The Gunston School celebrated its 111th commencement this past Saturday, June 11, honoring the Class of 2022 with a waterfront ceremony overlooking the Corsica River, as family and friends looked on. The procession began with Bagpiper Robert Wallace, followed by school faculty and staff, and then the graduating seniors.

Head of School John Lewis then introduced the commencement speaker, Kristen Greenaway, the President of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, Md. Under her leadership, CBMM has seen a healthy increase in attendance through the presentation of increasingly innovative exhibitions, and expanded education and Shipyard programming, as well as being awarded a grant of $5M from the State of Maryland to build a new Maryland Dove for Historic St. Mary’s City Commission. Additionally, Greenaway was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the National Maritime Historical Society in April of 2022.

“As each of you moves forward into the next phases of your life,” said Ms. Greenaway, “you will encounter incredible opportunities to explore and chart your own pathways. Some of you may have clear and focused journeys, while others may catch a strong breeze and head for new waters. Look for opportunity in whatever form it presents itself to you. And as you do that, I have three pieces of advice for you to carry forward: Have courage to take risks and make decisions; Be mindful, useful, kind, and show empathy for others; and Build the world you want to live in.”

Mr. Lewis and Gunston’s Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Board Joe Janney, P ’21 then presented each graduate with their diploma, individually handcrafted by faculty member Michael Kaylor on an antique letterpress.

This year’s senior class had a successful college admission season and worked hard to earn $7.8 million dollars in merit scholarships. The graduates are listed here with the honors presented to them the day before on Friday, June 10 during the school’s Green & White ceremony, which featured the valedictorian address, personalized comments about every senior, academic department awards, special named awards, and recognition from the greater community, as well as the much-anticipated announcement of the Green & White Cup.

Mr. Lewis began the previous day’s awards ceremony with thank you’s and one very special one in particular to the parents out in the crowd. “You’ve been extraordinary partners with us through some of the most difficult years in recent memory. This is a group of young people who possess a high level of responsibility, character, and independence.  Their future is bright, and they wouldn’t be here without you.”

And to the Class of 2022, “As a class, you’ve amassed as impressive an academic, extracurricular, social service, and athletic resume of any class in the history of Gunston—that’s not hyperbole—and you’ve done so with grace, fortitude, and fun. You’ve also pulled together impressively as a community of classmates, and thanks to you, I finish this year deeply optimistic, because Class of 2022—I know that your learning and leadership has just begun.”

This year’s valedictorian honor (also called the Samuel A. Middleton Award) was bestowed upon two very deserving students, Abigail Miller and Magdalena Miller, of Easton, Md.

“It goes without saying that Abbey and Maggie’s academic records are exceptional, having earned perfect grade 4.0 point averages across perhaps the most rigorous course loads ever taken at Gunston, including 11 AP courses where they have already been honored as AP Scholars with Distinction, and a math curriculum that includes AP AB/BC Calculus, AP Statistics, and a multivariable calculus course. Outside of the classroom, they are student-athlete-artists, having been on the Varsity Lacrosse and sailing teams, the Champions of the 2022 Eastern Shore Mathematics Competition Champions, National Spanish Exam Medalists, and honorees of the Congressional Art competition. They were both inducted into the National Honor Society, and they are both National Merit Scholarship Finalists, which means that of the 1.5 million American high school seniors who took the PSAT, they were in the top 7,500. That’s the top 1/5th of 1 percent.”

Abbey will be studying mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester and Maggie will be studying chemical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Our mom always tells us, ‘Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.’ It’s easy to see the truth of the matter once it’s over, but you have to stay focused on what is in front of you. That is why I look forward to seeing where life takes all of you in the next four years, and congratulations once again to the class of 2022,” said Maggie.

Presented by Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis, the prestigious Gunston Award, which began in 1969 and is “unique in that it’s chosen by the vote of the entire school community,” was presented to Lucy Bamford of Chestertown, Md. who is headed to Ursinus College in the fall. “Leader, scholar, athlete. This student completed 26 total credits, nine honors classes, six AP classes, participated in 12 seasons of varsity level athletics, and held leadership roles in student government, national honor society, diversity leadership, yearbook, and on our Green & White teams. A member of the National Honor Society, this student models the qualities of scholarship, leadership, service, and character both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Mrs. Grabis.

