Student Life

When you ask current students about their favorite time of the day on The Frederick Gunn School campus, they invariably talk about time spent with friends, whether they are hanging out in the dorm or creating their own fun outside. School days are busy. Students move from academic and co-curricular commitments to dinner and evening study hall. But there are opportunities for friends to gather throughout the day. It might be grabbing a table together for lunch in the dining hall, hosting a movie night in your dorm room, or meeting up for an impromptu baseball game on the Quad, spikeball on the turf, or sledding on the hill behind Teddy House in winter.

Weekend activities include Open Skate and Open Hockey times at Linen Rink, trips to the Danbury Fair Mall and other local shopping centers, movie theaters, and area restaurants as well as the ever-popular Arethusa Farm Dairy for ice cream. Sign-ups are available for excursions to try bowling or visit a trampoline park, and some weekends are just good for sleeping in and going to brunch in the dining hall, where chocolate chip waffles and a fruit and yogurt bar are usually on offer. Students can also take advantage of dances, the fitness center, open gym times, seasonal activities (carve your own pumpkin, anyone?), movie screenings and guest performances right on campus, and cheer their fellow Highlanders at home.

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Student Life News

Emily Raudenbush Gum, 12th Head of School
Emily Raudenbush Gum Named 12th Head of School

The Frederick Gunn School Board of Trustees announced March 15, 2023, that Emily Raudenbush Gum has been enthusiastically and unanimously selected to serve as the 12th Head of School, beginning in the 2023-24 school year.
 

YoYo Zhang '24 receives medal at CT Science & Engineering Fair
Student Wins Engineering Award at State Science & Engineering Fair

YoYo Zhang ’24 was honored with a Pepsico Engineering Award at the 75th annual Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair for her research on "the feasibility of a water quality sampling and monitoring catamaran." Open to all 7th through 12th-grade students residing or enrolled in Connecticut schools, the fair was held March 6-18 at Quinnipiac University. Following preliminary judging, which was conducted virtually, Zhang selected to present her research as a finalist. She received her award and a medallion at Quinnipiac on Saturday, March 18.
 

2023 Boys Ice Hockey Semifinal Win Over Holderness School
Two Teams Advance to New England Championship Finals

Two teams will represent The Frederick Gunn School in the 2023 NEPSAC Championship Finals on Sunday, March 5. Boys Varsity Basketball and Boys Varsity Ice Hockey both advanced to their respective tournament finals after winning the semifinals on Saturday.
 

Joanna Jin painting
31 Student-Artists Featured in Kent Art Association Show

Thirty-one students in the Technique & Artistry co-curricular program as well as the Introduction to Printmaking and Digital Photography classes at Gunn will have their original artwork featured in the Kent Art Association’s 31st Student Art Show. The opening is this Saturday, February 18, from 2 to 5 p.m., with an awards presentation at 3 p.m., at Kent Art Association, 21 South Main Street in Kent.
 

Ryan Ryu '25 at United Nations Headquarters, New York
Model UN Experiences Aim to ‘Inspire, Educate and Empower’ Next Generation Leaders

In February, 15 students from The Frederick Gunn School Model United Nations program will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 60th North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN), the Western Hemisphere’s preeminent high school Model UN conference. Gunn students will be among more than 3,300 participants at the four-day conference, one of the oldest in the country, featuring “40 mini-simulations, ranging from standard committees like the UN General Assembly and the Security Council to crisis simulations of various regional organizations, national cabinets, corporate boards, and political organizations,” NAIMUN said. The conference is staffed by 250 undergraduate students from Georgetown University, and seeks to “inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of leaders in government, business, and international affairs.” 
 

Head Over Heels poster horizontal
Gunn Theatre Program to Present "Head Over Heels: The Musical"

The Frederick Gunn School Theatre Program will present Head Over Heels: The Musical on February 23, 24, and 25 at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. Family, friends, and the community are welcome to attend. No registration is required. Admission is free.
 

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