Pictured front row from left is commencement speaker Betsy McCown, P’11, the Associate and Managing Director of the Echo Hill Outdoor School. Sydney Wilson, Iza Warot, Emily Steele, Susannah Clark, Riley Faff, Lia Schut, Emma Morris, Arya Shajwani, Emery Day, Olivia Murray, and Assistant Head of School Christie Grabis. Second row, from left is Head of School John Lewis, Wren Weingaertner, Caroline Thomas, Annabelle Baker, Paula Ruiz San Valentin, Ava Augustus, Hannah Mae Conner, Ariel Stap, Sophie Pierce, Alayna Thompson, Sydney Kim, and Gunston’s Chair of the Board Joe Janney, P’21. Third row, from left is Eleonor Hubbert, Kate Andrews, Olivia Mandell, Lilah Wharton, Jemima Shanks, Annie Geng, Layla Kent, Emma Nkanza, Genevieve Baughman, Aurora Baughman, and Lily May. Fourth row from left is Eamon Schopfer, Lily Weny, Arlo Badger, Denis Hein, Luca Tyler, Sawyer Hightower, Jed Cohen, Gianni Figliozzi, Ethan Harper, Nevin Porter, and Aiden Filer. Fifth row from left, Blake Algier, Aidan Marketto, Harrison Lavery, Van Topjian, Lucas Watkins, Ben Simon, Caden Quirion, Morgan Shuster, Colin Buckley, and Connor Joyce.
The Gunston School celebrated its 115th commencement this past Saturday, June 6, honoring the Class of 2026 with a waterfront ceremony overlooking the Corsica River, as family and friends looked on. The procession began with Bagpiper Andrew Jaecks, followed by school faculty and staff, and then graduating seniors.
The 52-member Class of 2026 earned acceptance at 151 colleges and universities and approximately $14.5 million in college scholarships.
Head of School John Lewis introduced the commencement speaker, Betsy McCown, P’11, the Associate and Managing Director of the Echo Hill Outdoor School in Worton, Maryland, where she has spent nearly five decades inspiring thousands of students through hands-on environmental education, history, and outdoor adventure. Beyond her professional achievements, McCown is a pillar of the Gunston community. She has served on the school's Board of Trustees for over a decade. Her deep expertise in experiential education has been instrumental in shaping Gunston's signature environmental identity, notably through her invaluable leadership on the Chesapeake Watershed Semester Advisory Committee and her contributions to the school’s Environmental Strategic Plan.
“At the core of my beliefs and success is striving each day to connect with other people and learn from one another, “ said McCown. “Connecting with people and places is how we are neurobiologically wired. [...] To me, the most important work we have for ourselves, is to create a balance of spirit, mind and body. [...] You have proved to yourself that you are capable of overcoming challenging obstacles through the mental toughness and physical exertion that have fueled your spirit. Balance is a lifelong juggling act. The key is simply being self-aware enough to notice when you are neglecting a crucial part of yourself and what you need to right the ship.”
Mr. Lewis and Gunston’s Chair of the Board Joe Janney, P’21 then presented each graduate with their diploma. This year’s valedictorian honor (also called the Samuel A. Middleton Award after one of the school’s founders) was bestowed upon Eamon Schopfer (Easton, Md.) the day prior at the school’s Green & White Awards Ceremony. Additionally, Schopfer also received the prestigious Gunston Award, which began in 1969, and is unique in that it’s chosen by the vote of the entire school community, including students, faculty and staff. It is given to the senior who embodies Gunston’s core values on a daily basis.
“This student is academically exceptional, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA across perhaps the most rigorous course load ever taken at Gunston including multiple AP courses across a range of subjects. His intellectual strengths and interests are boundless, and he is a person of exceptional attitude and character. Outside the classroom, he’s a rocket builder, coder, dungeon master, literary magazine editor, state champion starter, Academic Team starter, and he’s been Student Body Secretary, Vice President, and eventually, President. [...] He’s a one of a kind intellectual, kind, and ethical person, and off to the venerable Williams College.”
Schopfer was one of four members of the Class of 2026 to be named a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Additionally, Gunston joined the top 7% of schools nationally to be awarded AP Platinum Honors from the College Board this year. Building on this academic momentum, the graduating class achieved a commendable college admissions profile, securing placements across 25 states and two foreign countries at elite institutions like Cornell and Williams, flagship “Public Ivies,” and highly specialized programs in STEM, the arts, and the maritime sector.