Graduating Seniors & Recognitions:
Sofia Angarita (Wye Mills) Leadership Award, Spanish Award, Sciences Award, Senior Paradigm Award, SGA President, CHSAA Memorial Scholarship, Lucy Bamford (Chestertown) Gunston Award, Captain Green Team, Senior Class President, The Anita Gruss Athletic Award, 12 Star Athlete, Curtis (Andrew) Baughman (Worton), Sebastian Borland (Easton) 12 Star Award, John (Jack) Brady (Galena) 12 Star Award, Gracie Callahan (Denton), Joshua (Josh) Campbell (Centreville) 12 Star Award, Anastasia Clair (Middletown, Del.) Community Service Award, Charlotte Cook (Easton), Robert Crow (Friendship) Engineering Award, Benjamin (Ben) Cunningham (Dover, Del.) Senior Class Vice President, 12 Star Award, Jian (Daniel) Dang (Henan, China), Isabella (Bella) De Leon (Chestertown) The Faculty Award, 12 Star Award, Ava Duvall (Queenstown), Ashley Escobar (Cambridge) Diversity Leader Award, Spanish Award, Senior Class Treasurer, Sen. Van Hollen Public Service Award, George B. Todd Scholarship, Woicke Family Scholarship, Nora FauntLeRoy (Annapolis) Fine Arts Award, James (Jimmy) Fraser (Annapolis), Nina Friedman (Easton), Noah Friel (Grasonville), Morgan Garner (Annapolis) Moore Award for Improvement, Georgia Gillespie (Chestertown), Sheila Groz (Grasonville), Evelyn (Evie) Hagan (Chestertown) Environmental Stewardship Award, Madison (Madi) Hanlon (Middletown, Del), Paige Holmes (Chestertown), Aidan Ireland (Annapolis), Kallena Kemp (Centreville) Theater Award, Senior Paradigm Award, Zachary (Zach) LaFleur (Chestertown), Colin Lang (Trappe) United States Naval Academy Appointment Recognition, History Award, 12 Star Award, Samantha LeCrone (Preston) Sciences Award, 12 Star Award, Juyoung (Ju) Lee (Seoul, South Korea), Engineering Award, Rui (Spencer) Liu (Beijing, China) English Language Acquisition Award, Cameron (Cami) Lord (Chestertown), Alexis (Lexi) Meiklejohn (Cordova), Abigail (Abbey) Miller (Easton) Valedictorian, Math Award, National Merit® Scholar, Magdalena (Maggie) Miller (Easton) Valedictorian, Math Award, National Merit® Scholar, Alexandrea (Lexi) Norman (Chestertown), Adam Papadopoulos (Townsend, Del.) Literature Award, Fletcher Parsons (Easton), Ainsleigh Pocock (Annapolis) 12 Star Award, Summer Salos (Stevensville) Senior Class Secretary, Alec Sanderson (Arnold) Music Award, Leonardo (Leo) Santoboni (Annapolis) Computer Science Award, Lilly Santora (Annapolis), Tessa Schut (Chestertown) English Award, Nicholas (Nick) Scribner (Easton), Ashton Seaman (Severna Park) 12 Star Award, Matthew Sharpless (Easton), Danielle Simmons (Chestertown) The Faculty Award, Ronald Reagan Leadership Medal, Chestertown High School Alumni Association Scholarship, Presidential Fellow at Washington College, Jude Smith (Stevensville) The Anita Gruss Athletic Award, 12 Star Award, Andrew Steele (Centreville), Thomas Umidi (Arnold), and Yutong (Vera) Xie (Kunming, Yunnan, China).

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.

The Gunston School in Centreville, Md. celebrating its 111th commencement, celebrating the 53 members of the Class of 2022. This year’s senior class had a successful college admission season and worked hard to earn $7.8 million dollars in merit scholarships. 

Pictured: (Left) Commencement Speaker and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum President Kristen Greenaway, Head of School John Lewis (Right) Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis and Vice Chair of the Board of Gunston Trustees Joe Janey, P’21. 

Front Row: Isabella De Leon, Yutong (Vera) Xie, Abigail (Abbey Miller), Madison (Madi) Hanlon, Ashley Escobar, Paige Holmes, Morgan Garner, Alexis (Lexi) Meiklejohn, Ainsleigh Pocock, Magdalena (Maggie) Miller, Danielle Simmons, Summer Salos. 

