July 2018
Dear Gunston Community:
The "heat dome" has settled upon the Eastern Shore this July 4th week, and we hope that everyone is managing to stay hydrated and cool. I offer this because I've encountered many Gunston students who are working outdoors this summer at marinas, with landscaping companies, on construction sites, or as camp counselors. Meanwhile, each night my daughter Millie returns home from YMCA Camp Gunston like a joyful slice of wilted lettuce having been kept active by YMCA Camp Gunston's talented staff—most of whom are current or former Gunston students—and she mercifully falls fast asleep.
In addition to the YMCA, Gunston is once again excited to welcome Horizons of Kent and Queen Anne's for their fourth summer. Now serving nearly 75 students, the Horizons program aims to prevent academic "summer slide"—one of the most pernicious and preventable obstacles to educational equity in the United States today. Horizons students not only benefit from a six-week comprehensive, rigorous, and enriched academic program, but they also master the essential skill of swimming. Swimming lessons add a layer of fun and heat reduction, but these lessons are essential for student safety. Drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death for young children, and according a recent study by USA Swimming, a shocking number of low-income youth—81%—are at high risk for drowning. Thus, in a region surrounded by water, Gunston is proud to partner with Horizons to promote both academic learning and water safety.
In addition to the summer programs, the progress on our Heron House project has been substantial. With new team rooms, a fitness center, academic meeting spaces, and a dedicated ERG room, Heron House will be a superb addition to Gunston's thriving academic and athletic facilities. Let me again thank everyone who has supported this project, and we expect Heron House to be operational by the start of the 2018-2019 academic year.
With summer comes summer reading, and I hope that everyone is enjoying the opportunity to delve into great works of fiction and non-fiction. While I love having extended time in the summer to read, let me confess that summer also gives me time to "binge-watch" (the 2015 word of the year) in this golden age of serial television. I've recently been consumed by Ken Burns' PBS documentary Vietnam, which also led me to the novel Matterhorn by Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes. I recommend both highly, as they chronicle the deeply complex Vietnam-era 1960's—a time in American history that deserves to be remembered by us all.
Finally, let me wish the recent graduates from the Class of 2018 good luck as they prepare for the exciting next phase in their lives, and offer an initial welcome to the incoming students and families in the Class of 2022.
Stay cool,
Mr. Lewis