Celebrating 65 years of history

CELEBRATING OUR HISTORY

Bobbing for apples with students, 1957

Where we’ve come from…

In the spring of 1957, Anthony B. Dunn was seeking a site to open a boarding school for teenage boys. Already a renowned teacher in the Santa Ynez Valley, the World War II vet and Oxford educated Brit had a dream to provide the unique blend of college preparatory education combined with practical life skills, all which remain the hallmark of Dunn School to this day.

Serendipitously, the trustees of what was then known as the Valley Farm School were seeking a visionary. Their aim was to secure the future for the student body of mostly younger children and stuard them through high school. Tony did all that and more, birthing a legacy that only strengthens 65 years after first bringing his dream to fruition.

Founding principles

Dunn School existed on paper before anywhere else. It was a true entrepreneurial leap that took legal form before there were students, buildings to house them, or teachers to educate them — even before all this, plans were made to conjure those exact things. of incorporation for a Dunn School that had no grounds or anything else tangible.

Tony Dunn knew he wanted to provide a residential boarding school experience to students at a value. He wanted students to learn skills — both academic and practical — that would turn them into self-sufficient citizens, and he knew the best way to forge them was through an educational model that nurtured students throughout the traditional school day and beyond.

That concept of Whole Student Education was the entrepreneurial idea after which every development in the past 65 years at Dunn School has followed.

Today, the Dunn professional community teaches to five core values:

Emotional Wellness, Physical Readiness, Intellectual Growth, Social Responsibility and Moral

Courage. Through honing those values, students live the dream that started with Tony all those years ago. Experiencing curriculum and community building that supports them through evenings, weekends, and adventures beyond the campus grounds, Dunn students carry Tony’s name and legacy on their paths to becoming our society’s leaders.

A look back...

1957-1958 Tony Dunn became the first Headmaster of The Valley Farm School. That fall, the school opened with 49 students, from Nursery School to 10th Grade.

1960-1961 Thirteen seniors made up the first graduating class of Dunn School.

1966-1967 Tony Dunn died on January 3, 1967. The new Headmaster was William Webb of Catalina Island School.

1970-1971 Admissions opened to local girls as day students. Pete Robbins started the boys lacrosse team.

1973-1974 With the arrival of Nancy Roome, the Tutorial-Remedial (now Learning Strategies) Program began. 1974-1975 Bill Webb retired and Nick Thacher became Interim Head for the following school year.

Teaching staff and the student body of the Valley Farm School, 1957

1979-1980 Dunn Middle School opened with two teachers and 18 students in 6th and 7th grades.

1982-1983 Steve Loy became the fourth Headmaster.

1984-1985 Faculty-led “Spring Trips” were replaced by the Outdoor Education Program, led by Randy Judycki.

1990-1991 Ground was broken by Business Manager and former teacher Robert Jurgensen on Loy House, kicking off admissions for boarding girl students.

1992-1993 Dunn’s fifth Headmaster, Eric Ruoss joined the school.

1995-1996 Girls approached parity with boys in the student body. At the end of the school year, Jim Munger was named the sixth Headmaster.

1999-2000 Two new boys’ dorms were dedicated to Rose and Peter Knoles and to Mike Boone ’79, becoming Knoles House and Boone House respectively.

2005-2006 Boys Varsity Soccer won 17 straight games to win both the Condor League Championship and the California State Soccer Championship in Division 6, Southern Section.

2007-2008 In Jim Munger’s final year as Headmaster, the school celebrated its 50th anniversary at Spring Family Weekend. Michael Beck was selected as the school’s eighth Headmaster.

2019-2020 The first new building on campus in 20 years, the Cindy Bronfman Leadership

Tony Dunn talking to soccer players, 1957

Center, was completed… just in time for the school to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020-2021 Current Head of School, Kalyan Balaven, joined the Dunn School community.

2021-2022 Earwig Inc. was formalized into the Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program, offering several new entrepreneurship courses to students. The first Founder’s Day event was held, recognizing Tony Dunn’s legacy and celebrating some of Dunn’s first alumni.

