WINTER TRADITIONS, OLD AND NEW

From January 29-31, 49 freshmen, eight prefects and five faculty advisors took part in the 27th annual Freshman Class Trip to Lake Placid, New York. In addition to skiing and snowboarding at Whiteface Mountain, riding the gondola, and skating on the Olympic Oval, this year’s freshmen were treated to a game of broomball and a visit to the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, courtesy of a gift from Juan Padro ’92!

On January 30, sophomores, juniors, and seniors participated in a newer school tradition, Gunn’s second annual Mountain Day at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, Connecticut. Classes were canceled and the community spent the day downhill skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and just being together outdoors in the spirit of school founder Frederick Gunn. Thanks to the generosity of the Parents Council, every student received a Gunn-branded neck gaiter to wear on both the Mountain Day and Lake Placid trips!

View more Mountain Day photos at: https://bit.ly/MountainDay2023

2023 Gunn Scholars Present at Rooted Research Conference

On April 21 and 22, students, faculty, and families attended the 2023 Rooted Research & Civic Changemakers Conference. The two-day academic conference featured select Gunn seniors, who discussed their community-based Civic Changemakers Projects, students from Mamaroneck High School, who shared the results of their Original Civic Research and Action projects, and the 2022-23 Gunn Scholars, who presented the findings of their yearlong, place-based, independent research projects.

The Experience of Black Students, Teachers, and Trustees

Sidney Mutau ’23 focused her research on Frederick Gunn’s impact as an abolitionist and educator, and on the experience of Black students, teachers, and Trustees at the school, and how their experience at Gunn impacted their lives. Mutau interviewed Trustee Bob Bellinger ’73, Gary Wingfield ’73, Danielle McDonald ’04 and Marlon Fisher ’01, Associate Director of Next Generation Leadership.

“There’s not that much information about Black students and their experience here, so I wanted to highlight that aspect of diversity that the school tries to offer, and how the school has improved in that aspect, and needs to improve regarding diversity,” said Mutau, who was inspired to pursue her topic by a conversation she had last year with LaDarius Drew, a member of the History Department faculty and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

From her interviews with Black alumni and Trustees, Mutau learned about a student-run organization called Broderbond, which was a precursor to the Black Student Union, and the current Black and Latinx Union (BALU), of which Mutau is a member. “I learned about how the Black students were really a tight-knit community within the community and how that helped support the Black students being successful here. They felt they could lean on each other, like a home away from home at the school. They were able to connect in an easier sense than with the school in general,” she said, recalling that Bellinger and others also spoke about the positive influence of a Black teacher who was on the faculty during their time here. “They were really grateful to have that sense of support. The way that Mr. Bellinger described it was having someone in an authoritative position with a sense of understanding that other teachers wouldn’t have. It was more of a guiding presence.”

Mutau’s hope is that her Gunn Scholar Project will impart a greater appreciation for the importance of building diversity. “I want them to remember the importance of building a community that is diverse and inclusive to help everybody be successful and have a sense of belonging, which would help our students to be successful,” she said. “I think the school, especially after the COVID era, has been putting more of a focus on bringing diversity to the school, not just having Black students, but a diverse Black student body.”

<< Gunn Scholars Sidney Mutau ’23, Holli Hay ’23, Gloria Wang ’23 and Georgie Charette ’23

The History of Coeducation

Two of this year’s scholars, Gloria Wang ’23 and Georgie Charette ’23, focused their research on coeducation from varying perspectives. Girls were enrolled in the early years of the school, however in 1922 under third Head of School William Hamilton Gibson, Class of 1902, Gunn was converted to an all-boys school, which was in keeping with the prevalent practice of independent schools at the time. Stella West, Class of 1921, the daughter of Joseph West and Evelyn Kingman West, both Class of 1893, was the last female to graduate prior to the Class of 1978, making this year the 45th anniversary of coeducation at Gunn.

Charette’s project is about the history of coeducation as it relates to Mr. Gunn’s values. “I dove into what those values are and the early coeducation period, when Mr. Gunn was the Head of School. After this, I looked at the Wykeham Rise coordination, and how this influenced the final switch to coeducation in 1977,” she said, explaining, “In the modern coeducation period, I am covering three main points in time: 1977-79, when coeducation first began, 1987, when a survey was sent out to gauge the success of the program, and 2023, as I try to gauge the continued success of the coeducational program.”

Charette said her research illustrated how the school has progressed over time. “It was fascinating to think about how much the school has changed as well as the ways in which it has stayed the same. It shows the ways in which our school has adapted and is still adapting to meet the needs of students,” she said. “I hope that faculty and administrators will take away from my project the idea that our school is continually evolving, and that there is always room to make the changes that are necessary. I hope that it will reinforce the value of our founder, Mr. Gunn, and contextualize why he is so often talked about and idolized at our school.”

The Impact of Title IX and the Feminist Movement

Wang researched the coeducational period from a policy perspective, including co-curricular activities from that era with an emphasis on gender-specific sports. “My focus was on policy creation, the impact of Title IX, and the female student experience as well as the feminist movement and the school’s attitude towards it,” she said. In addition, her project incorporated the history of the dress code, and the accomplishments of a few female role models, including the first female student to serve as Head Prefect.

“As a ‘feminist’ and gender studies major, I decided that I wanted to study something related to women’s education,” Wang said. “I systematically studied many of the key feminist movements and their impacts. I learned how Title IX influenced both public and private high schools to achieve gender equity in education, and examined the reasons behind private high schools’ choice to follow Title IX. What I was surprised to find was how much the dress code and co-curriculars have changed and improved from the coeducational period. And I can see from the change in policy that the school is pursuing equal education.”

The Mother of The Gunnery

Holli Hay ’23 wrote a biography of Abigail Gunn with chapters devoted to her family and childhood, her young adult life and the start of The Gunnery, her widowhood and death, and finally, her lasting impact on the town of Washington and the school.

“After being at the school for four years, I’ve heard a lot about Frederick Gunn, but very little about Abigail. I was curious about her contributions to the school, and also wanted to give her more recognition. She was an amazing woman who did so much for the beginning boys at the school, and hopefully my research and project will reflect that,” Hay said.

One fun fact she shared was about how the Gunns celebrated Thanksgiving at the school: “Abigail baked each of the boys their very own pie!” Hay said.

Her hope is that others will gain from her project a deeper appreciation for the school and its history through the lens of Abigail and Frederick Gunn and their lasting impact. “I also hope people will get to know who Abigail was by herself (not just alongside Frederick),” she said.

Hay presented her research at Alumni Weekend in June. To view recordings of all of this year’s Gunn Scholar presentations, visit frederickgunn.org/ gunn-scholar. A generous gift from the Class of 1957 has assured the annual publication of Gunn Scholar research and each student’s illustrated paper is added to the archives, thereby enriching the school’s history and creating opportunities for further study.