The Gunnery
Encyclopedia
The Gunnery is a coeducational boarding and day Prep school
for 295 students in grades nine through twelve. The 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) campus borders the village green of Washington, Connecticut
, U.S.
, a small, historic town in the Litchfield Hills
. The Gunnery has no religious or military affiliations.
The Gunnery was founded in 1850 by Frederick W. Gunn, a teacher, abolitionist, and father of recreational camping in America. The basic mission of The Gunnery is to promote the four cornerstones on which character is built: scholarship, integrity, respect and responsibility.
There are nine dormitories on campus that house from 12 to 48 students each. In most cases, students are grouped by class. Each dormitory consists primarily of single and double student rooms, but also houses faculty members and their families. 85 percent of the faculty lives on campus.
The Gunnery’s academic curriculum emphasizes the liberal arts; Advanced Placement courses and many electives are offered in all disciplines. Classes average 14 students in size and provide a seminar atmosphere, allowing for maximum student-teacher interaction.
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for 295 students in grades nine through twelve. The 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) campus borders the village green of Washington, Connecticut
Washington, Connecticut
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a small, historic town in the Litchfield Hills
Litchfield Hills
The Litchfield Hills is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Connecticut located in the northwestern corner of the state. It is a term that is roughly coterminous with the boundaries of Litchfield County, for which it is named...
. The Gunnery has no religious or military affiliations.
The Gunnery was founded in 1850 by Frederick W. Gunn, a teacher, abolitionist, and father of recreational camping in America. The basic mission of The Gunnery is to promote the four cornerstones on which character is built: scholarship, integrity, respect and responsibility.
There are nine dormitories on campus that house from 12 to 48 students each. In most cases, students are grouped by class. Each dormitory consists primarily of single and double student rooms, but also houses faculty members and their families. 85 percent of the faculty lives on campus.
The Gunnery’s academic curriculum emphasizes the liberal arts; Advanced Placement courses and many electives are offered in all disciplines. Classes average 14 students in size and provide a seminar atmosphere, allowing for maximum student-teacher interaction.
Interscholastic sports
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Crew A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard... (boys and girls) |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... (boys and girls) |
Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... (boys) |
| Cross-Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... (boys and girls) |
Wrestling Wrestling Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position... (boys) |
Crew Crew A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard... (boys and girls) |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... (girls) |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... (boys and girls) |
Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... (coed) |
| Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... (boys) |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... (boys and girls) |
Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... (boys and girls) |
| Soccer (boys and girls) | Skiing Skiing Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding.... (coed) |
Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... (girls) |
| Ultimate Frisbee Ultimate (sport) Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby... (coed) |
||
| Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... (boys and girls) |
Student clubs and organizations
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Tradition
- One of the first photographs of a Baseball game was taken at The Gunnery's first alumni day in 1869. The Alumni baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game is still played every year during Alumni Weekend. - A school tradition is to find The Stray Shot, a 20", 80 lb (36.3 kg). cannonball hidden by a group of seniors who then leak clues to its whereabouts to the junior class. When a group of juniors finds The Stray Shot they engrave their initials into the ball and hide it again for next year. The game is usually played in secrecy. The Gunnery faculty lost track of The Stray Shot I in 1992 and The Stray Shot II in 2002. The Stray Shot was spotted at Graduation 2007 before it was abruptly hidden again.
- Senior Rock is a large boulder in the middle of the Quad, in front of Gunn dormitory, dedicated to Hamilton Gibson (Third Headmaster). By tradition, seniors are the only group of people allowed to climb or sit on the rock.
- The School Walk - The whole school takes a day off classes on Fredrick W. Gunn's birthday to go for a recreational hike, a tradition that he started. This walk takes students around Steep Rock, the nature conservancy in the town.
Notable alumni
- Gerald Warner BraceGerald Warner BraceGerald Warner Brace was an American novelist, writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England.-Early life and ancestors:...
(1901–1978) was an American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder. - Edsel Ford IIEdsel Ford IIEdsel Bryant Ford II is the great-grandson of Henry Ford and the son of Henry Ford II. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Ford Motor Company.-Education:...
'68 - Member of the board of directors for the Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... - Benjamin FouloisBenjamin FouloisBenjamin Delahauf Foulois , was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright Brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achieved numerous other military aviation "firsts"...
1893 - Founder of US Army Air Corps. - Jesse SofferJesse SofferJesse Lee Soffer is an American actor. His film debut at the age of eight was in Matinee. In 1995, he played the role of Bobby Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and returned for A Very Brady Sequel a year later....
'03 - Actor. - Jonathan M. Tisch '71 - Chairman and CEO of Loews HotelsLoews Hotels-About Loews HotelsHotels:Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada:-United States locations:*Loews Annapolis Hotel - Annapolis, Maryland*Loews Atlanta Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia...
and Treasurer of the New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Sam PoseySam PoseySam Posey is a retired American racecar driver and sports broadcast journalist.-Driving career:...
'62 - Racecar driver and sports broadcast journalist. - Dick WolfDick WolfRichard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
'68 - Creator of Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
.