by Juliette Gaggini
On Wednesday, January 8, The Gunnery hosted its Young Alumni Day, where students who graduated over the last four years came back to campus for an afternoon to catch up with friends, faculty and their alma mater.
The alumni met for lunch at 12:30 pm, followed by a tour of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center (ACC) at 1:30 pm. After the scheduled events, alumni were encouraged to stick around and support their fellow Highlanders at the home games on campus. There were five games on campus, including Boys JV Basketball, Girls Varsity Hockey, Boys Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Hockey, and Girls Varsity Basketball.
All photos are courtesy of The Gunnery’s Smugmug
Former Highlander Newspaper Editor and last year’s Head Prefect, Maddie Aitken ‘19, who now attends Tufts University, was thrilled to come back and visit. When asked about what it was like to be back on campus, she said, “being back on campus and being able to catch up with teachers and students was really nice. I loved being back at the place that was home for me for 3 years.”
Alumni were also very happy to see the ACC for the first time. Maddie said, “I loved seeing the new arts and community center after watching it be built during my senior year.”
Tony Zhang ‘19 was also excited to come up to visit and see all of the changes that took place on campus since last Spring. Tony, a former prefect, had a long trip up from the University of Virginia to be back on campus. In regards to his visit, Tony said, “I think everyone who visited felt somewhat weird. It is strange seeing buildings we used to live [in] and hangout in from a different perspective, but I am really happy that I visited.”
The Gunnery is a place that many students call home, even after graduating. Students form life-long friendships with students and faculty members alike during their time on campus For those students, The Gunnery is a tight-knit community is one that people feel a part of forever.
