The Gunston School is delighted to announce that the school has acquired 25-acres of property adjacent to the campus from the estate of Carter (Middleton) Bond. Bond was the granddaughter of the school’s founders, Samuel and Mary Middleton, and she passed away peacefully at the age of 91 in early 2022.

The acquisition, which closed on November 22, will grow the campus footprint by 40% from 35 to 60 acres. The newly-acquired parcels substantially extend the eastern edge of the school’s campus, and include the forested and farm field areas behind The Gunston Tennis Center and the school’s athletic fields (see map).

Gunston’s Board Chair Patrick Shoemaker ’03 noted, “The phrase once-in-a-lifetime can be overused, but I think it’s appropriate in this situation. Institutions rarely have the opportunity to acquire substantial adjacent property. Our Board immediately recognized the opportunity we had in front of us. We’re excited to consider how to utilize this new space to benefit our students today, and in the future.”

Shoemaker continued, “We owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Bond’s son, Wick Sollers, for honoring his mother’s love and connection to the school; to trustee Chris McClary for his skilled management of the transaction process, and to our Head of School John Lewis whose long-standing personal relationship with Mrs. Bond and other members of the Middleton family have kept their family legacy alive.”

Mr. Sollers shared, “My family has a deep affection for Gunston School, and we have been gratified to watch its extremely positive trajectory under the leadership of John Lewis and his team. We are delighted—and my Mom, her sister Emily Durham, and their parents and grandparents would also have been delighted—that Gunston will be the steward of and use wisely the beautiful land that it has acquired from my family.”

Head of School John Lewis said, “I think the first question to naturally ask is: What is the school going to do with this substantial additional property? We always begin with students in mind, and the additional acreage will likely help us to navigate some short-term challenges associated with our 2021 Campus Master Plan. However, complex and sizable acquisition of this scope will involve our Board coordinating a multi-year, multi-constituent planning process about how to shape and steward this new space. Perhaps the most immediate impact is that we’ll now have the best interscholastic Cross Country course in the ESIAC conference!”

The multi-year process of acquiring the adjacent acreage began when Lewis reached out to Bond about selling the school a 3-acre parcel of land bisecting the campus behind Heron Field and the Tennis Courts. “She was open to this idea,” said Lewis, “and we made several plans for her to visit campus to survey the space. Unfortunately, health challenges didn’t permit Mrs. Bond to travel, so our discussions were put on hold. After she passed away unexpectedly in early 2022, her son Mr. Sollers immediately picked up the baton of our discussion, and it became clear that a more expansive 25-acre acquisition might be possible.”

Carter Bond spent her life amidst independent school education. Her father Atherton “Appy” Middleton was the former lacrosse coach at the University of Pennsylvania and headmaster of the St. Paul School for Boys. During the summers, Appy and his wife Catherine helped to operate Camp Gunston, then a popular overnight camp for students in the Mid-Atlantic region. Bond spent her summers on Gunston’s campus and remained closely connected to the school throughout the years. She was a graduate of Garrison Forest School and eventually became an athletic instructor at the St. Paul School for Boys.

Lewis shared, “My relationship with Mrs. Bond began during the first year of my tenure at Gunston. She shared fun and moving stories of the role Gunston’s campus played in the lives of young people during the middle of the 20th century. Although she resided in the Baltimore area, Gunston helped to shape her, and she always supported the school and our mission. We miss her, and we’re glad that her legacy to Gunston will endure.”

Since its founding in 1911, Gunston has enjoyed a rich history on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It was founded as the co-educational Gunston Farm School for students between 8 and 18 before becoming the Gunston School for Girls, a boarding school with an enrollment of approximately 80 girls. In 1996, Gunston transitioned to become Gunston Day School, a college preparatory school for students in the Mid-Shore region and beyond. In 2011, the school’s Centennial Year, the school was renamed The Gunston School, tying together its rich and diverse history. The school now enrolls 235 students from six counties, two states, and four countries. It also houses two major summer programs in partnership with the YMCA and Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne’s. These programs serve hundreds of students during the summer.

