2025 Highlander Summit Highlights Active Citizenship and Independent Research

“This conference is a great, feel-good moment for the school. After articulating their values and envisioning their impact upon the public sphere through our citizenship curriculum, students showcase their active citizenship while the community gathers to celebrate their remarkable achievements,” said Bart McMann, Dean of Programmatic Innovation and Director of the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy (CJD).

The Civic Changemakers Project (CCP) is a diploma requirement for all seniors that emphasizes civic action and acting on convictions. Students put into action what they have learned over the course of the four-year citizenship curriculum. Here are just a few examples of how Highlanders are becoming active citizens and changing the world, in the spirit of school founder Frederick Gunn. 

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Ending Hunger 
Braden O’Neill ’25 volunteered with Foodlink, a nonprofit organization based in Rochester, New York, that is dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities. Foodlink serves a 10-county area that includes the City of Rochester and the Finger Lakes region and operates a regional food bank that distributes millions pounds of purchased and donated food annually. O’Neill said he was inspired to work with Foodlink after volunteering at a Hartford soup kitchen. “That was a really eye-opening experience for me,” he said.

O’Neill had three different roles over the course of the summer before his senior year at Gunn. He provided driver support for a community kitchen that serves thousands of healthy meals to Rochester children. He said it took an hour to pack a big, yellow Penske rental truck, one of four that delivers fruits, vegetables, milk, and hot meals to students in the city. His second job was to sort donations inside Foodlink’s 70,000-square-foot warehouse, which distributes more than 25 million pounds of food annually through a partner network of food pantries, community meal programs, and shelters. His third role was to support Foodlink’s Community Market program, which makes fresh fruits, vegetables, and select grocery items locally available to city residents at affordable prices. “It’s like a mobile grocery store,” said O’Neill, who had such a positive experience, he hopes to continue working with Foodlink in the future. 

“My goals were to make an impact on the community, provide people with the food they deserve, to try to make someone smile, and hopefully, inspire one of you to do the same thing,” he told his fellow Highlanders. “It’s important to me to give back to the community.”

Scientific Research at the Cellular Level
For her Civic Changemakers Project, Skyler Toffolo ’25 conducted DNA research in a molecular biology lab at Cornell University. The Kawate Lab studies structures and molecular mechanisms of membrane proteins. The study Toffolo was involved with looked at the membrane proteins of test worms to learn more about cell-to-cell communication. 

“Lab work can go unnoticed but explains why things work the way they do,” Toffolo said, noting that research in molecular biology has real-world applications in medicine, and in particular, in the treatment of cancer. “By understanding cell communication, the lab can aid science across the globe and work with proteins that mediate immune responses and neurotransmission.”

One of the first steps in the research was to extract DNA from the membrane proteins and copy it. “I spent hours every day working to achieve my goal, with numerous failed experiments,” she said, acknowledging that she achieved a major success in her final week at the lab. “Seeing the time and energy it took to succeed in one tiny aspect of molecular biology widened my perspective on the work people do and the efforts and years put into their study in order to better the world.”

Lessons in Resilience from Children and Young Adults
Dylan Kur’s ’25 Civic Changemaker Project was unique in that it reflected her combined experiences, assisting elementary school students with special needs in Bronxville, New York, and helping young adults at the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults on Long Island.

As a student intern in the Bronxville Union Free School District’s Extended School Year program, Kur worked with seven students in a resource classroom, and attended special sessions in art, music, and science. She said she was particularly inspired by the resilience of one of her students, a 12-year old girl with cerebral palsy. “With both physical and cognitive challenges, she perseveres through grueling physical therapy sessions and works with a Special Educator to build her academic skills,” she said. 

At the Helen Keller National Center, Kur was also inspired by the young adults she worked with, helping them to create resumes, develop interview techniques, and advocate for themselves through the M-Power program. M-Power stands for My Pursuit of Work, Empowerment and Resources. It is designed to expand academic and vocational opportunities for young adults, ages 16-22, who are DeafBlind. “I was able to help them build confidence,” Kur said.

Promoting Literacy and Community
“Civic action starts small but creates a lasting impact,” said Collin Logan ’25, who established three Little Free Libraries in his hometown of Holliston, Massachusetts. Growing up, Logan said books and nature were important to him, and he wanted to create something for his Civic Changemakers Project that would bring people together and give back to the town. 

Working with the local Parks and Recreation Department, Logan identified locations for the mini-libraries in three recreational areas with public access. “I had to find the best places, community spaces where people would see them,” he said. He purchased the materials, built the libraries, and collaborated with a local artist to paint each one with unique, community-inspired designs that would make them more engaging. Then it was simply a matter of installing them.

Based on his experience, Logan said he learned the importance of planning and persistence, and that asking for help is part of the process. Collaborating with others also helped to open the door to new ideas, he said.

Our 2025-26 Gunn Scholars
This year’s Highlander Summit included presentations by six Gunn Scholars. Their independent research projects included:

• “Student Voices: Publications at Gunn,” by Mairin Hoffman ’25
• “The Impact of Mary Brinsmade,” by Avery Clement ’25
• “A Brief History of the Wykeham Rise School,” by Brynn Cunningham ’25
• “Frederick Gunn's Literary Legacy: The Book Club that Inspired the Gunn Memorial Library,” by Gracielle Boucher ’25
• “The Arts at Gunn: Elizabeth Kempton H’52 Forges a Trail,” by Skyler Toffolo ’25
• “Stages of Growth: The History and Evolution of Gunn's Dramatics Program,” by Mabel Rude ’25

Established in 2002, the Gunn Scholar Program is an endowed program that offers selected students opportunities to pursue research topics of their own choosing in the Paula and George Krimsky Archives and Special Collections. A generous gift from the Class of 1957 has assured the annual publication of Gunn Scholar research. To view this year’s presentations, click the link below.

View Gunn Scholar Presentations