Make this your watershed moment.

Wa·ter·shed (NOUN)

An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. An event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or a state of affairs.

Rising High School Juniors, Seniors, and Postgraduates!

Using the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed as the foundation for immersive, rigorous, and interdisciplinary learning, the Chesapeake Watershed Semester (CWS) at The Gunston School in Centreville, Maryland is a single-semester, place-based academic program for high school juniors, seniors, and postgraduates. Combining both indoor and outdoor instruction, along with five unique expeditions, CWS cultivates reflective and confident students and leaders who can promote regional and global environmental sustainability through their understanding of scientific, social, cultural, and political systems. The program serves residential boarding students through local host families, and day students who can commute to campus.

1:6

Faculty to Student Ratio

13

Average Class Size

4

Core Program Courses

2

Tutorial Courses

15

Fifteen Week Program

5

Weeks in the Field

Spend a semester exploring some of the world’s most complex environmental challenges:

Study and engage in real-world scenarios that build your understanding of environmental science and public policy.

Travel on five diverse and memorable overnight expeditions, as well as a variety of single day trips.

Meet and talk with high-profile regional and national environmental and political leaders.

Conduct authentic scientific research, including in a world-class research lab.

Complete a fully-accredited semester of college-preparatory academics, including courses with AP options.

Make lifelong friends with a cohort of like-minded students, led by dynamic faculty.

News & Announcements

Henry S., CWSF’21

“I can certainly say that the Chesapeake Watershed Semester was unlike anything I have done before,” says Shifrin, now a student at Northeastern University. “Visiting a small, watermen-based community like Smith Island, Maryland, or Wachapreague, Virginia, and learning about the environmental and economic challenges is a really great microcosm of what we see throughout the world. It really taught us how to go into those communities and figure out what issues they’re facing, and how we might be able to improve that.”

-Henry S., CWSF’19

Sydney N., CWSF’19

“Gunston & CWS prepared me in two ways - the first is they let you design your own schedule [...] so I was able to stack my AP Courses, which you need to get into the academy and the second thing is their small class sizes. They [USNA] produce some of the best leaders in the world [...] You have an academic major at the academy but you also major in leadership, and Gunston and the CWS Program instils a good sense of leadership and organization in each of its students."

- Sydney graduated from the United States Naval Academy and is now training to be a Navy Pilot in Pensacola, Florida.

Evie H., CWSF’21

“Evelyn's experiences throughout this semester continue to be unforgettable in the best of ways! Her sense of self and place in the world has expanded, and she now has so many ideas about the kind of work she wants to do. She's so impressed with everyone she's encountered during this journey. We couldn't be more pleased or grateful for the empowerment that she's gained.”

— Diane H., CWS Parent, F’21

Evie attended Montana State University and currently works as a River Guide for Alaska Mountain Guides.

Cole E., CWSF’18

“CWS has truly opened my eyes regarding what environmental issues this country and this watershed are facing, and not only the problems but potential solutions as well.”

— Cole E., CWS F’18

Cole went on to graduate from Christopher Newport University and is now the owner of Following Seas Guide Service, providing inshore fishing trips and relaxing cruises in the back Bays of Ocean City, Maryland.

Katie S., CWSF’18

“The most important thing I’ve learned this semester is something I can take with me wherever I go- I can do it... I kept that mindset with me, through every assignment, through every expedition, and at the end of it all, a semester later, I know I can do it, whatever it will be, from here on out.”

- Katie S., CWS F’18

Katie graduated from East Carolina University, and now works in nonprofit administration.