The MIAA welcomes Gunston School as its 30th member institution

A quest 25 years in the making has finally been fulfilled by The Gunston School. It has been invited to join the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and becomes the MIAA's 30th member school, effective in the 2024-25 school year.

Gunston, located in the picturesque town of Centerville, becomes the second MIAA member school located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, joining Saints Peter & Paul High School which is located in Easton. The school was founded in 1911 on farming land adjacent to the Corsica River by Sam and Mary Middleton. The Middletons' initial goal was to provide the highest quality education possible for their daughter Emily, who suffered from the disabling effects of polio. The school's mission was to provide a rigorous curiculum combined with character development which they believed was essential to a child's education.

In the school's early days, horseback riding was Gunston's primary sporting activity, but the athletic program has evolved quite a bit over the last 100 years. When the Herons begin MIAA competion in the 2024 fall season, they will compete in cross country and soccer. The school will field basketball and swimming teams in the winter, as well as golf, lacrosse and tennis teams in the spring. All of the Gunston teams will be in the "C" Conference, with the exception of swimming, which will be in the "B" Conference.

The Herons had 13 student-athletes from the Class of 2024 sign national letters of intent to play their respective sports in college. This represented 23% of the school's 2024 graduating class. In addition to its MIAA teams, Gunston also offers co-ed crew, sailing, indoor crew and triathlon. The Herons also have a robust girls athletic program, fielding teams in basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball for its female athletes.

“Gunston first applied to the MIAA nearly 25 years ago,” said Gunston Athletic Director Josh Breto. “While our initial attempts to join were not fruitful, the recent combination of Gunston’s enrollment growth, expanded offerings, improved athletic performance, and facilities upgrades made our most recent application successful.”

According Gunston Head of School John Lewis, many have contributed to the school's efforts to join the MIAA over the years.

“Let me acknowledge the efforts of our current Athletic Director, Mr. Josh Breto, who coordinated this process, and I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the impact of former athletic directors Jon Mellinger (the current athletic director at MIAA member Archbishop Spalding) and Anita Gruss, both of whom helped to nurture the steady enhancement of Heron Athletics over the years," said Lewis. "I also want to thank our Board of Trustees, whose continued support of our school’s athletic program and leadership, helped make this possible.”