Guy R. Walker ’76, P’05

To say I know a thing or two about Dunn School and its history is somewhat of an understatement. I’ve been blessed to be part of this community for many years… not quite 65, but close enough.

I’m a proud member of the Class of 1976, a parent to an alumna from the Class of 2005 (Cianna Walker), have been a trustee for a number of years, and am now honored to be the Chair of the Board of Trustees. But perhaps one of my favorite claims is that I’ve attended 49 consecutive commencement ceremonies at Dunn School, and I look forward to watching the Class of 2023 next spring, which will commemorate my 50th consecutive year!

The traditions, the community, the Whole Student Education at Dunn School are what keep me coming back.

While the world around us grows and changes, Dunn remains grounded in its foundations. And while the school has evolved to stay current, adapting to new methods, technologies, and more, for me, Dunn has always been my constant.

The concept of Whole Student Education is a holistic approach to learning and teaching that has also been a constant of this school. It offers students not just the academic knowledge and skills to succeed, but it also empowers our community with the social and cultural nuances to be successful in life.

This approach is what Tony Dunn embodied as a leader, father, teacher, and so much more. And this whole student approach is also embodied in our new Head of School, as he follows in Tony’s footsteps.

To our Dunn community, I am proud to celebrate the school’s 65th anniversary with each of you, and I look forward to many more years of continued growth, success, and tradition.

Ne tentes aut perfice.

Guy R. Walker Class of 1976 Board of Trustees, Chair

ecognition of Service

We celebrated the retirement of three remarkable members of our professional community in recent years. Willy Haig taught his final Math class on May 25, 2022, while Alice Berg and Leslie Vincent finished up their tenures in the Learning Strategies department a year prior in 2021. During one of their final meetings, Willy pointed out that between the three of them, they’ve spent nearly 100 years at Dunn!

Alice, Leslie, and Willy, we thank you for your grace, wit, kindness, leadership, and dedication to Dunn! You have each made a huge impact on your students and the greater Dunn community.

Years at Dunn: 1989-2022 Titles: Math Teacher and Department Chair; Soccer coach extraordinaire

Spent the first months of retirement hiking, biking, and camping in seven U.S. National Parks.

Willy’s Memories & Achievements:

• Created and taught an innovative, integrated honors math curriculum (although won’t claim this brilliance). • “Winning the talent show with Barbara when we destroyed Stand By Your Man.” • Single-handedly had the most catchphrases on campus!

Alice Berg

Years at Dunn: 1989-2021 Titles: Co-Director of Learning Strategies

Currently living in the Santa Ynez Valley with husband Steve, and actively volunteering for the Los Olivos Rotary Club, Meals on Wheels, and People Helping People.

Alice’s Memories & Achievements:

• Picked up the mantle of leadership from Nancy Roome in the Learning Skills Program (now the Learning

Strategies Program). • “In 2015, I started bringing in Poppy, my therapy dog.

Students would stop to say hi or take her for a walk.

Poppy always knew how to make everyone smile.” • “When I started at Dunn, my son, Michael McCann ’02, was in kindergarten. We used to bring our children on school trips, so Michael learned to rock climb at Joshua

Tree at age 5, and later learned to camp and kayak.

I’m certain those early experiences gave him his love of the outdoors.” • “The best part of my job was watching my students develop into incredible adults.”

Leslie Vincent

Years at Dunn: 1991-2021 Titles: Associate Director and Teacher for Learning Strategies (Leslie also returned last year to help as a Science substitute)

Currently living in Lompoc with husband Nick, who makes guest appearances with Dunn’s Facilities Department.

Leslie’s Memories & Achievements:

• “I loved traveling to Hawaii with Don Daves-Rougeaux and the girls track team, and hiking along the Kern

River with Randy Judycki during an OE trip.” • “It was so rewarding to travel with my LS cohorts to the Learning & the Brain Conference in San Francisco, where we listened to top scholars and brought knowledge and ideas back to Dunn.” • “I was surprised and honored to be called onstage at a graduation ceremony to receive a gift to Dunn in my honor from Preston ’15 and Chandler ’15 Hughes.”