Lower School

Grades pre-Kindergarten - Five

Channeling Curiosity.

Young children are intrinsically motivated to learn. They look at the world around them with wonder and a desire to understand all they experience. Our goal is for Lower School boys to head off to Middle School with their internal drive to learn intact.The Gilman Lower School curriculum helps boys develop the foundational knowledge, learning skills, and personality traits to prepare them for success in school and beyond. We nurture the innate curiosity, wonder, and desire to learn in each boy.

Our curriculum recognizes the unique needs of young boys and channels their natural energy, curiosity, and exuberance into learning activities at every age. The kindergarten program bridges the pre-school and primary school years, engaging boys in an enriching and age-appropriate academic program that meets their specific developmental and educational needs, and the prep-one class offers a singular transition for those boys not quite ready for the rigors of an academically oriented first grade. The overall Lower School program is challenging, yet warm, friendly, and supportive.

Lower School Stories

Juneteenth Speaker Martha Ruff

Sista' Martha Ruff visited Lower School students on Wednesday, January 18 as part of the Juneteenth Speaker Series. Ruff is an African American folklore and culture storyteller, former Lower School librarian at Gilman from 1986 to 1992, and grandmother to a Gilman second grader.

Author/illustrator Jon Agee on Nov. 16, 2022

Author/Illustrator Jon Agee Wows Students with Pictures and Stories

Students didn’t know what a treat they were in for when author/illustrator Jon Agee visited Gilman on November 16 and 17. Agee appealed to audiences in every age group over his two-day visit, which included the tri-schools.

Cecelia Eppler - International Holiday Card Exchange 2022

Gilman’s Youngest Students Connect with Peers Around the World

Lower School Spanish teacher Dr. Cecilia Eppler, who has been part of the Gilman faculty for nearly 25 years, once again leads the charge to connect Gilman students to the larger world around them. Through the International Education and Research Network’s (iEARN) Holiday Card Exchange Program, the Lower School students were partnered with their peers in Slovenia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Taiwan.

Cartoonist John Gallagher is the Cat’s Meow

John Gallagher, creator of the “Max Meow” graphic novel series that tells the story of a feline podcaster turned superhero cat, visited the second and third graders on Tuesday, October 25.

Gordon Parks, Juneteenth speaker on 10-26-22

Juneteenth Speaker Gordon Parks

Standing on the Alumni Auditorium stage in an orange tunic with a shekere (West African instrument) in hand, Juneteenth speaker Gordon Parks began his time with the Lower School community on October 26 engaging them in a song that highlighted the importance of storytelling.