About
Mission and History
Our Mission:
To provide a balanced, diverse, and secure community that prepares students academically, socially, and ethically for college and a meaningful life.
Strategic Plan
Thomas Edison wisely said, "Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning." Under the leadership of the Board of Trustees and Head of School Sid Rowell, every three to five years our school engages in a deliberate and thoughtful process of planning for the future. After many months of hard work, collaboration, and commitment, we are pleased to share the Gill St. Bernard's School Strategic Plan 2019-2024, representing our guiding "roadmap" for moving us forward over the next five years. In holding the promise of Gill's future, this ambitious undertaking is a calling for all of us to work collaboratively, to welcome opportunities, and to ultimately reap the good fortune of our plans.
Honor Statement
As members of the Gill St. Bernard's School community, we believe that faith, honor and consideration are the foundation of an open and trusting environment. In affirming this belief, we endeavor to uphold the following ideals:
- Respect for all individual community members and their beliefs
- Integrity, truthfulness, and sportsmanship in our academic and extracurricular pursuits
- Responsibility for our actions
- Service to the school and our communities
Core Values
List of 5 items.
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Courage
This refers to the internal strength required to act or persevere in the face of difficulty. It includes the adherence to higher principles regardless of the situation, sacrifice for the greater community and the ability to recognize obstacles as opportunities for growth. -
Integrity
A consistency in both thoughts and actions to honesty, trustworthiness, and sincerity. This includes upholding one's commitments, telling the truth, and acting at all times in an honorable manner. -
Respect
Acting with courtesy, fairness, and sensitivity to others and the community. This includes listening to others, considering various opinions, and appreciating the differences in us all. Being committed to fairness, tact, and good manners. -
Compassion
Acting with kindness, consideration, and empathy for others. This includes giving help and support for those in need and interacting with others in a positive, thoughtful, and cooperative manner. -
Excellence
Being committed to the highest standards and expectations in all things: academics, the arts, athletics, service, and citizenship.
School Crest and Motto
The school crest reflects the 1972 merger of St. Bernard's School (founded in 1900) with the Gill School (founded in 1934). The plow connects with St. Bernard's early history as a farm school, where the students had daily responsibilities in the fields or with the animals. The torch is from the Gill School crest and symbolizes the light of learning.The open book with the Latin word Vita is viewed as the search for truth through study. The stag, which is native to this area, stands as a symbol of courage. The motto of Gill St. Bernard’s, Schola Mundus Est (The World is Our Classroom), reflects the school’s approach to education in the early years after the merger in which travel and place-based learning were frequently incorporated into the curriculum. Although our academics program has evolved considerably since then, today we still affirm the value of learning beyond the traditional academic setting, and we foster in our students a desire to experience, learn from, and contribute to the larger world.
Diversity Statement
We affirm that a diverse community of students, faculty, administration, staff, trustees, and alumni is essential to who we are as a school. We respect and value diversity, which includes but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, family structure, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background, as the basis for fostering a strong sense of self, community, and global understanding.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Gill St. Bernard’s does not discriminate in the admission process, its scholarship programs, or in the administration of its other programs or policies on the basis of characteristics or conditions, such as race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability not related to the requirements for being a successful student at GSB. In reaching admission or other decisions, GSB may consider conditions that it reasonably believes would adversely affect a student’s or prospective student’s ability to succeed at the school, taking into account any reasonable accommodations that would not materially alter the fundamental nature of GSB’s programs or services or place undue burden on the school.
GSB Board of Trustees
Chair: Douglas Matthews P '16, '18, '24
Vice Chair: Jeff Lager '86
Treasurer: Rajiv De Silva P '21, '25
Secretary: Marianne Saladino P ‘14, ‘16
Complete list of trustees
The History of GSB
List of 5 items.
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Our beginnings in 1900
Gill St. Bernard's is the result of the merger of two Somerset Hills schools — St. Bernard's School for boys in Gladstone and The Gill School for girls in Bernardsville.
St. Bernard's School was founded in 1900 by the Rev. Thomas A. Conover. It was his vision to establish a school for farm and village boys where they could be educated concurrently with learning a trade. The first group of boys came to St. Bernard's in September of 1900. Tuition, room and board was $100. -
The 1900s
In the early days, academic classes alternated with work in the carpentry shop, the print shop, or on the farm. Daily attendance at religious services was mandatory. In 1912, the highest award for a student was established, and has been given ever since, the Julian T. Brown Cup. It was given to the school by Brown's mother in memory of her son who died shortly after graduation. The actual silver cup was inherited from an ancestor who owned the plantation next to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Tradition held that the author of the Declaration of Independence had used the cup. Recipients of the award have their names engraved on it, which resides in Hockenbury Hall. -
The 1930s and 1940s
In 1945, Rev. Robert L. Clayton, Jr. was named Headmaster. He brought a broader vision of programs to the school. It was under his leadership that St. Bernard's first embraced the concept of academic excellence. The emphasis increased on scholarship, with an aim being the integration of the education program with the needs of industry. The work program still played a large role in the philosophy of the school, as the college prepatory program began to gain further development.
The Gill School was established by Miss Elizabeth Gill in 1934 as the Wychwood School. Her educational philosophy was based on the value of the individual, and she sought, through small classes and direct teacher-student relationships, to establish a "rich school experience" for her students. The physical development of the individual was encouraged, with at least two hours each day spent outdoors. The first graduating class consisted of three students. -
The 1960s and 1970s
The 1960s and 1970s were turbulent times for the country and for education in general. Coeducation was becoming more fashionable, and in 1972 St. Bernard's School merged with Miss Gill's School to become Gill St. Bernard's. At this time, the religious affiliation of the St. Bernard's School was discontinued. The new school had younger students on the old Gill campus in Bernardsville, and older students at the St. Bernard's campus in Gladstone. -
The 1990s to Today
In 1996, the two divisions consolidated in Gladstone. Today there are three divisions—a Lower, a Middle and an Upper School—located on 208 acres, which span the Somerset-Morris County line between the Boro of Peapack-Gladstone and Chester Township. Today the school consists of eighteen buildings, which include Upper, Middle and Lower School facilities, two athletic centers, two theaters, and four administrative buildings. There are also a field lodge, five playing fields, including an all-weather turf field, a track, seven tennis courts, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard’s is a private, coeducational day school for students age three through grade 12, located in suburban New Jersey. Each of the three school divisions provides a rigorous, meaningful, and age-appropriate curriculum, and all students benefit from the environmental learning opportunities that exist on our 208-acre campus.