chair of the board

Dear Gunston Community:

As the end of the academic year begins to come into sight, I’d like to reflect on the pace of change that has struck Gunston over the past three years. In this era of pandemic-induced resets, it’s easy to nod through news about transformational shifts that have been set into motion, both by external factors and through intentional strategic decision-making. In parallel with the many tactical adjustments made to provide the best student learning experience during the COVID-19 crisis, Gunston’s foot has been kept solidly on the strategic planning accelerator. A new campus master plan, new approaches to student mental health care, focus on the school’s long-term financial sustainability, AIMS re-accreditation, and expansion of the campus physical footprint are all major areas of change that are easily lost in the day-to-day or taken for granted.

Let’s focus on the campus footprint. More than doubling the size of Gunston’s campus is a major change, but without insight into the justification for this purchase, it’s difficult to make the news feel “real.” Naturally, one’s first question when hearing about the land purchase is: “What are you going to do with all that new space?” Indeed, prior land purchases, such as the 2015 acquisition that enabled the Heron House project, had immediate tactical benefits. This decision was different. As Gunston’s board completed the recent campus master planning process, several realities became clear. First, due to the school’s program and enrollment expansion, there was a near-term space need, mostly driven by outdoor athletics expansion. More importantly, we were reminded of some fundamental strengths that have impacted countless students over the years: our connection to the Chesapeake Bay through our waterfront campus, and our collegiate campus feel—graced with natural open spaces, Gunston’s outdoor space is untarnished by urban development.

At major inflection points throughout the school’s history, such as the structural shift from boarding school to day school, it has been difficult to anticipate how Gunston’s future would develop. However, as Gunston continues to increase its program depth and enrollment reach, the board has concluded that a campus expansion was the best way to preserve, over a period of decades or even centuries, essential elements that have impacted students and families through the school’s history. Thousands of feet of additional shoreline, sweeping new views of the Corsica river, and tens of acres of new natural space will ensure that future students will enjoy an unconstrained campus free of encroachment by residential development.

As the board enters its next phase of campus planning, I’m excited to see how this vision distills into action. Regardless of the specifics, I’m confident that the ingredients are in place for Gunston to serve its future students with the great campus resources that our students have enjoyed for over 110 years.

Thank you,

Patrick Shoemaker ’03, Chair of the Board

(Maggie) Miller, Danielle Simmons, Summer

Nina Friedman, Lexi Norman, Georgia Gillespie, Nora FauntLeRoy, Evelyn (Evie) Hagan, Lilly Santora, Anastasia Clair, Samantha LeCrone, Gracie Callahan, Ava Duvall.Third Row: James (Jimmy) Fraser, Joshua Campbell, Charlotte Cook, Lucy Bamford, Sofia Angarita, Sheila Groz, Cameron (Cami) Lord, Aidan Ireland, Nicholas Scribner, Matthew Sharpless. Fourth Row: Ashton Seaman, Alec Sanderson, Andrew Steele, John (Jack) Brady, Jude Smith, Leonardo (Leo) Santoboni, Sebastian Borland, Juyoung (Ju) Lee, Jian (Daniel) Dang, Adam Papadopoulos. Fifth Row: Robert Crow, Zachary (Zach) LaFleur, Colin Lang, Fletcher Parsons, Benjamin (Ben) Cunningham, Thomas Umidi, Rui (Spencer) Liu, Curtis (Andrew) Baughman, Noah Friel.