“For 12 decades, young people have benefitted from Gunston’s stunning waterfront campus,” reflected Lewis. “Gunston has evolved with the times, always keeping youth growth and development as our central priority. We’re mindful of our role as part of the educational ecosystem of the Eastern Shore, so while this is an exciting time for the school, it’s also exciting for the region we serve.”

The Gunston School is delighted to announce that the school has acquired 25-acres, growing the campus footprint by 40% from 35 to 60 acres. PHOTO BY TORREY POCOCK.

Carter (Middleton) Bond was the granddaughter of The Gunston School’s founders, Samuel and Mary Middleton.

(from left) Gunston Trustee Chris McClary, P’21’23, Chair of the Board Patrick Shoemaker ’03, Wick Sollers, and Head of School John Lewis.

The Gunston School recognized 177 students for earning High Honors and Honors for the first quarter of the 2022-2023 academic year. To earn a place on the High Honors list, a student must have an academic average of 93 percent or above and effort grades of satisfactory, “S” or above. To earn Honors, a student must achieve an 88-92.99 average and effort grades of “S” or above.

High Honors Grade 12: Nicholas (Nick) Abell, Zachary (Zack) Adams, Madilyn (Maddie) Algier, Olivia Amygdalos, Kelby Booth, McKinsey Brown, Julia Buchanan, Nicasio (Nick) Ceruolo, Sadie Cloud, Thomas de los Reyes, Celine Denat, Charles Evans, Irina Ganarin, Catherine Hansen, Sarah (Eli) Ireland, Thomas (Cy) Johnston, Paget Kellogg, Katherine (Kate) Kroncke, Paige Kroncke, Garrett Lang, Jennie LaTorre, YaXin (Angelina) Lin, Julia McClary, Calla McCluskey, Ava Melvin, Zacharia (Zach) Mozher, Elizabeth (Lane) Parkhurst, Grace Anne Phillips, Nathan Porter, Damian René, Isabelle Wagner Requena, MacKenzie Smith, William Stuart, Finnegan (Finn) Theeke, Brielle Tyler, and Yining Wei.

Honors Grade 12: Katelyn (Kate) Campbell, Olivia Faff, Alanna Grace, Natalie Henry, Ian Kissel, Christopher (Bates) Nittle, Miranda Pope, Julia Reed, Mekonnen Sahle-Selassie, Liam Thomas, Aidan Trautman, Oliver White, and Jiacheng (Jason) Ye.

High Honors Grade 11: Quinn Baughman, Michael Billings, Zoe Buzzelli, Benjamin (Ben) Cook, Turner Day, Liam Dickey, Aiden Dunlap, Allie Fitzgerald, Edward (Eddie) Gillespie, Trevor Green, Colin Hallmark, Jessica Hammond, Caeden Harrison, Abigail (Abbie) Houseknecht, Samantha Jayne, Samantha (Sam) Keith, Maren Kneeland, Lucas LaFleur, Arnold (Ben) Lutz, Madison (Madi) Lutz, Caitlin Myers, Joshua Nuessle, Tilghman Overton, Matthew Periconi, Taylor Rainer, Joanna Riley, Luke Roser, Ava Runz, Jan Serraviñals, Jonah Smith, Anna Szwaja, Isabella Taylor, and Evelyn Volkmer.

Honors Grade 11: Shawn Barry, Sedona Bell, Harrison Dunstan, Eleanor (Ellie) Hassett, Sophia Kent, Rowan Larkin, Rowan Lutz, Jaden Mahaffey, Lucia Melchiorre, Josie Merton, Kate Porter, Mariner Schut, Annabelle Sinatra, Amber Tormey, Arielle Tyler, and Jackson Wood.

