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Multiple Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning producer and philanthropist Thomas S. Perakos ’69 brought “Razzle Dazzle” to The Frederick Gunn School’s 175th Commencement Exercises on May 25, 2025.

“Kids, you’ve got nothing to worry about. It’s all about showbusiness. The whole world is your stage now. You’ve got what it takes. Let’s bring it,” Perakos said as he took the stage to deliver a Commencement Address that was filled with a mixture of funny, poignant, and memorable moments.
 

Congratulations to the cast and designers of the fall play, Pride and Prejudice, and the winter musical, Mean Girls, who together have been nominated for a total of 18 Halo Awards, including eleven individual best performance nominations and Best Contemporary Musical.
 

Multiple Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning producer and philanthropist Thomas S. Perakos ’69 will address the Class of 2025 at The Frederick Gunn School’s 175th Commencement Exercises on May 25, 2025. Perakos is currently a producer of the stunning revival of “Sunset Blvd,” which received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical Revival. He is also a producer of “Buena Vista Social Club,” which led the Tony nominations, receiving 10, including Best New Musical. Perakos’ accolades now span two continents. His producing credits earned him three 2025 Olivier Awards in London last month for “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” — Best New Musical; “Giant” — Best Play; and “Titanique” — Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play. 

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The Frederick Gunn School Music Program will present its spring concert, “Soundtrack of Our Lives: Iconic Movie Themes, Music Masterpieces, and Timeless Jazz,” on May 15, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. The concert will feature Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble, Jazz Band, and special guests under the direction of Ron Castonguay P’27, Director of the Arts and Music Director. 

Limited seating is available for family, friends and the community. No registration is required. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot with a limited number of accessible parking spaces directly outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

Colleen Quinn Fink, who recently completed her 15th year as Head Field Hockey Coach at the University of Pennsylvania, will join The Frederick Gunn School July 1, 2025, as the new Athletic Director & Dean of Cocurricular Programs. Fink brings to Gunn vast leadership, coaching and operational experience, having worked with highly competitive student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom. In addition to her work at Penn, she has led for the past 25 years CQ Sports, an organization committed to the development of student-athletes with a specific focus on those looking to play at the collegiate level. 
 

“Rowland Scherman ’55: Peace, Protest, and Promise,” a stunning retrospective exhibition featuring more than 150 black-and-white photographs by Rowland Scherman ’55, opens Saturday, April 12, and will remain on view through June 8, 2025, in the Perakos Family Cares Art Gallery of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. An opening reception will be held April 24 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The gallery is open to the public free of charge. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot with a limited number of accessible parking spaces directly outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details. 
 

The Gunn community is deeply saddened by the news that Sheila Anson, a longtime friend of The Frederick Gunn School, a Gunn descendant, and the recipient of the 2015 Friend of the Green Award, passed away this week.
 

The Gunn community is saddened by the loss of alumnus and former faculty member Serge Lawrence Miller ’51 GP’12 ’20, whose connections to the school run deep. Miller, who was also known as “Larry” or “S.L.,” passed away February 18 at New Milford Hospital, following a brief illness, according to his obituary. As a freshman, he coxed the second boat of the first crew in school history, established in 1948 by Coach Rod Beebe. Following Miller’s graduation from Yale University, he returned to Gunn from 1962 to 1970 to teach mechanical drawing, math, and French. He also served as Assistant Coach for rowing alongside Beebe and became Chairman of World Languages.
 

Best of luck to both the Boys and Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Teams, who will play in the New England Championship Quarterfinals on March 5. The #8 seed Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team will travel to Lawrence Academy to face #1 Seed New Hampton School in the Dorothy Howard bracket at 2 p.m.

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The #8 seed Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team will travel to play #1 seed Kimball Union Academy in the Piatelli/Simmons Bracket, with a 4 p.m. puck drop. Go Gunn!

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Cathy Yang '28, a student in the Technique and Artistry cocurricular program, won The Connie Horton Memorial Award for Best in Show at the Kent Art Association's 33rd Annual Student Art Show. Yang was honored for her beautiful ceramic work among students who exhibited in a variety of artistic mediums from six schools: The Frederick Gunn School, Millbrook School, South Kent School, Forman School, Marvelwood School, and Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
 

Ever wonder what it’s really like to be a Gunn student? An exciting new film project, “The Highlander Journey,” which had its world premiere on February 18, seeks to answer that question as it shows the journey of being a Highlander from freshman to senior year. The five-minute film is fast-paced and fun, highlighting some of the challenges, changes, and traditions — like School Walk, Senior Rock and the Stray Shot — that will resonate with current students and alumni, as well as giving prospective students a look at why Gunn is a cool place to be.  

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Student-athletes from Gunn's Boys and Girls Varsity Ice Hockey teams have organized three games to raise funds and awareness for mental health and those affected by cancer. Girls Varsity Ice Hockey hosted a Hockey Fights Cancer game vs. The Hill School on January 26 in Linen Rink to benefit the American Cancer Society.

On February 7, Boys Varsity Ice Hockey will take on Taft School at 4:15 p.m. in Linen Rink in a game to benefit The HT40 Foundation’s Shoulder Check initiative. A second Hockey Fights Cancer game is scheduled for February 14, with Boys Varsity Ice Hockey taking on Brunswick at home at 6 p.m.
 

Three Highlanders were honored with awards at the 51st Yale Model United Nations (YMUN LI) conference, held January 23-26, 2025 on the historic campus of Yale University. They were among 20 student-delegates who participated in the conference from the Gunn Model United Nations program. 
 

Thomas Chapin Braman, Ph.D., ’57, the great-great-grandson of school founders Frederick and Abigail Gunn, and one of six generations of extended family that have attended the school, passed away on January 18, 2025. “[P]roud of his Scottish/Norse/English ancestral roots on both sides of his family,” as his obituary noted, Braman generously shared his knowledge of Gunn and Brinsmade history with the school, enriching the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives in particular. A loyal and consistent supporter of Gunn, he was inducted into the Arts & Letters Hall of Fame in 2022. 
 

Get in, Washington. This winter musical is gonna be so fetch! The Frederick Gunn School Theatre Program will proudly present the fiercely hilarious musical “Mean Girls High School Version” from book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”), and composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), February 20, 21, and 22 at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.

All shows are open to the public. Seating is by general admission. No reservations required. Free parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot off Kirby Road, with a limited number of accessible parking spaces outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

"Amplifying Voices: Global Feminism,” a new student art exhibit co-curated by Stella Zhu '25, opened January 10 in the Perakos Family Cares Art Gallery in the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. The exhibit, which features 43 works of art by 24 artists from 14 schools, including 11 schools in the United States, two in China, and one in Switzerland, will remain on view through February 4, 2025. An artists reception will be held on Saturday, January 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. The gallery is open to the public free of charge. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot off Kirby Road, with a limited number of accessible parking spaces outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

On January 20, students participated in an interactive program in celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Guest speaker Gregory Thompson, Ph.D., a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholar, author, and the co-founder and creative director of Voices Underground, led a discussion about how students can become active citizens by following the example of Dr. King and school founder Frederick Gunn.
 

Nine students from the Gunn Music Program will perform in the Connecticut Music Educators Association's Northern Region Music Festival on Saturday, January 18, at New Britain High School, located at 110 Mill Street in New Britain, Connecticut. The festival concert will feature performances by the Northern Region Jazz Band, Treble Choir, and Mixed Choir at 2 p.m., and the Northern Region Concert Band and Orchestra at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person.

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