Celebrating Peter Becker, Our 11th Head of School

During his nearly 11-year tenure, Head of School Peter Becker has ushered in a transformative period of growth while strengthening the school’s ties to our founder in ways that are relevant to a 21st century boarding school education. Like Frederick and Abigail Gunn, he has been a leader and innovator.

“He has successfully led our school through a 10-plus year journey of tremendous achievements,” said Board Chair Patrick Dorton ’86, “notably modernizing our facilities, innovating our curriculum, bolstering our fundraising, and building a deep team of senior leaders who have worked side-by-side with Peter to move forward the strategic priorities of the school.”

Becker arrived at Gunn in the summer of 2012 with his wife, Amy Julia, and their three children, Penny, William, and Marilee, who were six, four and one at the time.

“The Gunnery is a little piece of heaven in God’s country where, if you are lucky enough as a teenager, you can spend the best years of your life,” Dick Ebersol P’08 said when he joined the Board of Trustees in 2012. “We are at the beginning of a whole new era with (new Head of School) Peter Becker, a terrific young man who has incredible curiosity and ideas. It will be fun to be here during this transformational period.”

From the beginning, Becker held up Frederick Gunn as our North Star, and by re-envisioning Mr. Gunn’s commitment to character development and holistic active citizenship, he helped to elevate The Frederick Gunn School for the next generation.

“In four years’ time, no one will ask who or what The Gunnery is. They will know us by name and by reputation. The Gunnery will be among the best small boarding schools in New England,” former Board Chair Gerrit Vreeland ’61 said in 2013. At the time, Vreeland said he believed the Board should provide prudent support of Becker’s efforts to fulfill the mission of the school and support the vision of where The Gunnery belongs in the landscape of New England boarding schools.

Through his leadership over the past decade, The Frederick Gunn School has evolved intentionally, guided by the goals of a strategic plan that focuses on our people, place, and programs, and by our renewed commitment to Mr. Gunn, his values and ideals.

“We derived our Core Values from the teachings and example of Frederick Gunn,” Becker said at the start of this school year. “They are both what Mr. Gunn thought, and what he did. As a result, everyone who teaches here, every parent who considers entrusting their child to us, every student, every graduate, and every potential donor knows what we stand for and why we do what we do the way that we do it.”

Transforming our Campus

The transformation of our campus during Becker’s headship began with the opening of Graham House, our newest dorm for Gunn girls, in October 2016. Change was evident even before this, with the dedication of the College Counseling Office in October 2013, the groundbreaking for the turf field in May 2014, and the opening of South Street Fields in

October 2015. These new athletic fields helped the school to raise its game, making Gunn an even greater force in competitive sports.

The opening of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center in January 2020 set the stage for dramatic growth in the arts. From the first School Meeting on January 6, 2020, in the beautiful, 415-seat Tisch Family Auditorium, established through the gift of

Jonathan Tisch ’72 and Steve Tisch ’67, TPACC changed the way students navigate the day-to-day life of the school. During the day, they engage in photography, music, drawing, painting, and ceramics in the classrooms and studios of the art wing honoring benefactor Richard C. Colton, Jr. ’60. Afternoons give way to rehearsals on stage for the fall play, winter musical, or demonstrations involving improvisational comedy or stage combat, and students spill out of the art studios, setting up easels to draw and paint or making jewelry as part of the Technique & Artistry co-curricular program. In the evenings, students gather around the Hearth, funded by Richard Tager ’56, or grab a seat at one of the tables in the Norman R. Lemcke Community Room, established through a gift of the Class of 1968, in celebration of their 50th reunion, to honor the late Norman R. Lemcke, Jr. P’78 ’84.

For the building’s namesake, Thomas Perakos ’69, TPACC is a dream come true. “Now we have a building with all of these rooms that open up onto beautiful natural settings, inspirational settings. If you have any capacity for anything in the arts, or any desire or interest to pursue it, now you can not only do it but you can do it to the best of your ability, because they also have the curriculum to back it up. I’m soaring like an eagle today,” Perakos said at the luncheon that followed the dedication of TPACC last April, his voice filled with emotion: “This building will be for all the children who follow me in the name of my beloved family, and I’m just overwhelmed, and so grateful that I was able to participate in this.”