High Honors Grade 10: Lauren (Alix) Allison, Jack Beasley, Lily Brantner, Alex Elfenbein, Jackson Frederick, Adit Gupta, Brayden Hamm, Grace Hanlon, Trevor Janssen, Phoebe Kelly, Phil Kokoschka, Celine Kumin, V McCluskey, Isla McCollum, Justin McCubbin, Sam Mielke, Elijah Moore, Louise Mulock, Benta Owino, Elizabeth Pupke, Alivia Runz, Katherine Sadler, Grace Shepherd, Mia Walker, and Aidan Watson.

Honors Grade 10: Lea Berling, Alayna Brown, Allison Davis, Alexa Duncan, Lennox Franks, Elena Fraser, Jeffrey (Tanner) Hatch, R.P. Johnson, Nina Johnston, Brendan (Wylie) Keegan, Logan Kille, Allison (Alli) Lutz, Victoria MacGlashan, Robert (Ethan) McWilliams, Caroline Mirando, Kazys Morris, Victoria (Tori) Nessly, Ellery Philippon, Margaret Randolph, Evelyn Russ, Emma Sharp, Jackson Showalter, Zachary Steinberg, and Evan Zottarelli.

High Honors Grade 9: Kate Andrews, Ava Augustus, Soren (Arlo) Badger, Annabelle Baker, Gabriella Bonfoey, Eleonor Hubbert, Sydney Kim, Eamon Schopfer, Lia Schut, Emily Steele, Alayna Thompson, and Lucas Watkins.

Honors Grade 9: Lillian (Lily) Babylon, Aurora Baughman, Genevieve Baughman, Susannah Clark, Emery Day, Riley Faff, Gianni Figliozzi, Aiden Filer, Layla Kent, Lily May, Olivia Murray, Nevin Porter, Megan Riley, Arya Shajwani, Caroline Thomas, Luca Tyler, Lilah Wharton, and Sydney Wilson.

Benedictine’s annual Birdies For Benedictine charity golf tournament, held at the Talbot Country Club, raised close to $41,000. The funds will be used for urgent needs including student and adult programming, facility repairs and staff development.

Committee Chair Steve Smith, whose brother-in-law has been with Benedictine since he was a student, expressed his gratitude of the organization.“Benedictine has provided my brother-in-law with a loving, caring, and engaging life that we are grateful for. And more than that, Benedictine has taught us how to live with and support an individual with developmental disabilities. Benedictine has enriched all our lives.”

Scott Evans, Executive Director of Benedictine, Eddie Mangold with Benson & Mangold Real Estate and Creg Fleetwood of Fleetwood Insurance pose at Talbot Country Club after playing in Birdies for Benedictine charity golf tournament.

Several sponsors supported the event: PNC Bank, Hilb Group, Preston Automotive Group, Marasun Roofing, BDK, Inc., Mullen, Sondberg, Wimbish& Stone P.A., Provident State Bank, Tri Gas & Oil Co., VFW Post 7464, Town of Ridgely, Maryland, 103.1 WRNR, Barstow & Sons Heating and Cooling. Individual family support came from Sandra Amato, Mr. and Mrs. John Krieger and Mr. and Mrs.Laurence Hoffman. Participants also enjoyed tastings from Lyon Rum of St. Michaels.

S. Kurt Engelhaupt, PNC Vice President, Relationship Manager Commercial Banking, commented, “We are proud to support Benedictine and grateful for the services they provide. They make the lives of those they support and their families and communities where they live and work healthier today and every day.”

Players enjoyed a morning putting contest with the winner being Dylan Dixon of Dixon’s Auction at Crumpton. The day’s play including a shotgun start, awards ceremony and lite fare. Closest to the pin was awarded to Steve Ochse of Easton Utilities and Dixie Hughlett, a longtime supporter of Benedictine and founder of the Birdies for Benedictine tournament. Longest Drive went to Wes Sim and Taylor Holden, our youngest player. The winning team, guests of Matt Bradley – husband of Benedictine Board Member Theresa Bradley, was John Patrick, Charlie Shiles, Dave Mummert and Wes Sims.

