Dunn Students Set to Succeed

Three graduating students, including Cleary, talked about their academic careers and how their private-school experience shaped their future aspirations.

Alexandria Dunn, the granddaughter of Anthony Dunn, founder of the school, received the National Scholar Award out of 12,000 applicants. Dunn said she loved the intimate environment and the connections she made through the years.

“There are students here from all over the world, and I really got an appreciation for other cultures and ways of life,” Dunn said. “The teachers here are also really animated and encouraged me to be a better student.”

Dunn added that she is going to attend UC Berkeley and study biological sciences, and perhaps pursue a career in medicine.

Mia Winthrop, a Santa Barbara resident, had a difficult time adjusting to school in her early years, and she didn’t even attend school for a few of years.

Her family heard about Dunn and enrolled Winthrop in the Learning Strategies program, and she became an academic star. She was accepted at Dartmouth College under the early admission program for next year.

“I have nothing against public school, it just didn’t suit me,” Winthrop said. “One of the things I loved about Dunn was the small class sizes and how much the teachers participated and helped me develop as a student.”

Cleary said he loved making close connections with his classmates and with his teachers.

“We were exposed to a lot of athletics and a higher level of competition. If we weren’t required to do outdoor activities, I think I would have missed out. We went backpacking, and learned values as well as life skills,” Cleary said.

Cleary had an outstanding athletic career at Dunn, lettering in basketball and lacrosse every year, and took up football senior year, adding a letter for that as well.

He was accepted to both the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Cleary chose to attend the Naval Academy.