The Brown School

This article is about the public school in Louisville, Kentucky. For other uses, see Brown School (disambiguation).

The J. Graham Brown School, or The Brown School as it's usually called, is a small public school located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It has approximately 700 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and attracts students (and teachers) from all over Louisville. It is a part of the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) system. The mission of the J. Graham Brown School is to recognize, respect, and foster the unique potential of each student in an informal environment which reflects the diversity of our community.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of this school is the "informal" and relaxed atmosphere. Students can call their teachers by their first names, and every Friday the principal escorts the seniors to lunch at Fourth Street Live, a nearby entertainment facility. The school's location facilitates numerous learning opportunities including attending on-site college classes, job shadowing, community service, and walking field trips. Some of the other unique features are extensive community interactions, cross-age groupings, and a highly diverse student population.

Brown School is the only school in JCPS to fully implement Springboard, the College Board's official Pre-Advanced Placement curriculum in both English language arts and mathematics classes, beginning in the sixth grade. All students in the school are enrolled in an "advanced-level" curriculum. All high school students are required to take Advanced Placement classes. Moreover, there are several dual-credit classes offered on campus, and many students walk to Jefferson Community and Technical College for additional tuition-free college courses.

Recognitions

Newsweek Magazine listed Brown as one of the "Best Schools in America" in both 2009 and 2010, placing them in the top 4% of schools nationwide. Furthermore, Brown was honored by U.S. News and World Report with a Bronze Medal Award in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Every year, Brown School places in the top three or four schools across the Commonwealth of Kentucky in both the ACT and the Kentucky Core Content Test. Brown High School was the state's top scorer in the 2009 CATS testing cycle.

Shared Values of the J. Graham Brown School Community

• An informal and nonthreatening environment of diversity will create an atmosphere of mutual respect in which students, parents and staff will work together.
• Each individual will be encouraged and allowed to freely yet responsibly express him/herself, confident that s/he will be accepted as capable and unique.
• Difference and diversity will act as bridges rather than barriers to communication.
• A healthy honest self-concept will promote in students a desire to learn more about self and the environment.
• Self-discipline will be nurtured as an essential part of the learning process.
• The adult community will maintain high expectations and respect for the achievement of each student's personal best.
• Creativity, innovation, and flexibility will be regarded as necessary elements of education by the entire community.
• Every individual will have a responsibility to contribute back to the greater natural and social community from his/her Brown School experience.

History

The school was founded in 1971, with classes first held in the Brown Hotel at Fourth Street and Broadway in downtown Louisville. Brown was the first "magnet school" in the JCPS district, and it enrolled students from all parts of Jefferson County. As the school grew, the neighboring Brown Building was rehabilitated to accommodate it. The lower nine of the ten-story Brown Building were ultimately used by the school for its first ten years of existence, before the school moved to its present location on S. First Street, south of Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

The founding director of J. Graham Brown School was Murray State University graduate Martha Ellison, who, during her earlier teaching career, was the English teacher of playwright Marsha Norman. Upon her retirement Ellison was succeeded by her longtime assistant director, Douglas Proctor. The Martha A. Ellison Peace Green, across First Street from the school, is named in her honor. The current principal of Brown School is Timothy R. Healy.

Notable alumni

• Diepiriye S. Kuku-Siemons, New Delhi based writer, researcher, activist
• Mac King, magician
• Brian McMahan, musician (Slint)
• Will Oldham, musician
• Britt Walford, musician (Slint)
• Rob Totten, Siam Riep based syndicated columnist and dot com millionaire
• Devin Theriot-Orr, Activist Attorney
• James Brandenburg, TV Sportscaster
• Elizabeth Lee, Adult Mental Health Activist, local not-for-profit leader
• Camara Douglas, Counselor and Street Activist
• Cortlandt Armstrong, United States Military Academy Graduate, Two-time Club National Saber Fencing Championship runner-up, and Engineer
• Dr. Anika N.Al-Shura, China based, Chinese/Western Medicine Physician
• Peter Searcy, musician

External links

• Official website
• JCPS profile
• thebrownschool.org — alumni information and directory
• The Brown School Orchestra
• JCPS Brown School Parental Involvement Site