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

Convocation2023
Convocation 2023 Highlights our Commitment to Be Always Learning

Students and faculty gathered September 7, 2023, in the historic Meeting House on the Green for Convocation, which formally marked the start of the school’s 174th academic year. Emily Raudenbush Gum delivered her first welcome address as our 12th Head of School, reflecting on our school motto, and the value of what it means to be a person who is always learning.
 

Matthew Neu and Ryan Ryu, All-American MUN
Two Highlanders Named to All-American Model United Nations

Two students from The Frederick Gunn School's Model United Nations program have been accepted to the All-American Model United Nations 2023 Travel Team, the best competitive, results-driven Model UN program for high school students in the world.
 

Men On Boats cast
Gunn Theatre Wins Best Contemporary Play For "Men On Boats"

The Frederick Gunn School Theatre Program brought home two Halo Awards — including Best Contemporary Play — for its production of Jaclyn Backhaus’ wildly funny and rollicking play, Men On Boats. The award for Best Special Effects went to Highlanders Joshua Ly ’23 and Katherine Aguirre-Felipe ’26 for Men On Boats.
 

Prizes at Prize Night 2023
Prize Night 2023

Awards for academic excellence and other honors were presented to students at the annual Prize Night ceremony, held on May 27, 2023, under the tent on Edward Wersebe Memorial Field. Congratulations to all of the students honored this year: 
 

2023 Halo Award Nominations
Theatre Program Earns 15 Halo Award Nominations

Congratulations to the cast and designers of the fall play, Men On Boats, and the winter musical, Head Over Heels, who together have been nominated for a total of 15 Halo Awards, including Best Performance by a Cast in an Ensemble Production, Best Contemporary Play, Best Contemporary Musical, and The Fearless Award.
 

Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team with Will Marich '23
Spring Signing Ceremony Celebrates 2023 College Commitments

On May 21, the College Counseling Office hosted a signing ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of nine standout student-athletes, who have commitments to study and play sports at colleges and universities in the fall. The students represented six different varsity teams in three sports at Gunn and were supported by their families, coaches, and peers, who wished them continued success in their academic and athletic endeavors.
 

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