Athletics Philosophy

Our physical education and sports programs in the Lower School focus on staying healthy, learning new skills, and loving being active. Our P.E. teachers will often say things like: “We get outside. We get dirty. We get sweaty. We learn how to take turns, listen to coaching, and work through challenges. The foundation we set for our youngest learners through the sports requirements serves as an essential part of the Lower School education. We are molding good teammates for life.”

Our Upper School athletes participate in 50 activities, including interscholastic sports, independent studies, and fitness classes. Our varsity teams feature outstanding coaching (many of our coaches have coached at the college level or competed professionally; eight have won Connecticut Coach of the Year), remarkable individual achievement (in the past ten years, we’ve had twelve 1,000-point scorers on our varsity basketball teams, eight All-Americans, three national prep champions in wrestling, and a Gatorade Player of the Year in basketball), and stellar team results (GFA teams are regular finalists in the FAA and New England Prep School Athletic tournaments). Not surprisingly, in any given year, 20–25% of our seniors are recruited athletes at outstanding college programs.