Second Row: Kallena Kemp, Tessa Schut, Nina Friedman, Lexi Norman, Georgia Gillespie, Nora FauntLeRoy, Evelyn (Evie) Hagan, Lilly Santora, Anastasia Clair, Samantha LeCrone, Gracie Callahan, Ava Duvall.

Third Row: James (Jimmy) Fraser, Joshua Campbell, Charlotte Cook, Lucy Bamford, Sofia Angarita, Sheila Groz, Cameron (Cami) Lord, Aidan Ireland, Nicholas Scribner, Matthew Sharpless.

Fourth Row: Ashton Seaman, Alec Sanderson, Andrew Steele, John (Jack) Brady, Jude Smith, Leonardo (Leo) Santoboni, Sebastian Borland, Juyoung (Ju) Lee, Jian (Daniel) Dang, Adam Papadopoulos.

Fifth Row: Robert Crow, Zachary (Zach) LaFleur, Colin Lang, Fletcher Parsons, Benjamin (Ben) Cunningham, Thomas Umidi, Rui (Spencer) Liu, Curtis (Andrew) Baughman, Noah Friel.

2022 G&W AWARDS

Valedictorian (Middleton) Award: Abigail & Magdalena Miller

Head of School John Lewis presents the Samuel A. Middleton (Valedictorian) award to Abbey Miller and Maggie Miller of Easton, Md. 

The Gunston Award: Lucy Bamford

Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis presents The Gunson Award to Lucy Bamford, Chestertown, Md.

Community Service Award: Anastasia Clair
Leadership Award: Sofia Angarita
Diversity Leader Award: Ashley Escobar
Moore Award for Improvement: Morgan Garner
Paul M. Long Award: Zach Mozher ’23
The Marie Whittico Award: Damian Renè ’23
Megan Virginia Batdorf Award: Aaron Sanderson
Clare Poussard Award: Cy Johnston ’23
Environmental Stewardship Award: Evelyn Hagan
The Faculty Award: Danielle Simmons & Isabella De Leon

The Anita Gruss Athletics Awards: Jude Smith and Lucy Bamford
12 Star Awards: Lucy Bamford, Sebastian Borland, John (Jack) Brady, Josh Campbell, Ben Cunningham, Isabella De Leon, Colin Lang, Samantha LeCrone, Ainsleigh Pocock, Ashton Seaman, and Jude Smith. 

English Award: Tessa Schut
Literature Award: Adam Papadopoulos
Senior Paradigm: Sofia Angarita & Kallena Kemp
Junior Symposium: Zach Mozher ’23
Immersion Award: Jan Serraviñals ’23
English Language Acquisition Award: Rui (Spencer) Liu
Spanish Award: Sofia Angarita & Ashley Escobar
History Award: Colin Lang
Math Award: Abigail & Magdelena Miller
Sciences Award: Sofia Angarita & Samantha LeCrone
Engineering Award: Robert Crow & Ju Lee
Computer Science Award: Leonardo Santoboni
Fine Art Award: Nora FauntLeRoy
Theater Award: Kallena Kemp
Music Award: Alec Sanderson

Greater Community & College Awards:
Colin Lang, United States Naval Academy Appointment Recognition
Danielle Simmons, Ronald Reagan Leadership Medal, Chestertown High School Alumni Association Recognition
Ashley Escobar, Senator Van Hollen Public Service Award, George B. Todd Scholarship, Woicke Family Scholarship
Sofia Angarita, CHSAA Memorial Scholarship
Nora FauntLeRoy, Senatorial Scholarship from Senator Ed Reilly

The Gunston School team, led by Abbey Miller ’22, (Easton, Md.) Maggie Miller ’22, (Easton, Md.) and Eli Moore ’25, (Annapolis, Md.) earned first place at the 37th Annual Eastern Shore High School Mathematics Competition that took place on Wednesday, April 27 at Salisbury University. Accompanied by Gunston’s Math Department Chair Millicent Sheets, team members had to solve challenging, open-ended problems. Each team had to  provide complete solutions to as many problems as possible, including justification of all steps and clear, concise explanations. Subject areas covered by contest questions include: algebra, geometry, functions and functional notation, exponents and logarithms, trigonometry, probability and statistics, logic and set theory, arithmetic sequences, geometric series, and number theory.

