A Lovely Echo

Gwyneth Connell ’96 supports The Peddie Fund with monthly recurring gifts. As a director at the Grauer Family Institute in Pomfret, Connecticut, Connell understands the critical role that consistent donor participation plays in sustaining a thriving school community — and how monthly gifts can add up over time. “Any amount is an expression of gratitude and acknowledgment of a place that’s meant something,” she said.

Connell’s desire to support Peddie is rooted in her gratitude for the teachers who taught her in the 90s, as well as for the faculty who are at Peddie today. She wants them to know, “I’m 30 years out and I still care about what you’re doing — and I want you to be able to do it really well with the kids who are there now.”

As a student at Peddie, Connell had an opportunity to be truly known and to feel valued in a way that not every high school student experiences. She enjoyed being actively involved in a variety of clubs, activities and theater productions. One very special experience was her participation in the faculty/student Shakespeare productions, directed by Bill Hill.

“Being on stage with your teachers is not something that everyone gets to experience, and I think that the way we got to know the faculty — and the way they got to know us, set the stage for really positive learning, risk-taking and all the things that lead to deeper learning.”

Connell was a financial aid recipient during a pivotal moment in Peddie’s history: the announcement of Walter Annenberg’s ’27 $100 million gift. She recalls witnessing the historic event and the media attention it generated, as well as how it made the idea of prep school a real possibility for families who would have never considered it. “Peddie made important steps to be inclusive rather than exclusive — one of the school’s most defining qualities.”

Deeply grateful to have benefitted from the generosity of donors like Ambassador Annenberg, Connell sees access as one of the most uniquely meaningful ways that Peddie continues to change lives.

By supporting The Peddie Fund, Connell honors her past, contributes to the present, and helps ensure the transformative experiences she once had remain possible for current students. “I spend my own days and nights with the kids in Pomfret, but knowing I can also contribute to what’s happening in Hightstown is a lovely echo that connects past and present.”