Modern, sustainable facilities like TPACC, and the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship, opening in January 2024, (see page 18) are supporting programs that encourage students to think fearlessly and independently, to build knowledge and deepen skills, to kindle lifelong curiosity, to express their beliefs confidently and persuasively, and to stand up for themselves and for others.

“Our campus has a profound effect on how students feel about the community and about themselves. And on how prospective families view our school,” said Trustee Jonathan S. Linen ’62. “I still recall exactly how I felt crossing the Quad on crisp fall mornings or making my way back to the dorm on a snowy evening. It’s up to us to renew the campus and to make the buildings themselves as exciting as what’s taking place inside.”

Established through a $25 million gift from Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch ’72, the largest philanthropic commitment in the history of the school, “The Lizzie,” as it is affectionately known, will fully integrate science, math, engineering, technology, entrepreneurship, and citizenship classes in the center of campus. The building will act as an interdisciplinary hub of learning, including state-of-the-art labs that will allow students and faculty to turn ideas into action. Students will experience learning environments dedicated to helping them to be curious, solve problems, take risks, think independently, and develop strength of character.

“Peter’s effort on behalf of this community has been outstanding, and once again the way he has worked with his colleagues, with the members of the administration, with the business side, with such talented individuals as Chief Development Officer Sean Brown P’22 and his team on the development side — that is what is making this school special. And Lizzie and I are just so excited to be part of the next step in the history, in the dynamic history of The Frederick Gunn School,” Tisch said at the groundbreaking of The Lizzie last June.

Turning Ideas Into Action

As a result of Becker’s leadership, new facilities have and will continue to support the growth of programs, including the Center for Academic Excellence, which moved to the first floor of Brinsmade House in 2015; IDEAS Lab, established in 2017 in the former Science Building; the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy, created in 2019 with the support of a $100,000 matching grant from the E.E. Ford Foundation; and a new Center for Entrepreneurship, which is poised to become an integrated, interdisciplinary hub where students will discover how to turn ideas into action.

The Entrepreneurship Center, IDEAS Lab, and the Center for Citizenship and Just Democracy will all occupy new spaces in The Lizzie in the 2023-24 school year, fueling opportunities for collaboration and growth. Interdisciplinary classes will promote rigorous and reasoned dialogue, rational debate, and ultimately, active citizenship. Learning to be an active and engaged citizen is Frederick Gunn’s legacy to the school, and by bringing all of these curricular and character initiatives together in one building, graduates will be forces for good as they move on to their respective colleges, workplaces, and communities, equipped to be the next generation of leaders.

“At his core, Peter is a teacher, a coach, and an advisor who believes in the unique value proposition of boarding school education,” said Incoming Head of School Emily Raudenbush Gum. “By embodying the values of an amazing education, values that Frederick and Abigail also had in their core, Peter has evoked innovation and excellence across our campus and community. I will miss Peter as a conversation partner and collaborator, and as a steady voice of always making sure the success and thriving of our students drives everything we do.”

During Becker’s tenure, the school also introduced a unique Winterim curriculum in 2020 that challenges students to step away from traditional coursework for two weeks to embrace one big question or idea, and enhanced the outdoor program, offering more opportunities for students to engage with the outdoors, develop leadership skills, and gain independence. Beyond our “Live Like Fred” Community Weekends, introduced in the fall of 2020, and Mountain Day, introduced in 2022, the new 42|Ten Program, set to begin in the fall, will prepare students to succeed in life, using outdoor education as a guide. (Read more on page 28.)

The Best Programs. The Right People.

As part of the strategic plan developed during Becker’s tenure, the school made a commitment to attract and retain the best faculty, and support new positions such as the Thomas R. King ’60 Family Chair for Excellence in Teaching. This new endowed faculty chair was established in 2022 through the leadership and generosity of Trustee Tom King ’60 and his wife, Kathy. The gift of $1 million to the school’s endowment was given to honor esteemed Frederick Gunn School educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math, and entrepreneurship.

When asked what led to this generous gift, King replied: “When I look back at my years with the Class of ’60, at what was then called The Gunnery, and now 60-plus years later assess the current Frederick Gunn School environment, what stands out as the most consistent and valuable asset we have is the excellent faculty. In order to attract and retain such highly qualified educators requires a sound and attractive compensation package.”