The goal of the Annual Eastern Shore High School Mathematics Competition is to promote and support mathematics in the secondary education community of the Lower-and Mid-Eastern Shore counties of Delmarva.

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.

The Golfing “fore” Gunston III fundraiser on Monday, May 2 at the Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville welcomed 108 golfers including Gunston alumni, parents, past parents, and community supporters. A 9 a.m. shotgun start began the day, with teams competing for prizes while enjoying food, drinks and fun give-aways.

The day’s winners include: Men’s First Place with a gross score of 55, Creg Fleetwood, Casey Grieves, Scott Sturgill and Josh Johnson, and Women’s First Place with a gross score of 75, Janell Frederick, P’23 ’25, Andrea Brock, Karen Tengwall, and Liz Bristner received prizes of Under Armour jackets and gift certificates to Prospect Bay’s pro shop. The winner of the Men’s Longest Drive was Chris Eakins, and for Women’s Longest Drive, the winner was Jen Matthews ’05, with a prize of a MV2 Golf bag and gift certificate. Closest to the Pin winner was Dave Connelly, with a prize of a Bat-Caddy X3R remote control cart, and Last Place Winners were Ginni Biondi, Vicki Dean, Heather Bacher and Liz Verhelle with a prize of brand new pickleball racquets and ball and Dick’s Sporting Goods gift certificates.

“As we look to support the gift of education for our students, we enjoyed a large crowd and a beautiful day. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who played, sponsored, and volunteered,” shared Gunston’s Head of School John Lewis.

Additionally, a concurrently running online silent auction, the Gunston Biddersnest, offered items such as golf packages, weekend getaway, spa package, restaurant gift certificates and more. Together, the golf tournament and the auction raised $25,000 for the Heron Annual Fund, which allows Gunston the ability to offer more than 60% of its students financial aid, provide additional enrichment and hands-on opportunities that extend beyond the classroom for both students and faculty, and more.

Event Sponsors included Tournament Sponsors Atlantic Cruising Yachts (Dawn & Christian Bent, P‘25), Fred Frederick of Easton (Janell & Jeffrey Frederick, P ’23 ’25), Dani & Rick de los Reyes, P’23, and What’s Up? Media Company. The Crush Station was sponsored by Ms. Alice Ryan ’75 and the Grilling Station was sponsored by Friel Lumber Company (Gina & James Friel, P‘22). Ceremony sponsors include Sugar Doodles Sweet Shop (The Brown Family, P ’23 ’24), Gillespie & Son, Inc. (The Gillespie Family, P’20 ’22 ’24) and Friends of Gunston. Refreshment sponsors include Mirando Chiropractic Center (Kristy & Dominick Mirando, P’25), Dr. Laurie Lewis and John Lewis, KRM Construction, Shore United Bank, Kent School and Callahan’s Gas & Appliance (Dana & Mark Callahan, P’22). Contest sponsors include KRM Construction and Datalink Interactive.

Hole sponsors include Palmieri & Shannahan, Tony Drew, the McClary Family, P’21 ’23, the Umidi Family, P`19, `22,  Lona Sue Todd (Taylor Properties), Sara Jane Davidson, Tred Avon Family Wealth,, the Clair Family, P`19, `22, Irene & John Hansen, P`23, Glenn Michael, the Thomas Family, the Sanderson Family, P’22 ‘23, Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat, Datalink Interactive, Mark & Diane Freestate, P’98, Moorhouse Electrical Services, the Ceruolo Family, P’23, the DeLeon Family, P’22, the Algier Family, P’23 ‘26, the Myers Family, P’21 ‘24, and Reliable Pest Control.

A special thanks to Drapers of Centreville, for providing drinks and refreshments.

Gunston Biddersnest Auction Donors: Links at Perry Cabin, Prospect Bay Country Club, Serino Orthodontics, Ticklers at Wylder Tilghman Island, Dogwood Acres, Riverstone1730, Swan Cove, Bella Spa, Tastings Gourmet Market Annapolis, Gunston School Experiences.

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. 

The Gunston School is pleased to announce that five members of the class of 2022 have signed their letters of intent to play sports at the college level. At a recent signing ceremony this past Wednesday, April 27, students and their families along with coaches and faculty gathered in the Alice R. Ryan Family Library to celebrate their accomplishments.

