance the Browning community. They are also encouraged to work on individual projects where they can explore techniques, subjects, or media not normally introduced in the planned art curriculum.Chess Club
The Browning Chess Club meets twice a week to introduce boys to the challenges and complexities of the game. Open to Lower, Middle, and Upper School boys, Chess Club is taught by professionals. Players of all proficiency levels are encouraged to join, and beginning players are warmly welcomed. Interschool tournaments occur about once a month. At the end of the year, Browning boys participate in the national Elementary Chess Championships. Please contact Christina Beem at 212-933-0443 for further information.The Drama Club
The Drama Club provides boys in Forms II through VI a chance to play an active role in Browning’s drama program. This club is not only for students who enjoy acting in plays, but also for those who enjoy working behind the scenes or who would like to play in the orchestra/band of a musical. Activities include the production of a small spring show as a complement to the Middle School’s fall term Shakespeare play and the Upper School’s main production in the winter. Members are expected to support Browning dramatics and represent the school by participating in various Interschool productions. Boys have historically participated in plays at Brearley, Chapin, Hewitt, Marymount, Nightingale-Bamford, and Sacred Heart.En Avant
Published once a year, En Avant is Browning’s award-winning French language newspaper. Working on En Avant gives Upper School boys the opportunity to participate in all aspects of putting together a newspaper, including planning and writing, layout and editing, proofreading, and photography. The newspaper is written in French and provides a forum for the exploration of French culture, politics, and ideas.Environmental Club
The purpose of the Environmental Club is to promote the importance of conservation and sustainability. Education of the Lower School is a goal, and the members visit classrooms and discuss environmental issues, such as recycling. Members are expected to help plan and participate in schoolwide fund-raising events and science-related field trips. As a group, members choose issues to research and support through conservation groups and by lobbying public officials.Grytte (Newspaper)
Now entering its 105th year, the Grytte offers Middle and Upper School students the opportunity to participate in all aspects of newspaper production, including planning and writing, layout and editing, proofreading, and photography. The paper provides school news, feature sections, editorials, surveys, and articles on alumni, faculty, parents, and students. Students are encouraged to add their creativity and special talents to this publication that documents school life. All students are welcome to participate and membership remains open throughout the year.Grytte (Yearbook)
Each year the yearbook staff produces a commemorative book to illustrate the many facets of student life at the Browning School. The book includes class portraits, candid pictures, sports and club shots, and photos depicting the activities that take place at Browning throughout the year. Members of the club are responsible for every aspect of the publication of the book, from concept and design to photography, page layout, and computer graphics.The Investment Club
The Investment Club meets once a week to learn about and discuss issues related to the world of investing. Boys participate in a stock market game; look at investment information, both on paper and on the Internet; visit places of interest to investors; invite guest speakers; discuss the vocabulary unique to investing; and participate in any other investment-related activities the members of the club suggest.The Key Society
The Browning Key Society is the school’s service organization. Key Society members serve as hosts, ambassadors, and tour guides throughout the year. Assisting at special functions on and off campus and giving tours to prospective applicants and their families, boys have an opportunity to represent Browning at its best. Applications to the Society are solicited from boys in the spring of their Form IV year. Boys at the end of their Form V year who are not currently members and would like to be considered for membership may also apply. Applications are submitted to the Director of Middle and Upper School Admissions and the Head of Upper School, who select the new members of the Society. Boys are informed of decisions in the spring, and new members of the Society are formally inducted at Prize Day each year.The Lit
The Lit is Browning’s literary magazine. Edited by students, it is a platform for recognizing the wide range of literary styles explored by the students in the Lower, Middle, and Upper schools. Recently The Lit has begun to incorporate student artwork and expand the possibilities for experimentation with desktop publishing. Through Interschool, Browning also participates in the publication of Independent Voices magazine and public performances of student poetry.Mock Trial
Mock Trial is a team activity that allows students to learn what it is like to be a lawyer and a witness in a real trial. During the winter trimester, the team meets regularly to prepare a case, materials for which (affidavits, evidence, case law) are compiled by the New York State Bar Association. Between December and March, students learn the roles of lawyers and witnesses on both sides of the case, prosecution and defense. In the end, the Browning team competes with over 100 other teams from New York City schools in the federal courthouse. A professional attorney presides over the case and renders a verdict at its conclusion. This extracurricular activity is excellent for those boys who wish to learn about the law and are willing to put in the time to prepare well.Model United Nations
