Minuteman High School Student Anna Brooks of Belmont Achieves Her Goals and More

By Judy Bass

Ask Anna Brooks how she successfully juggles all her responsibilities in and out of the classroom, and she replies, “I don’t know how I do it.”

What is clear, however, is that Ms. Brooks, a Belmont resident in her senior year at Minuteman High School in Lexington, has a strong sense of priorities, truly enjoys what she does in school, and feels honored to have the opportunities that her hard work has brought her. In addition, she realizes that being at Minuteman has made a crucial difference in her life.

“At Belmont High,” Ms. Brooks said, “I wouldn’t have achieved 90 per cent of what I have done at Minuteman. I’ve grown as a person and made new friends I would never have had a chance to meet.”

She has accomplished far more than that, as well. In November, Ms. Brooks became the student representative to the Minuteman School Committee, a position that requires her to attend monthly Committee meetings and hold her own among adults. “I feel privileged and more mature” to be a part of it,” she said. “They talk to me like any other adult.”

Ms. Brooks’ School Committee duties are only one facet of what she does at Minuteman. She has been class secretary for three years, serves on the Student Council, is on the Principal’s Committee, has been a student ambassador for three years, is the Minuteman representative to the Greater Boston Student Advisory Council, plays basketball and softball, and works on the yearbook.

Ms. Brooks is in Minuteman’s Culinary Arts program and intends to continue her education at North Shore Community College in Danvers after she graduates from high school in June 2017. She hopes to earn an associate’s degree in alcohol and substance abuse counseling.

Reflecting on her time at Minuteman, Ms. Brooks notes the progress she has made socially, attributing it to her wide range of valuable experiences she has had at the school. “I can talk to anybody,” she declared.“Minuteman taught me how to do that. The past four years have been really fun. I loved it.”

Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.