Colin Lang of Trappe, Md., will be rowing for the Naval Academy. “Colin is not somebody who lets roadblocks and obstacles get in the way of things he wants to achieve,” said Coach Law. “If he sets his mind on something, it doesn’t matter what it takes, he’s going to achieve it. The way that he conducts himself, not only in the classroom, but also in the boat as a captain, really exemplifies all of the values and morals of the United States Naval Academy.”

“Attending the Naval Academy has been a goal of mine since middle school,” said Lang. “I’ve known for a while that I wanted to serve my country and the Naval Academy was clearly the best route for me to do that.” Lang is still deciding on a major but is leaning toward mechanical engineering given his strong interest in physics and engineering. He was also recruited for the men’s heavyweight rowing team. “I’m very excited to continue my rowing career at a high caliber Division 1 team, and I’m very thankful for my [Gunston] teammates and coaches for helping me achieve this.”

Nora FauntLeRoy of Annapolis, Md. will be playing lacrosse for St. Mary’s College. Gunston’s Assistant Girls Lacrosse Coach Ronnie Vesnaver said, “Her fervor and love for the game is present on the field at all times. She’s incredibly intimidating as a player, she’s fast, and she’s present all the time. All game long. That fervor that you see on the field is a true testament to how much she loves the game and how much she loves being on a team.” Playing since the age of five, FauntLeRoy started playing club lacrosse in the fourth grade with Maryland United Lacrosse Club 2022 East and played with them for eight years. “There is just such a positive community surrounding the [Gunston] team that I’m going to miss so much, but I know that I’m going to find another one at St. Mary’s.” FauntLeRoy plans to major in either math or philosophy with a minor in art. During her career at Gunston, she also spent time playing basketball and soccer as well as running for cross country.

Ben Cunningham of Dover, Del. will be attending Alfred University for lacrosse. “When Ben got here, I remember turning to the other coach and saying this is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever seen,” said Gunston’s Head Lacrosse Coach Zach Hoisington “Anything I told Ben to do on the field, I didn’t even have to show him, he would just do it right away. Ben has emerged as one of our top defensemen on the team but he’s also one of our top scorers. Just a huge asset to our program.”

Samantha LeCrone of Preston, Md. will be attending Monmouth University in New Jersey, where she’ll be majoring in marine biology and policy. LeCrone was recruited to be a part of Monmouth’s brand new division 1 crew program. Coach Law reflected, “Sam is a prime example of someone who comes in, falls in love with a sport, dedicates herself one hundred percent to it, and just seeing her improve over the last two years and how she motivates her teammates sets such a great example in both work ethic and performance.”

In addition to crew, LeCrone also is a competitive surfer, having recently competed in the O’Neill East Coast Grom Tour surf competition this past September in Ocean City, Md., where she placed in the top three of two heats before advancing to the final heat where she placed fifth against some of the most talented surfers on the East Coast.(LeCrone only began surfing competitively in the summer of 2020.) LeCrone began rowing in her sophomore year. “One of the biggest challenges of rowing is learning to work with a team. Everything we do is uniquely challenging and increases my [desire] to get better. When out on the water, everyone has to work together or else the whole boat falls apart. This forces you to develop a strong relationship with your team.”

Jude Smith of Stevensville, Md. will be attending High Point University for lacrosse. “Jude is one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever seen here,” continued Coach Hoisington. “Having somebody on the field that the rest of the players can see and aspire to be like, I can’t even tell you how much that helps. You hear coaches say ‘you can’t teach competitiveness.’ Well, you can teach it when you’ve got Jude Smith on your team to set the example.”

In addition to lacrosse, (in which he earned First-Team Eastern Shore Athletic Conference honors for two years in a row), Smith also played basketball and soccer at Gunston, earning honorable mention all-conference in basketball during both his freshman and sophomore seasons, and for soccer, was named team MVP as a freshman and made the all-conference first-team the following season.

