Center for Citizenship & Just Democracy

At The Frederick Gunn School, we strive to cultivate in our students coherent moral commitments to the common good. According to our founder Frederick Gunn, the moral formation of young people is at the heart of every educator’s vocation. Given that we are a boarding school, we have unique opportunities to work with students throughout the day and into the evening. The Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy seeks to integrate a shared vision for ethical development across the academic, residential life, and co-curricular spheres of our school. Current scholarship on civic engagement has provided the foundation for our new Citizenship Curriculum to build active, engaged citizens for our country and the world.

A $100,000 matching grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation has provided for expanded levels of professional development for faculty around the topics of ethics, leadership, and civic engagement, and will continue to create opportunities for faculty to become involved in how character education happens on campus.

Citizenship Curriculum

Our four-year curriculum is based on the mission of the school and encourages students at every level to engage in topics and projects of interest that foster self-awareness and responsibility.

Pathways (Freshman)

All sections of Pathways meet in the fall. The focus during the first year of our Citizenship Curriculum is self-awareness — emotional, physical, and intellectual — so that all 9th grade students may adjust seamlessly to The Frederick Gunn School. Students have conversations about making healthy choices and behaving responsibly, and they learn executive functioning skills to become more intentional in their approach to learning. We also orient students to various guiding documents such as our Academic Merit system, the Character Statement, our discipline system, and the honor code. The final project is a “Letter to Self,” which is completed at the end of the trimester. Students will read the letter during their senior dinner. Essentially, students have the opportunity to take stock of themselves and find their footing on campus.

Citizen Gunn (Sophomore)

This course will focus on helping students to become active citizens at The Frederick Gunn School through an in-depth study of Frederick Gunn’s life coupled with relational and community building initiatives to help students accumulate superior interpersonal skills. Students will grow to understand the morality of our founder to help them explore their own personal moral code and reflect upon the deeper meaning of their individual life as a member of our learning community. Service to others and promotion of the common good inform many of the course activities and discussions. Civic Online Reasoning lessons will help students to navigate their digital world in order to become engaged, well-informed citizens who desire to build trust within their future communities and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. During the conclusion of the course, each student will develop a personal statement of moral principles, which they will deliver to their class at the end of the term.

The Declaration (Junior)

Through an in-depth study of our country’s seminal documents and speeches, students will explore the ideas of liberty and equality as they pertain to citizenship. Students will study the art of rhetoric and the vital role language plays in building political friendships in our democracy. Weekly debates will help students construct and frame their perspective concerning democratic citizenship. Students will meet with local leaders to learn how they build community and political friendships in town. Over the course of the trimester, students will prepare and give a speech to the entire school community.

Civic Changemakers Project (Senior)

The Civic Changemakers Project (CCP) is a diploma requirement for all seniors that must be completed by the end of the senior winter trimester. The CCP emphasizes civic action and acting on convictions. The project may involve a range of activities, including civic media-making, alliance building, participation strategy development (e.g. contacting political officials or interest groups), or a meaningful and intentional service project. The Winterim period offers an opportunity for seniors to complete the requirement under the auspices of a Winterim-focused CCP course, or students may take time away from campus to work independently on a project in their local community.

CIVIC JOURNALISM & MEDIA MAKING

In this course, students learn and practice the skills of civic journalism over a variety of media platforms. Civic Journalism refers to the integration of journalism and democracy. Students learn how to use news and media outlets to facilitate healthy public engagement, conversation, and debate. They work together to publish The Highlander newspaper ; record and produce The Highlander Podcast; and finally, film, edit and broadcast The Highlander News Network.

Activism and Intersectionality: Theory to Practice

A one-trimester course that focuses on foundational theories of social identity and intersectionality, and explores activism and practical applications. In this course, students will seek to answer the question: How do social identities shape individual and collective experiences, and how can understanding these dynamics inspire meaningful political action and social change? Students will examine social and political theory, along with historical movements, actions and figures to grapple with historical and contemporary conflicts and social issues related, but not limited, to race, gender, religion, and intersectionality. Once students develop a foundation of knowledge, they will have the opportunity to research practical applications for social and political action and activism. The course will culminate with students proposing and presenting action plans for change and reflecting on their potential impact and role in being a force for change. Throughout the course, students will engage in global texts from diverse perspectives and thinkers, such as Kimberlee Crenshaw, Judith Butler, and Franz Fanon, along with others. In addition, students will engage in a number of activities and discussions to foster curiosity, develop critical thinking and empathy and the tools and language to advocate for themselves and others.

The Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy is partnering with the MIT Center for Constructive Communication and their nonprofit CORTICO to improve community dialogue and build trust through structured conversations.

Starting in August 2025, a group of Gunn faculty and students will begin a certificate training program to learn CORTICO's proven method for facilitating constructive conversations. After receiving their certification, these facilitators will lead five conversation series during the 2025-2026 academic year. The series will engage various members of the Gunn community on topics like student belonging, AI in education, mentorship, and senior reflections.

This partnership aligns with all four of Gunn's institutional pillars and strengthens its commitment to citizenship education. It embodies "Public Character and Active Citizenship" by focusing on civic dialogue and community participation. It promotes "Risk Taking and Innovation" by using new communication methods and cutting-edge AI tools for conversation analysis. The conversations on belonging, mentorship, and personal reflection support "Learning Yourself and How to Learn," while the emphasis on community voices reinforces "A Sense of Rootedness and Place."

Through CORTICO's platform, we will create spaces for authentic conversations that build the skills needed to address complex challenges together. This initiative demonstrates Gunn's leadership in preparing students for active citizenship in a connected world.

About the Director

About the Director

A Massachusetts native, Bart McMann holds a bachelor’s degree in government and legal studies from Bowdoin College and a master’s in social sciences from Wesleyan University. In June 2019, he participated in the Summer Institute of Civic Studies at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University to learn more about the current scholarship on civic engagement. A former chair of the History Department at The Frederick Gunn School, he currently serves as Director of the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy and is a Connecticut State Coordinator for Braver Angels.

The Gray Party

Established by Anthony Cochrane and Mark Choi in 2018, this bipartisan, student-led organization promotes civic engagement and civil political discourse. Students at The Frederick Gunn School continue this mission by organizing voter registration drives, hosting political forums, and encouraging respectful political dialogue.