Students at HB, may have seen Nancy Brooks, the long term sub for Camille. Carson. Brooks spends the majority of her time in room 304, where she teaches Environmental Science, and She occasionally takes her classes outside for some fresh air or to collect samples. Little do her students know, there is a lot more to Brooks than what meets the eye. 

Mrs. Brooks teaches AP Environmental Science, or APES, at HB. “I love teaching. I love teaching science,” said Brooks. She cared a lot about anything science-related and was very eager to take the job of a science teacher at Hollis Brookline. “We had a discussion about climate change in class, and she did not hesitate to add in her opinions and views,” said Kim Souza ‘21, one of Brooks’ students in her period 7 APES class.

Teaching is not something new to Mrs. Brooks. Before coming to HB, she had been teaching for 30 years down in Connecticut. Due to the unfortunate tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary that happened in the same state that she was teaching in, Mrs. Brooks decided to retire from teaching and move up to New Hampshire to be closer to her family. She has been living in New Hampshire for seven years and loves to spend as much time with her grandchildren as possible.

When she is not grading quizzes and 10-page long research papers, Mrs. Brooks has many hobbies that keep her busy- one is painting. She paints extremely detailed pictures of botanicals and sells them on eBay. Brooks has sold over 400 paintings and had the opportunity to hang them up in public buildings. She also does craft fairs to keep herself busy. She also loves to watch science fiction films as well as listening to music. “I really love rock and roll music, I don’t think too many people know that,” said Brooks.

Her students enjoy it when she takes them on walks outside, giving them a a break from being stuck inside “We go outside to examine real-life examples of local ecosystems and communities of fauna and flora,” said Oliver Hugh ‘21, another one of Mrs. Brooks’ students in period 7.  “When we go on nature walks during class to examine plant life, she is always excited for us to learn about what she knows,” said Souza. 

Mrs. Brooks is unlike any regular substitute. “She really knows what she is talking about and can answer your questions. She differs from a normal sub because they would just hand you material provided by the absent teacher,” said Souza. Having a substitute for such a long period of time can become draining for some students. Mrs. Brooks, however has managed to take into consideration the current circumstances of her students. “When we expressed our concerns about the due date for our research paper, she was understanding and pushed back the date to accommodate the work load from her class, as well as our other classes and college applications,” said Hugh.

The future is bright for Mrs. Brooks. “I’ve been given the opportunity to be an officer for the state of NH for a particular organization and that allows me to travel,” said Brooks. She is looking forward to Christmas vacation, in particular, this year.. 

If  ever given the opportunity to talk with Mrs. Brooks, it is guaranteed that you will learn something new. Even if it is a simple science-related question- Mrs. Brooks has the answer.