Current news on campus

CONGRATS

TO THE CLASS OF 2022!

Invest in the process of learning and prioritize the journey over the outcome.

Liz Tyng We celebrated our recent graduates during a special ceremony on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

During the commencement, former College Counselor Liz Tyng exhorted the students with these words, “I hope that you will seek out and soak up every possible opportunity. That you will push yourselves and take risks. And most importantly, invest in the process of learning and prioritize the journey over the outcome. And, please, please, please take at least one course each year that simply piques your curiosity.”

In his speech, Head of School Kalyan A. Balaven shared, “Tony Dunn said, the view from the mountain top is the reward of the climber — and I believe the reward for the community is manifest in our view of you. We are so proud of you, of all you accomplished, even as you faced all your hurdles. It’s been our privilege and our joy. Thank you for what you gave to Dunn.”

We extend congratulations once again to the members of the Class of 2022 and trust that, in the throes of matriculation and acclimating to a new environment, they will remember that change is good because it spurs intellectual and personal growth.

Quinby Janes

Dear Dunn Community,

I am elated to be a student leader in this special year, our school’s 65th anniversary! Within the first few weeks of school, I already felt the buzz of excitement all the way from the Carpe Diem sign on the southeast side of the Middle School to the art patio on the northwest corner of the upper campus.

This school year holds growth and the education of the whole student on an entirely new level. The thread that is Dunn has woven the most caring, motivational, and endearing community I have ever been a part of; this year it is more emphasized than before.

I am looking forward to hosting more fundraisers, bringing back the entwined nature of the day and boarding students, and fostering an uplifting community that is our home.

I am incredibly honored to be this year’s Student Body President as it is a time of immense positive change that will have tangible effects on both student and professional communities.

Best wishes,

STUDENTS’‘SCIENTIFIC PIZZA’ VIDEO HITS PBS AIRWAVES

As part of a science class project last spring, Dunn Middle School students Keenan Zekaria and Elijah Ormond explored the science behind pizza and why the crust rises in the oven. To help demonstrate their learnings in a more exciting way, the boys created a video showing how to make dough from scratch.

Thanks to their thorough explanation and stellar cinematography, this video was selected by KQED public television to be showcased at the California STEAM Symposium in Anaheim, Calif., in October 2022. Check out Dunn’s YouTube page to see it for yourself!

MLK JR. INVITATIONAL SPEECH TOURNAMENT

He voiced his dream, decades ago, for social justice, equity and inclusion, in one of America’s — and the world’s — most memorable, influential speeches. Dunn School now actively plans to honor the life and legacy of that celebrated dreamer, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by hosting a two-day Invitational Speech Tournament bearing his name. The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Jan. 15, on both Dunn’s Middle and Upper School campuses and will involve student contestants from a variety of independent and public schools in grades 4-12.

DUNN BOYS BASKETBALL POISED FOR ‘BIG’ SEASON

While the Dunn boys soccer team looks to continue its rich winning tradition on the pitch this season, another winter sports team also has high expectations — and the height to match.

Helmed by first-year Earwigs coach Ray Vazquez, the Dunn boys basketball program includes four players at 6-foot-7 or taller, three of which feature in the varsity starting lineup.

Headlined by Latif (6’9”) and Seal Diouf (6’9”, pictured above), a junior and sophomore sibling combo, the Earwigs also include sophomore Theo Anderson (6’7”), while the rest of the starting lineup is also over 6 feet.

Real World Education

The Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program officially launched this fall. Inspired by the school’s former business manager, and funded by one of his grateful students, this program is off to a tremendous start. Built out from the popular Earwig Inc. model, the Jurgensen Program now offers students students six distinct opportunities:

1. Jurgensen’s Summer Entrepreneurs - This two-week summer program gives prospective Dunn students a taste of entrepreneurship, business management, and investment management.

2. Jurgensen’s Toolkit - A two-trimester upper school class, the Toolkit introduces students to design thinking and the entrepreneur’s mindset, and allows them to interact with existing entrepreneurs and businesses.

3. Jurgensen’s Market and the Earwig Cafe - A trimester-long intensive that allows students to manage every facet of the school’s student-run business ventures. Hands-on is the model, and net income is the goal!

4. Jurgensen’s Pioneers - A select group of senior student entrepreneurs are provided the time, tools, and support to work independently on their own business ventures.

5. Jurgensen’s Investors and Philanthropists - With the market and cafe generating nearly $50,000 a year in profit, someone has to invest all that money! Here students learn to invest in common stocks, real estate, and alternative investments using the best learning tool — real money!

Their scholarship endowment account is creeping up on $300,000 and is compounding at market-beating rates!

6. History and Philosophy of Status and Power - We seek to send our graduates out into the world with both knowledge of the dynamics of power as well as the philosophical underpinnings that allow our students to seek their “why.” I have never had a class as collaborative as this one. I hope to start a business one day and believe this class will give me a big head start to do so.

Here’s what current students are saying…

- Roan Cassidy, 10th Grade

In class we learn rebranding, presenting the new product to the business, and handling investment decisions. I am thrilled to see what I am able to accomplish with my peers.This class pushes me out of my comfort zone, giving me more confidence to make BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals). - Gretchen Grenier, 9th Grade

I love how our class is made up of interactive, hands-on learning. This is exactly how we need to learn, as entrepreneurship and business management are the most creative things in the world.

-Luke Heald, 11th Grade

FALL FAMILY FESTIVAL

Pandemic restrictions have heavily influenced the way we gathered in person over the past two school years. One casualty of the care we took in limiting the spread of COVID-19 was Fall Family Weekend. Traditionally, this was a time when Dunn invited families on campus to experience a bit of student life.

In reflection of some of those recent opportunities missed, for this fall, the special weekend became Fall Family Festival, bringing a spirit of celebration and fun to the annual slate of activities.

Families enjoyed sporting and artistic activities, miniclasses, drama and music performances, stargazing, and a dedication of the new Reflection Haven. Many thanks to the families of our students who ventured on campus to enjoy the student experience.

SENIOR STUDENT CURRENT NEWS LEADERS HELP TAME THE WILD

I wanted to do this program because when I was a freshman I didn’t have any seniors to talk to. After our recent trip, I still talk to a lot of freshmen who were in my group. They know I’m here to help them.

- Aidan O’Neill, 12th grade

It was a big ask but a unique opportunity and challenge for any Dunn School senior willing to embrace it: lead groups of freshmen on a weeklong adventure trip through the Yosemite National Park backcountry.

Dunn’s Outdoor Education department solicited the seniors, and in August 2022, 18 of them stepped up to meet the moment. The seniors served as trail group co-leaders and expedition role models for the freshman groups.

As a part of the arrangement, Dunn partnered with Lasting Adventures, a leading California outdoor adventure company, to assist the seniors with logistics, selecting trail routes, and securing permits.

Each senior was given the task of serving as “Leader of the Day,” conducting a morning meeting and an evening reflection, managing routes, and planning meals and activities. The 18 student leaders returned to campus with a renewed sense of confidence and poise that will serve them for the entire school year and beyond.