Photo: Seated (l-r) Ben Cunningham of Dover, Del. will be attending Alfred University for lacrosse, Jude Smith of Stevensville, Md. will be attending High Point University for lacrosse, Samantha LeCrone of Preston, Md. will be attending Monmouth University for rowing, Colin Lang of Trappe, Md., will be rowing for the Naval Academy, and Nora FauntLeRoy of Annapolis, Md. will be playing lacrosse for St. Mary’s College. Standing (l-r) David and Amy Cunningham, Jeff Smith, Commander Lynda LeCrone and David LeCrone, Bonnie Coleman, Diedre and Garrett Lang, Michelle and John FauntLeRoy.

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. 

The Gunston School is pleased to announce that in addition to its annual spring fundraiser, Golfing “fore” Gunston on Monday, May 2 at the Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville, Md., a silent auction will also run simultaneously beginning April 29, with winners announced at the May 2 golf tournament’s awards ceremony.

The Biddersnest Online Silent Auction offers the chance to bid on items such as dinner for four and a golf simulator session at Prospect Bay Country Club, a full day Gunston Watershed Experience for a family of 4-6 plus lunch, Tastings Gourmet Market Cheese and Charcuterie Platter for 10-15, Dogwood Acres Pet Getaway and a golf-themed doggy basket, Bella Rosa and Swan Cove spa package, a weekend getaway at Riverstone 1730, $100 gift certificate for Tickler’s Crab Shack & Restaurant at the Wylder, Tilghman Island, Serino Orthodontics $1,000 gift certificate toward braces or invisalign, and front row seats for 10 at Gunston’s 2022 Commencement Ceremony. Auction winners will be announced at the golf awards ceremony on May 2. Bidders do not need to be present to win and will be notified after the auction.

Funds raised from both the tournament and the auction go directly to the school’s Heron Fund, which supports the school’s operating budget and ensures the ability to offer robust financial aid to more than 60% of students.

Business leaders wishing to increase visibility within the community, and those looking to register to golf, can find sponsorship opportunities and registration options at https://www.gunston.org/golf22.

The day begins with a continental breakfast, followed by a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Refreshments and food will be served throughout the day. An awards ceremony will follow with prizes for (Men and Women’s) First Place, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, and “Last Place” winners. Golfers will be vying to win prizes such as a Bat-Caddy X3R Remote Control Cart, MNML MV2 Golf Bags, Under Armour gear, Pro Shop gift cards, and more. This year’s event includes activities such as lunch and tennis with a pro for those who may not golf, but would like to show their support by connecting with other members of the Gunston community.

Golf registration is $175 per player or $675 per foursome and $165 for alumni golfers or $650 for alumni foursomes. Sponsorships are also available, ranging from $150 up to $3,000 and include the opportunity for businesses to get their name and logo in front of the entire Gunston community of students, parents, alumni, and local community members.

Visit https://www.gunston.org/golf22 to register for the outing or a sponsorship (or both!), or call Event Director Lynda Scull at 410-758-0620, ext. 1101 or email lscull@gunston.org.

Additionally, the spring fundraiser welcomes its newest sponsors from Atlantic Cruising Yachts (Dawn & Christian Bent, P‘25), one of the largest worldwide dealers for Fountaine Pajot yachts, as a Tournament Sponsor, and Friel Lumber Company (Gina & James Friel, P‘22), the largest and most complete kitchen and bath showroom in the area, will be this year’s Grilling Station Sponsor.

Tournament sponsors include Fred Frederick of Easton (Janell & Jeffrey Frederick, P ’23 ’25), Dani & Rick de los Reyes, P’23, and What’s Up? Media Company. The Crush Station sponsor is Alice Ryan ’75. Ceremony sponsors include Sugar Doodles Sweet Shop (The Brown Family, P ’23 ’24), Gillespie & Son, Inc. (The Gillespie Family, P’20 ’22 ’24) and Friends of Gunston. Refreshment sponsors include Mirando Chiropractic Center (Kristy & Dominick Mirando, P’25), Dr. Laurie Lewis and John Lewis, KRM Construction, Shore United Bank, Kent School and Callahan’s Gas & Appliance (Dana & Mark Callahan, P’22). Contest sponsors include KRM Construction and Datalink Interactive. Hole sponsors include Sara Jane Davidson, Tred Avon Family Wealth, The Thomas Family, The Sanderson Family, P’22 ‘23, Reliable Pest Control, Moorhouse Electrical Services, Diane and Mark Freestate, P ’98, The Algier Family, P’23 ‘26, Datalink Interactive, The Myers Family, P’21 ‘24, The Ceruolo Family, P’23 and the DeLeon Family, P’22.

