The Gunston School’s Fine Arts & Performing Arts Departments held their annual Night of the Arts on December 9 to celebrate the creative talents of its students. Guests booked half-hour gallery tours from 5-7 p.m. and began the evening with warm beverages and snacks. From there, student ambassadors led groups through campus where they viewed a wide variety of paintings, photographs, mixed media prints, pottery, wood sculptures, and even 3D printed projects.

Guests also enjoyed a variety of performances by the handbell ensemble, contemporary band (“The Back Packs”) featuring vocals by Tess Kontarinis ’23, solo acts on the piano and guitar, short films, and a sneak peak of some of the funniest scenes from the upcoming February 25-27, 2022 production of the Gunston Players’ “The Misadventures of Romeo & Juliet.”

Photo: Dean of Students and former performing arts chair Mark Wiening studies the advanced placement art portfolio of Nora FauntLeRoy ’22. “In my various works of art, I chose to explore my backyard. […] I decided to show how I have interacted with different species, and change the perspective of how we see these living creatures. By changing either the size of myself or the subject focused on in my works, I was able to create a different reality of their lives, and make them feel a bit more real.” – Nora FauntLeRoy. Materials used: colored pencil, drawing paper, marker paints, and watercolor.

Gunston’s small class sizes allow faculty the ability to offer students the chance to learn and practice unique forms of art such as silk screening or lithography. Fine Arts Department Chair Victoria Windmiller explains, “Every student learns and practices the basics such as drawing and painting, and everyone has the opportunity to build upon a strong foundation to pursue whatever interest they have, be it traditional photography in our dark room, digital artwork, mixed media, or something completely new. There are an infinite number of ways to approach the same project, and students are encouraged to take their own creative approach and to think unconventionally.”

Dubbed “The Back Packs,” this contemporary music ensemble has Tess Kontarinis ’23 leading the vocals, Bates Nittle ’23 on guitar, Finn Theeke ’23 on piano, Mr. Moe Weimer on guitar, and Mr. Juan Angarita on the drums.

Challenging students to create their own forms of artistic expression is also something encouraged in the Performing Arts Department, headed by Dr. Ryan Asprion. One such project, “Music in Film Projects” by Yining Wei ’23, Maddie Algier ’23, and Marilyn Prud’homme ’24 is a perfect collaboration of fine and performing arts that includes graphic design (opening and ending credits) and costume design, with the challenge of creating sound effects with non-conventional materials, filming, editing, acting, and even writing and producing infomercials.

Many graduates who have gone on to pursue careers in the arts (including costume design, art conservation, museum exhibition design, film, photography) credit Gunston’s art program as their inspiration, and many more still appreciate and use the skills they learned under Mr. Ben Dize, former chair of the fine arts department who retired from full time teaching last spring (but still teaches the beloved woodworking class each semester).

“My philosophy is that everyone can learn to do art,” explains Mr. Dize. “Not everyone can become a great artist, but everyone can learn to produce a visual image that is satisfying to themselves.”

Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information. 

Gunston’s Head of School John Lewis has been selected to join a small cohort of experienced national and international school heads for the 2021 Klingenstein Head of School Fellowship in late January.

Gunston’s Head of School John Lewis has been selected to join a small cohort of experienced national and international school heads for the 2021 Klingenstein Head of School Fellowship in late January. The highly-selective program grants admission to just 20 heads of school annually and offers a fully-funded, two-week fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City.

The Klingenstein program’s goal is to offer veteran heads of school an intensive and inspirational mid-career professional development experience focusing on current educational issues, educational philosophy and ethics, and reflective practice. Throughout the program, the visiting heads engage in design thinking and case study work with Klingenstein master’s students, and visit independent schools in New York city to observe a variety of programs and ideas.

Now in his 12th year at Gunston, Lewis’s tenure has seen robust enrollment growth, significant enhancement in facilities, the development of the Horizons and YMCA summer programs, curricular innovation, and in 2018, the launch of the Chesapeake Watershed Semester. Prior to Gunston, Lewis served in various teaching and leadership roles at Ranney School in New Jersey, as well as at international schools in Singapore and Ecuador.

“The board of trustees was excited to learn of John’s acceptance to the Klingenstein Fellowship Program,” said Gunston’s Chair of the Board Patrick Shoemaker ’03. “Given John’s steady commitment to professional development, both for himself and his academic team, we are delighted that he will have this opportunity to experience such a renowned program. In addition to bringing back experiences learned during the fellowship, we’re hopeful that John will be able to share what he’s learned transforming Gunston over the past decade with other participants.”

“I’ve always hoped to have the opportunity to do this fellowship,” shared Lewis, “and I was humbled and excited to be selected. When I was a master’s student at Teachers College in 2002-2003, one of the most engaging experiences I had involved working with the Klingenstein Visiting Heads.

A key part of the Klingenstein Program is the opportunity to explore specific questions related to their own specific interests and school community. The Klingenstein Center at Teachers College at Columbia University was founded in 1977, and it is the premier center for academic research, education, and training of independent school teachers and leaders. The Center currently has over 4,000 alumni serving in 49 states and 60 countries.

“In my application,” explained Lewis, “I shared that I wanted to explore some of these questions: How can I support an increasingly diverse student, family and colleague population? What are the key technology and workplace changes that will impact schools moving forward? How are the most innovative schools structuring themselves to support student learning? And specifically to Gunston, how can we sustain a ‘sustainability mindset’ so that students are prepared to navigate a world in ecological crisis?”

Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information.