The Gunnery

The Gunnery
Address
99 Green Hill Road Washington, Connecticut 06793 United States
Information
Type	Private, College prep Day & Boarding
Motto	Vir Bonus Semper Discipulus Est (A good man (person) is always a student.)
Established	1850
CEEB code	070-825
Principal	Peter W.E. Becker
Principal	Chapin B. Miller (Vice principal)
Faculty	55
Grades	9–12/PG Year
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	298 (2016-17[1])
Average class size	12 students
Student to teacher ratio	6:1
Campus size	220 acres (0.89 km2)
Campus type	Rural
Athletics conference	NEPSAC
Sports	15 sports teams
Accreditation	NEASC
Website	www.gunnery.org

The Gunnery is a private coeducational boarding and day prep school located in rural Connecticut, United States. The 220-acre (0.89 km²) campus borders the village green of Washington, a small, historic town in Litchfield Hills. The Gunnery, named after the Gunn family, has no military affiliations and is a non-sectarian school.

The Gunnery was founded in 1850 by Frederick W. Gunn, a teacher, abolitionist, and father of recreational camping in America. It was originally 30 boys on 50 acres.^[2] In 1894 The Ridge School was founded as an affiliated junior school for younger boys. The basic mission of The Gunnery is to promote the four cornerstones on which character is built: scholarship, integrity, respect and responsibility.

The Gunnery's academic curriculum emphasizes the liberal arts; Advanced Placement courses and many electives are offered in all disciplines. Classes average 15 students in size and are taught as seminars.

History

The Gunnery was founded by Frederick William Gunn and his wife Abigail in 1850. Their school offered a classical education typical of Anglican tradition schools of the time but also emphasized on athletic opportunities, environmental awareness and moral values. In a less inclusive era, the Gunns' school welcomed girls, international students and African American children. The 1920s saw sweeping changes brought to the school. It became an all-boys school, enrollment tripled and new buildings were added. During World War II, the Gunnery prepared boys for entering the armed forces. In 1977, the Gunnery returned to its coeducational roots. For several years prior, the Gunnery had a partnership with the nearby all-girls school Wykeham Rise, which has since closed.^[3][4] The first female head was appointed in 1991.

Boarding

The Gunnery is a day and boarding school, with 68% (204 boarders, 94 day)of its students residing in one of the ten dormitories on campus. Residential students are looked after by faculty and students designated as Residential Assistants (RA's).^[5] In most cases, students are grouped by class. Each dormitory consists primarily of single and double student rooms, but also houses faculty members and their families. 85% of the faculty lives on campus. There are students from 21 different countries and 22 states in the U.S. Countries such as Kenya, Ireland, Hong Kong, Canada, Bahrain, Czech Republic, and Mexico are represented in the student body.

Athletics

Notable alumni

Gunnery Camp, called the first organized summer camp

• Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978) was an American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder
• Edsel Ford II '68 - Member of the board of directors for the Ford Motor Company
• George Grande '64 - sports broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds
• Andrew Lack '64 - Chairman of NBC News
• Justin Molson '87 - Owner of the Montreal Canadiens
• Thomas Perakos '69 - Producer of The Bands Visit
• Sam Posey '62 - American racing driver and sports broadcast journalist
• Jesse Soffer '03 - Actor^[6]
• Jonathan Tisch '72 - CEO of Loews Hotels
• Steven Elliot Tisch '68 - Chairman/Executive Vice President New York Giants
• Dick Wolf '68 - Creator of Law & Order

References

External links

• NEPSAC main page
• The Gunnery website

Coordinates: 41°37′49″N 73°18′42″W / 41.6303°N 73.3118°W / 41.6303; -73.3118