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.

The Gunston School sent 10 students in four teams with five rockets to the 2022 Red Glare Rocket Festival in Price, Md., sponsored by the Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association (MDRA). The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) at Gunston is one of the main projects of the Science and Engineering Club, mentored by the Chair of the Science Department, Dr. Ken Wilson. Oliver White ’23 (Easton, Md.) is this year’s “rocketry tsar,” whose job is to organize the team along with fellow student leaders Autumn Watson ’23 (Centreville, Md.), Josh Nuessle ’24 (Centreville, Md.), and Colin Lang ’22 (Trappe, Md.)

This year’s challenge (per TARC website) was to build a model rocket that carried two raw large hen eggs (mounted sideways) to an altitude of 835 feet, stayed airborne for between 41 and 44 seconds, and returned to ground safely. Other requirements for the rocket included “a gross liftoff weight of no more than 650 grams, a minimum length of at least 650 millimeters, be made up of body tubes of two different diameters and be powered by commercial rocket motor(s) of class “F” or smaller with no more than 80 N-sec of total impulse across all motors.”

“The day got off to an intense start, as there were quite a lot of finishing touches to be added on Saturday morning,” said Dr. Wilson. “But the teams were able to get their rockets through inspection and out onto the field.”

Nuessle’s team included Alex McIntyre ’25 (Crofton, Md.), Tommy McGeady ’25 (Arnold, Md.), Justin McCubbin ’25 (Severna Park, Md.), and Emma Sharp ’25 (Chestertown, Md.) The team’s rocket, “The Lighthouse,” flew beautifully for its third-ever flight and gained a good set of data to study despite the hard landing. Sharp also launched her “Big Bertha” rocket for the third time which performed flawlessly.

The team led by Watson also included Yining Wei ’25 (Guangzhou, China), and Trevor Janssen ’25 (Stevensville, Md.). Their rocket, dubbed the “Ankle Biter,” flew well on its very first flight. The nose cone detached during recovery, but was retrieved and repaired. “I’m impressed that they were able to cooperate to build a first class rocket without ever being able to work together in person,” said Dr. Wilson, who is referring to the fact that students used their free time to build rockets after school and on weekends, so rockets often had a rotating cast of characters (students), who weren’t always able to work together at the same time.

Lang’s ambitious team—Jian “Daniel” Dang ’22 (Zhengzhou, China), Jiacheng “Jason” Ye ’23 (Suzhou, China), and Robert Crow ’22 (Friendship, Md.)—elected to skip the TARC requirements and create “Big Blue,” the largest, heaviest rocket that Gunston has ever built. It flew into the sky successfully during trials at the school and at Red Glare, however it experienced a recovery system glitch both times. Still, it was recovered practically undamaged. “The size and design of the rocket raised eyebrows during inspection, and it was gratifying to see it achieve stable flight,” added Dr. Wilson.

The last team to offer up a rocket to compete at Red Glare was White’s team including Kate Kroncke ’23 (Grasonville, Md.), Paige Kroncke ’23 (Grasonville, Md.), Aidan Watson ’25 (Centreville, Md.), Alex Bent ’25 (Queenstown, Md.), and Matthew Sharpless ’22 (Easton, Md.), none of whom were able to attend the event this year. Two weeks prior, the team’s rocket was destroyed in a test launch, due to a catastrophic motor failure.

“They dug in and pulled together a simpler rocket in record time as a replacement,” explained Dr. Wilson. “Alex McIntyre generously agreed to take it through inspection and launch it for them. Unfortunately, the electronics of the launch pad supplied by Red Glare failed and their replacement rocket did not get a chance to make its first flight despite two tries. Oliver’s team will launch it at Gunston in the coming weeks.”

Dr. Wilson continued, “Congratulations to all the hard working students participating in TARC rocketry at Gunston this year, and many thanks to the parents who made it possible for students to meet over weekends to design, simulate, build, and launch rockets. It is worth noting that the majority of rockets in their size range at Red Glare were built from kits; building a stable rocket from scratch is a much more challenging task! The students and I learned a lot this year and I can’t wait to see our newly minted rocketry experts mentor the next generation of newbies next year!”