Bob Core of PNC Bank, Craig Wanner and Chris Murphy of Whalen Co., and Steve Ochse of Easton Utilities during play at Birdies for Benedictine.

“I commend Benedictine and the players for an excellent tournament. It was one of the most generous and enjoyable tournaments I have played,” commented Steve Ochse, Senior Vice President and CFO, Easton Utilities.

For more information on Benedictine’s events, services and ways to support, please contact Claudia Cunningham at [email protected] 410.634.2292. Visit Benedictine at www.benschool.org.

About Benedictine:

Benedictine is a non-sectarian, nonprofit, comprehensive service provider helping more than 200 children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and autism achieve their greatest potential. Benedictine’s year-round educational program is one of only 26 nationwide to earn a two-year accreditation from the National Commission for Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This program includes home-like living and learning options on the Ridgely, Maryland campus, for children ages 5 to 21 who come from Maryland and surrounding states. Benedictine’s Adult Services program offers employment and vocational services for transitional youth and adults, ages 22 to 70+, in the community and those who live in Benedictine’s group homes in Caroline, Talbot and Anne Arundel counties. The Easton Community Services & Training Center prepares the adults it serves to enter the workforce and collaborates with the Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Dorchester County public schools to provide services to their students through the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) Program. For more information, visit www.benschool.org.

The Gunston School is pleased to announce Senior Zacharia (Zach) Mozher of Middletown, Del. has been selected as a semifinalist in the 68th annual National Merit® Scholarship Program, making him a part of the top 16,000 high school students selected out of 1.5 million qualified applicants. National Merit semifinalists represent less than one percent of high school seniors in the United States and include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Mozher will be competing for about 7,500 scholarships worth almost $30M. Roughly 15,000 semifinalists will advance to the finalist level in February, with scholarships awarded later in the spring. The application process is rigorous, requiring an outstanding academic record as well as a detailed record of school and community engagement in various activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, endorsements and recommendations by a high school official, an essay, and near perfect SAT or ACT scores.

The Gunston School is pleased to announce Senior Zacharia (Zach) Mozher of Middletown, Del. has been selected as a semifinalist in the 68th annual National Merit® Scholarship Program, making him a part of the top 16,000 high school students selected out of 1.5 million qualified applicants. Mozher is pictured center, with Head of School John Lewis (left) and Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis (right).

“As an academic, Zach chose to accelerate his studies starting in grade nine,” said Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis. “At the close of this year, he will have completed 11 AP courses. He is also a National Honor Society peer tutor and highly effective working with others.”

Last year, Mozher was selected by the faculty for Gunston’s Paul M. Long Award, given to the “junior who in his/her first three years at Gunston has made the greatest contribution to the school via academic work, student government, clubs, sports, service activities, chorus, drama, and general effort, time, and energy expended in the interest of the school. The award is named in honor of Paul M. Long who was Headmaster for 19 years.”

“Zach is more than a student; he’s a scholar, athlete, and citizen of the highest order. He led the school’s academic team to multiple appearances at the National Small School Quiz Bowl Championships in Chicago, where he ranks near the top of all scorers,” added Head of School John Lewis.

Mozher’s advisor, Tom Chafey agrees. “Zach is an exceptional student and he certainly has a fantastic knack for coding and a powerful curiosity for technology.”

Mozher himself is interested in biology and is considering a pre-med track and eventually becoming a doctor. “AP bio was the first time I ever studied biology in-depth, and the more I learned, the more it blew my mind,” he said.

Becoming a semifinalist was indeed a goal of his and he offered this advice to others, “I think at the end of the day, it comes down to prioritizing school work and studying and making sure that gets done before everything else. Planning ahead and good time management are also really important, especially when it comes to studying for the PSAT and SAT.”

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.