As any Gunn alumnus or alumna will attest, boarding school requires a very special type of teacher: someone who is great in the classroom, a mentor on the athletic fields, and one is who is a presence in the dining hall and dorm, ready to guide students as they learn to navigate residential life. “As a parent of a Gunn graduate, I know how important the faculty were to her life, not just as teachers but as adults who could weigh in with thoughtful advice or words of encouragement,” said Board Vice Chair Wanji Walcott P’19. “School is always about people and personalities, and getting the right people is critical to our success.”

Peter has long encouraged faculty to look to Mr. and Mrs. Gunn for inspiration and quoted often from the speech Mr. Gunn delivered in 1877 to the Teachers’ Convention in Hartford, in which he asserted that the only way teachers could inspire confidence in their students was for them to be worthy of that trust.

“Twenty-first century research now validates a lot of what he did instinctually,” Becker said in 2020. “He knew how much students depend on the confidence that their teachers have in them to be able to learn the next difficult thing. He knew that high school kids need to do different things in order to become resilient, gritty, self-determining.”

“Peter has reconnected our community to the founder,” said Associate Head of School Seth Low P’26. “More profound than any one position or group of people that came on at any one time here is just his diligence in making sure that everyone who works at the school is thinking about our founder and our educational philosophy. As we’ve brought on new people, we’ve been able to use that vision as a selling point for the school, such that new employees have an alignment with our mission and values. Then I think he was wise enough to know that we couldn’t always do it all ourselves, and hiring for example, a Director of Counseling, a Director of Outdoor Programs, was essential to realizing a vision for those programs. I think he has attracted really talented individuals to the school at all levels, whether it is a teacher or a senior-level administrator. His ability to articulate the uniqueness of the school brought in any number of smart, educated faculty and administrators, not the least of which is Emily.”

Clockwise from top: Becker joking with students on a scavenger hunt during Orientation in the fall of 2021; with students on School Walk in Steep Rock in October 2022; and with Trustee Tom King ’60, who, with his wife, Kathy, established the Thomas R. King ’60 Family Chair for Excellence in Teaching, at Convocation in September 2022.

Today, we envision our school as the kind of place that talented faculty truly want to be, acknowledging that the adults on our campus create the context that makes it possible for students to flourish in every way. “I love the school,” Joan Noto P’97 said in 2012, when she and her husband, Lucio, both longtime supporters of the school, announced their commitment of $1 million to the endowment, the athletic fields, and the College Counseling Office.

“Without your faculty, you have no school. Without a great faculty, the school will not fulfill its mission and help the students be the best they can be. We have a very dedicated faculty at The Gunnery — the majority stay for a long time. They are essential to The Gunnery experience. The kids come away with very good friendships with the faculty.”

After 170 Years, a New Name

Many people and factors have contributed to the momentum the school has achieved over the last decade, and which will continue to propel Gunn forward. The bold decision to change the name of the school in 2020 to honor the vision and ideals of Mr. Gunn will have a lasting impact. To Becker, the new name symbolizes the school and culture that have been built over decades, and the results are evident in our new buildings and programs as well as the faculty and staff, who are, in his words, “the heirs and stewards of Mr. Gunn’s vision in their work with students.”

“Peter and his team have done a phenomenal job of evolving our school while staying true to who we are,” Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 ’25, President of the Alumni Association Executive Committee, said in June 2022, when more than 375 alumni and friends returned to campus to celebrate Alumni Weekend. The record attendance exceeded 2019 totals by 100 percent.

“While all this is evolving and growing and adapting, the one thing that has stayed constant is the day-to-day, in-the-trenches commitment of the on-the-ground faculty, the people coaching JV lacrosse and the people teaching Algebra I … the people doing dorm duty with sophomore boys and driving the vans to the lake every day for crew,” Martin said. “In coming back to celebrate and in supporting our school, you allow these teachers to do their best work. And for that, this alumna, this spouse, this parent, is very grateful.”

“We’ve done a much better job of articulating our values as a school, and saying what are our Core Values, our core beliefs,” Low reflected. “That allows us to orient our people to those Core Values, and we’re in the process of orienting our programs to our Core Values as well. When all of that aligns, our school will have come closer to Mr. Gunn’s vision than it has ever been.”