Thrive here,
then everywhere

Luke Smolan '26 will carry something significant with him to college next year: a scholarship that represents not just financial support, but a legacy of belief in what students can do when given the opportunity.

Smolan has been named the next Brewster recipient of the Curvey Scholarship at Villanova University, joining a growing group of Bobcats who have walked that path before him. He will follow Levi Brekke '22, Rylee Rizzitano '24, and Randall Preston '25, who are currently enrolled at Villanova as Curvey Scholars.

"I want to show my appreciation for this scholarship by making the most of this opportunity both academically and personally," Luke says. "I plan to work hard and get involved in the Villanova community the same way I did at Brewster. It really is an unbelievable opportunity, and one that I cannot be more excited about."

The scholarship was established in 2019 by James C. Curvey, former longtime executive and Vice Chairman of Fidelity Investments and Trustee Emeritus at Brewster Academy. A Villanova alumnus himself, Mr. Curvey created the four-year, $15,000 scholarship out of a belief that Brewster and Villanova share something essential: a student-centered approach and a genuine commitment to community. He has watched that partnership deepen with each scholar selected, and he is now taking it further.

Beginning with the Class of 2027, Mr. Curvey is expanding the Villanova scholarship to support two Brewster students annually. He’s also increasing the award to $20,000 for each Villanova Curvey Scholar, current and future. It is a meaningful step forward for a program that has already changed the trajectory of five Brewster students' lives.

“The level of commitment and engagement that James Curvey has given to students and our communities is extraordinary,” says Lynne Palmer, the James C. Curvey Endowed Program Director. “Mr. Curvey cares deeply about making an impact on a meaningful level and continues to be actively involved in how this program can expand in value and service.”

The Villanova scholarship is one part of a broader relationship between Mr. Curvey and Brewster that stretches back years. In 2009, he established the Curvey Scholar Program for local students from the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, modeled after the Villanova program. It is the kind of community-rooted investment that distinguishes New Hampshire boarding schools committed to expanding access and opportunity beyond their campuses. To date, 46 students have participated. In 2017, the Curvey Family deepened that commitment further by creating a Fellowship opportunity, offering scholars a $10,000 stipend to travel across the United States and Canada, with the goal of pushing students beyond their comfort zones and into new experiences.

The numbers tell part of that story. Curvey Scholars have visited more than 30 states, explored 14 National Parks, summited mountains, and collectively logged over 49,000 miles by airplane, train, boat, and foot.

In 2021, Mr. Curvey's investment in Brewster took another meaningful form with the establishment of the James C. Curvey Endowed Staff Position, the first endowed staff position in Brewster's history.

Smolan, a senior prefect, will be the next to carry that legacy forward, heading to Villanova in the fall as the latest example of what this partnership between two schools and one committed supporter can make possible.

On a Sunday afternoon in the Grayson Student Center, students from two schools who had never met were suddenly trying to trade with each other without sharing a common language. It was awkward, a little confusing, and entirely the point.

That moment came during BAFA BAFA, a cultural simulation led by Helaine Wemple of Portsmouth High School, and it set the tone for what Connect 2 Change is all about. The annual event brought together students from Brewster Academy and Kingswood Regional High School for a full day built around inclusion, belonging, and the kind of conversations that do not always happen inside a classroom. It is also a reminder of what becomes possible when boarding schools in New Hampshire root themselves in their surrounding communities. For Brewster, that means looking across town to Kingswood, and building something with the neighbors right down the road.

This year's theme was Human First: Connection as a Catalyst for Change.

The day was led by Chris Brown, Brewster's Dean of Equity and Belonging, alongside faculty partner and World Languages Department Chair Margarita Proulx, who has helped shape the event from the start. Planning began nearly a year in advance, and by the time students arrived for check-in at 11:30, the work behind the scenes had already been months in the making.

"The most fulfilling part is seeing it all come together," Proulx said. "We planned, believe it or not, a year in advance, with just ideas. Seeing it come together, all of our ideas working and getting people's faces to light up because of something that you've brought into this event is my favorite part."

Following an opening performance by Hannah Ruegg ’26, Evelyn Hafner ’26, and Lily Finklea ’27, students moved through four workshop sessions spanning the afternoon. Topics ranged from Latin Dance and its history, to neurodiversity in the classroom, bias and assumptions, equity in athletics, the experience of being a third culture kid, Brewster's Civil Rights Interim, and an art session inspired by Van Gogh. Leading the way were Brewster students Miller Lowry '27, Emery Condon '27, Callie Pilkington '26, Kaia Duffy '27, and Audrina Crowell '28, Brewster faculty Melanie Fedorowicz, Corey Leach, and Cristina Salazar, and Kingswood presenter Adeline King.

For King, a student presenter from Kingswood, it was her first time presenting in a setting like this. "The only presentations I've ever done are five minutes in front of a class," she said. "There is a lot less pressure when everyone else is doing it." She also found connection in unexpected places. "During the first group activity I didn't really know the people in my group. But despite that, we teamed up for a specific purpose and were all equally confused, so I feel like we were able to bond really quickly."

The day closed with an Open Mic and reflection session before dinner, where Chris Brown turned the moment back to the students with a challenge: "Where does this go from here? You've come here, you had these experiences, you heard these stories. What do you do with that now? How do you take that back to your school, your homes, your friend groups?"

Proulx put the mission of the day simply. "It takes one person at a time to make the world a little bit more tolerable."

That work started on a Sunday in Wolfeboro. The rest is up to them.

--

See the full album of photos on Flickr.

Not every student gets to sit down face-to-face with an internationally published author who has sold more than 25,000 books. On a recent Friday night, a group of Brewster students did exactly that.

The group gathered in Kenison Library for a visit from Andrew Bridgeman, a published author and Ossipee, New Hampshire native who also happens to be the father of Brewster's own Athletics Operations Coordinator, Drew Bridgeman. The evening was organized by Director of Library Services Jen Dumont, who has built Brewster's Book Club into a small but dedicated community of students who read a new book together each month and bring genuine curiosity to every discussion. This month, the book was Fortunate Son, an FBI thriller and Bridgeman's debut novel.

That curiosity showed up in the questions they asked, ranging from decisions about structure and character building to the road to getting published. Bridgeman was struck by what he heard.

"What struck me was how engaged they were, and not just as readers," he said. "The questions they brought weren't from fans. They were in-depth, nuanced, and interesting. You could tell they weren't reading just for enjoyment; they were trying to understand the craft."

Mila Bahr '27 had set the tone early, opening the conversation with a question about how much of an author's emotional truth finds its way into their work. It was the kind of question that pushed the discussion beyond the page. "It was really interesting to hear about the thought process behind making a complex book, as well as the steps to getting published," she said.

The conversation moved through the mechanics of storytelling and into the more personal side of the writing process. Bridgeman was candid about his own path, including the many detours he took before publishing his first book. The students also received a rare treat that evening: a reading from his upcoming novel Noble Reckoning, not yet released, making them among the very first outside his family to hear it.

He also spoke about what writing has meant to him personally, and that resonated with the aspiring writers in the room. "Writing has been cathartic and healing for me," he said. "As somebody who got started writing late, it was genuinely heartening to see enthusiasm for writing coming from high schoolers. A lot of the students were working on their own material and trying to find their voice. In some ways I felt like I was among peers."

For Bahr, the conversation left something to carry forward. "I realized that as long as you have the passion, you can make something happen. It may take a few tries, but if you stick to it, it'll work out."

Not a bad takeaway for a Friday night in the library.