☰
CUCH
See ur Cyber History
Search
🔍
Home
Archives
Dramas
Movies
Travel
Cuisine
Culture
🌐 English
▼
English
en
繁體中文
zh-hant
日本語
ja
한국어
ko
Français
fr
Deutsch
de
Español
es
Русский
ru
العربية
ar
Português
pt
Italiano
it
हिन्दी
hi
ไทย
th
Tiếng Việt
vi
Bahasa Indonesia
id
Bahasa Melayu
ms
Türkçe
tr
Nederlands
nl
Polski
pl
← Back to archives
#106279
College Prep School in Talbot County - The Gunston Difference
Source:
http://www.gunston.org/fs/pages/123
Archived:
2026-04-23 17:17
College Prep School in Talbot County - The Gunston Difference
The Gunston Experience
Your web browser does not support the
tag.
CONTACT:
David Henry, Director of Admission and Financial Aid
at
dhenry@gunston.org
, or 410-758-0620 ext 1104.
Gunston seeks students of good character who have exhibited both the motivation and ability to succeed in a challenging college preparatory course of study. It is also important to us that our students understand, respect, and embrace the philosophy of Gunston, and possess the talents, motivation, and interest to contribute to our dynamic community.
Register for an Open House
Apply
Intellectually Rigorous
Highly Personalized
College Preparation
Sense of Community
Balance Between Mind and Body
Developing Environmental Awareness
Mental Health Ecosystem
Honors level courses offered across the curriculum.
20+ Advanced Placement options.
Specialized electives available for students to explore exceptional interests in depth.
The Gunston Writing Project which includes the Junior Symposium and the Senior Paradigm Project.
Small classes featuring average class sizes of 10 – 12.
Superb teachers who know each student well and care deeply about their success.
Individualized class scheduling which enables each student to pursue their strengths and explore new options.
A program that incorporates teacher availability every day to help each student when needed.
Two dedicated Directors of College Guidance.
Students accepted at a wide range of schools, including some of the nation’s most selective.
A College 101 course that guides juniors and seniors step-by-step through the application process.
11th Grade Parent College Evening.
Individualized college placement program that integrates the Naviance™ system to identify schools that might be a match for each student.
Onsite test preparation provided through a self-guided module within Naviance™ and through The Princeton Review.
The Embarkation ceremony brings new students to campus by boat up the Corsica River where they are greeted by each member of the Gunston community the first day of school.
A variety of clubs, dances, trips, and student activities that allow each student an opportunity to participate.
School-based G.I.V.E. (Gunston Initiates Volunteer Effort) program allows students to work together to provide community service that benefits everyone from school aged-children to the elderly.
Students take ownership of their school and have a vested interest in creating an environment that encourages responsibility, mutual trust, and personal growth. The students genuinely want to be a part of Gunston.
Gunston requires each student to participate in a sport for 2 of the 3 seasons.
Those students not involved in a team sport engage in our comprehensive fitness program.
A Wellness offering is a part of each freshman’s schedule.
Each student has the opportunity to participate on any of the athletic teams at Gunston.
Week-long
Bay Studies
program offered each spring allows students to develop a meaningful understanding of the role the Chesapeake Bay plays in our history, development, industry, and future.
Chesapeake Watershed Semester
is available to all juniors and seniors.
Gunston is Certified as a Maryland Green School, and competes in the Green Cup Challenge.
Campus-wide Earth Day celebrated each spring involving the entire Gunston community aimed at developing sustainable habits through hands-on projects and seminars featuring guest speakers that are professionals in environmental studies.
Active partner with the Corsica River Conservancy involving local elementary students in programs such as “Maryland Grows Oysters” to help preserve the Corsica River.
At Gunston, our approach to mental health seeks to respect the complexity of this issue, and to further develop our mental health ecosystem, working in close partnership with families and outside mental health professionals. As we approach the start of the school year, let me highlight the seven pillars of Gunston’s approach, including some meaningful changes we’re making this year to support our students’ development:
Protective Factors
Social Media Education
Freedom From Chemical Dependency
Advisory Program
Student-Led Clubs
Mental Health First Aid
Consulting Psychologist
Gunston’s program, culture, and campus have been intentionally created to reinforce psychological “protective factors.” These factors have been carefully studied and documented by psychologists over time: the promotion of healthy self-regard and reliable family support; a culture that supports academic and personal achievement; participation in clubs, sports, and religious activities; appropriate behavioral limits; a safe and supportive peer culture; and strong relational attachments to teachers and healthy adult mentors. In addition, Gunston’s 75-acre waterfront campus plays a meaningful role in student wellness, as there is compelling research on the connection between access to greenspace and mental health. More than any single thing we do at Gunston, it is the integrated totality of the academic, athletic, artistic, and social experience in a beautiful natural location that promotes adolescent mental wellness and resilience. Gunston’s formal curriculum and program also includes a formal orientation, The Gunston Experience Course—which focuses on personal, social, and academic growth—as well as a Wellness course, a multi-year College Guidance curriculum, a week-long Bay Studies outdoor learning program, and a formal Learning Center that provides academic support. Thus, healthy mental wellness is highly correlated to each student’s depth of engagement across the full range of Gunston’s opportunities.