Model U.N. is a simulation of the United Nations in New York City. Its purpose is to encourage young people to gain an interest in and a mastery of current affairs and international relations; to enable them to understand and empathize with the viewpoint of countries and cultures far distant, in some cases, from their own; and to promote self-confidence, esteem, and personal maturity through a mastery of the techniques of formal debate. Browning delegates prepare to represent a selected country at the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference at the University of Pennsylvania. It is open to boys primarily in Forms IV to VI, although boys who show a particular aptitude in Form III may also apply to join the Browning delegation. Model U.N. is a marvelous activity for students of high academic standing with an excellent grasp of current affairs and an active interest in politics, as well as a passionate concern about the political, economic, and social issues which face the world in the 21st century.The Multicultural Club
According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary, “Multi” means “ . . . consisting, affecting many . . . more than two . . . many times more than . . . .” Therefore, the goal of the Multicultural Club is to include as many cultures of the Browning community as are represented in the school, and to share cultural backgrounds and differences in order to enrich each other’s lives and become more tolerant. Boys in Forms I through VI are encouraged to join.The Music Club
The Browning Music Club meets weekly to provide an opportunity for instrumentalists of all levels to gather and play in a casual group environment for enjoyment and for the improvement of musical skills. Each term a few songs are chosen for performance at school assemblies.La Pantera
La Pantera, Browning’s Spanish-language newspaper, is published once a year. Most articles are written by students, although a few are written by school faculty. The magazine allows students of all ages to share their personal insights, reporting, and short stories. Students benefit from the publication by reading other students’ works in Spanish, thus improving their reading comprehension and ability to interpret all types of commentary. The magazine is in its fifth year of publication.Peer Tutoring
In the spirit of service to the Browning community, Peer Tutors provide support to other students in all academic areas. Peer Tutors arrange regular meeting times with the boys they help. In addition, the Peer Tutors meet as a group once every two weeks. Peer Tutors must be approved by a faculty member who has taught the student in the subject he wishes to tutor. Applications for Peer Tutoring may be submitted throughout the year to the Learning Specialist for the Middle and Upper School.
Upper and Middle School Student Councils
Each year two students from Grade Five through Form VI are elected by their classmates to serve on either the Middle or the Upper School student councils. The councils meet separately with the respective faculty advisor on a regular basis to discuss service projects, social events, and matters pertaining to school policy. This is an exciting way for boys interested in both service and political action to test their leadership mettle.Community Service
Keeping in mind the school ethos of good character, honesty, courtesy, sensitivity to others, and service to the community, Browning students are encouraged to perform community service. Opportunities are available through the Division Heads.
Recent student-directed initiatives have included tsunami relief efforts, a water collection drive for the people of Honduras who suffered the devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch; Thanksgiving food drives; and the New York Cares Coat Drive before the winter break in December. The Environmental Club sponsored a “penny harvest,” the proceeds from which were used to preserve rain forest acreage. In addition, the Joint Schools Activities Committee spearheaded its annual toy drive and holiday party for victims of domestic violence as well as a dance to raise money for flood victims in Mozambique.
In school, boys willingly give their time to assist in Lower School classrooms, the library, and the art studios as well as at the New Parents Dinner, the Holiday Party, the Holiday Program, the Book Fair and Bazaar, and the Benefit.
Beyond Browning’s walls, boys have distinguished themselves for their service with the Central Park Conservancy; Lenox Hill Hospital; and Rockefeller University, assisting in the laboratory of a world-renowned biochemist.
We are very proud that the service performed by the boys is entirely voluntary. Browning maintains a culture of giving in which boys understand their responsibilities to the communities which nurture them. Only with senior projects, our special three-week program for Form VI boys (see page 95), is there a requirement that boys contribute of themselves to an organization of their choosing. Senior Projects require a substantial commitment on the part of the boys. This rewarding and enriching experience symbolically caps a Browning boy’s career. Recent projects have included bird watching on Gull Island; teaching internships at various alma maters; soliciting sites for Safe Haven; and interning with a judge, a doctor, a research scientist, a nonprofit organization, a New York City assemblyman, and a veterinarian.
