Place-Based Learning

Knowledge in Action

At The Frederick Gunn School, we value experiential, place-based application of knowledge, as demonstrated by our keystone programs: the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy, Highlander Term, Gunn Outdoors, Gunn Scholar and IDEAS Lab. 

Our goal is to give Gunn students a sense of how knowledge works in action, whether they are recording an interview for our Highlander podcast, backpacking in the Adirondacks, building a robot, presenting at our annual Rooted Research Conference, or participating in a Mock Congress in Washington, D.C. Following the example set by Frederick Gunn, classes take advantage of local resources, such as Steep Rock preserve, Lake Waramaug, and the John Dorr Nature Lab.

Field trips to Hartford, New Haven, New York, and Boston further enhance the curriculum and allow students to take in Broadway shows, visit museums, tour the Stock Exchange and participate in the North American Invitational Model United Nations at Georgetown.