We have invested in more targeted social media education. Social media and smart devices are here to stay, but the research on their negative and positive impact is becoming clearer. Since 2012 (the year smartphone ownership exceeded 50%), trend lines associated with adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide started bending dramatically upwards. At the same time, trends associated with substance use, teen pregnancy, and risky sexual behavior went in the opposite direction. As we work to support our students as they navigate the relationship between technology and their social experiences, Gunston partners with The Social Institute (TSI). Highly recommended by our peer school colleagues, TSI offers engaging programming and school policy support, and their mission is to “empower students to navigate their social world positively…to fuel their health, happiness, and future success.”
Gunston continues to partner with Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD). FCD’s research-based “social norms” approach provides students and the adults who care for them with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to make intelligent, healthy choices about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. Each year, Gunston invites FCD to campus for an engaging multi-day educational program, and we regularly conduct FCD’s Student Attitudes and Behavior Survey—an anonymous 50-question instrument built to scientifically measure students’ actual attitudes and behavior with regard to alcohol and other drugs, as well as their perceptions of the behavior and attitudes of their classmates.
Since our founding, Gunston’s advisory program has been a cornerstone of emotional support and connection for students. A dedicated team of Gunston teachers and administrators, with the help of notables like Dr. William Damon, who runs the Stanford Center on Adolescence, have designed an extended advisory period, called “Community, Belonging, and Leadership” (CBL), to provide increased student-advisor and student-to-student connection with the aim of promoting purpose, meaningful discussion, and fun.
We offer several important student-led clubs with a focus on community wellbeing. At Gunston, some of our most impactful health and wellness programming is student-designed and student-led. Our Mental Health Awareness Club leads initiatives like our anti-bullying Unity Day and Mental Health Awareness Week. Our Student Diversity Leadership Club supports the values articulated in our Diversity statement, and coordinates our dynamic annual Global Awareness Day. Our Christian Athletes Club is a forum to explore the connection between athletics and spiritual values. Finally, our Gay-Straight Alliance offers a supportive space for students, and aims to mitigate the unique mental health risks faced by students in the LBGTQ+ community.
Gunston offers ongoing training of faculty and staff in Mental Health First Aid for youth. A number of our faculty and staff are certified in a national program sponsored by the National Council of Mental Wellness that instructs educators how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training helps develop the skills needed to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. Meanwhile, all 10th grade students complete an adolescent depression awareness program during The Gunston Experience offered through Johns Hopkins University.
A Waypoint Wellness clinician is on-site weekly to meet with students individually, or in small groups, to help with their functioning at school. In addition, Waypoint will work closely with school staff to integrate wellness policies and programs into the school environment. This will include skills training for student mindfulness, self-regulation, stress management, and self-care; addressing peer conflict; identifying social, emotional, or learning challenges; crisis and risk monitoring and assessment; screening for the need for outside mental health services; and assisting with connecting families to necessary health services. Families are required to consent to have their student meet with Waypoint, and it’s important to note that Waypoint’s role is not to provide psychological assessment or treatment for Gunston students, but rather to address barriers to student success and well-being at school from a mental health perspective.
We are deeply grateful for the exceptional education our daughters received at Gunston. The teachers are supportive and encouraging and motivate students to take the necessary risks in order to grow in confidence and truly become contributing citizens of the world in which they live. Much thought and preparation goes into the myriad of unique opportunities that Gunston offers its students, all of which are designed to help the students see beyond the familiar and develop a comfort for exploring the unknown.
-The Clair Family, P'19'22
When my daughter first graduated from Gunston, she walked onto a college campus and was able to organize herself without any stress and enjoy that first semester [and] she was comfortable advocating for herself, because Gunston had taught her how to be responsible for her work, as they have with all my kids, and to reach out to them and work with them if they need help.
-Derrika Baughman,
P’16’22’24’26’26
As parents, we are continuously impressed by the faculty, administration, and staff of The Gunston School. From before admission and now well into their junior year, our twins have matured so much... intellectually, academically, and socially. The standards are high, but our kids have risen to the challenge and embraced growth opportunities. The culture of the school is open, engaging, and respectful. Kudos to all!
-Susan Lutz, P’24’24
Inquire
Apply