Head of School John Lewis added, “I am very excited to see the huge growth in interest in our STEM programs here at Gunston. In 2017, we had three students, one team, and one rocket. This year, the program was full with 18 students, some completely new to the program. What they were all able to accomplish is a testament to Dr. Wilson, and I can’t wait to see the program grow even more.”

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.

On Sunday, April 3, Gunston 9th grader Logan Kille, of Centreville, Md., was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. Only 8% of Boy Scouts earn this award, and Kille is especially notable for the short time it took him to reach this unique milestone. He was joined by family, friends, fellow scouts, Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance Richardson, County Commissioner Jack Wilson, and Executive Director of Chesterwye Laura Langseth. During the ceremony, Kille was praised for his remarkable Eagle Project where he completed a series of facilities upgrades and beautification improvements to support the residents of Chesterwye—a local organization that assists people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with independent living. For his efforts, at the ceremony Commissioner Wilson offered Kille a formal proclamation that declared April 3rd, 2022, Logan Kille Day in Queen Anne’s County.

Gunston’s Head of School John Lewis and Assistant Head Christie Grabis joined Kille at the ceremony. Lewis noted, “I can’t get over how much Logan has accomplished as a Boy Scout. He is a living legend in his current troop, having already earned the rank of Eagle and 51 merit badges. At the same time, he was praised as a ‘servant leader’ who is humble about his accomplishments. Meanwhile, his Eagle Project—completed during the height of COVID—has made a transformative impact at Chesterwye. It involved nearly a thousand hours and over $4,000 dollars of raised funds. We were honored to attend, and proud to call Logan a Gunston student. Also, if I ever get lost in the woods, I hope Logan is around the corner!”

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.

The Gunston School is pleased to announce Autumn Watson ’23 was selected as a delegate (District 7630) for the 2022 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). RYLA is an intense leadership-training experience designed to recognize, encourage, and further the knowledge and skills of 11th grade high school students who have a demonstrated leadership potential and a heart for community service.

Watson, along with more than 100 other students from area high schools attended an intense weekend of lectures, discussions, and hands-on learning experiences that focus on the development of leadership skills and increasing awareness of critical public issues, community concerns, youth-related issues, and service/career opportunities. The weekend kicked off with students packing more than 10,000 Meals of Hope breakfasts for local food pantries.

RYLA was held in Ocean City, Md., this past February. “Even though you may already be (or think you are) a great leader, you can always learn more and get new things out of an experience or help others along their journey to becoming a great leader,” said Watson.

Gunston’s Head of School John Lewis (also a member of Centreville Rotary) shared, “Rotary believes that leadership is a teachable skill, and each year students return from this conference with valuable insights about how to turn good ideas into meaningful realities. For motivated students like Autumn, this can be a life-changing and world-changing experience.”

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.

The Gunston School and the Chesapeake Watershed Semester (CWS) are proud to announce the receipt of grants from the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators (MAEOE) and Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLAES). Gunston’s environmental programs expand beyond the classroom to include the nationally-recognized Chesapeake Bay Studies (a four-year program and graduation requirement for all students), annual Earth Day celebrations, and the Chesapeake Watershed Semester, which is open to the public for any 11th and 12th grade students. CWS offers the opportunity to travel across the watershed over five different learning expeditions. These grants support student research on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration along our waterfront and transportation to field study locations.

The SAV restoration project allows students to take part in a multi-state effort to restore SAV beds in Chesapeake Bay. By doing so, students collaborate on research methods and experience ecological restoration firsthand. “This project supports Gunston’s efforts to offer real-world research opportunities and climate education to its students,” explains CWS Director Emily Beck. The grant also provides field sampling equipment including salinity probes, Secchi discs, turbidity sensors, sediment sorting equipment, and additional reagents for the school’s Lamotte Colorimeter to allow students to participate in site assessment and data collection.

To learn more about SAV’s and how to become involved, check out ShoreRivers and their work in SAV monitoring and restoration, and Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources Restoration Guide.

Officially integrated into the curriculum in 1994, environmental programming at Gunston continues to outpace and exceed national standards almost three decades later with its immersive and hands-on learning experiences. “For students in the 21st century, learning the skills of preserving and stewarding the natural environment is essential, and Gunston believes that we have an educational and moral responsibility to teach students how to live in a sustainable manner,” said Head of School John Lewis.

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.