Everyone can't play the lead, and she may have 40 to 50 students involved in the cast and crew. Athletic teams encourage the same level of participation, parents said. About 13 percent of Gunston's students live outside the school's enrollment area, most of them choosing the long commute in order to participate in the Spanish immersion program. The school created a language arts curriculum for the fastest students and gave them more challenging reading material. Eva Marie Carney, whose daughter Elise Cohen attends the school, said Croghan went out of his way to help North Arlington parents with transportation issues that plagued them during the first few weeks of school.
Parents say some teachers are less impressive than others.
This, however, is a common complaint about middle schools in even the most affluent suburbs, educators say. Whatever their concerns, many parents said they like and appreciate the diverse character of the student body, with its wide range of incomes and ethnic backgrounds. They said they are also irritated by the way the school is often described by people they meet who only know that Gunston is full of children from immigrant and minority families. I may be myopic, but I don't see things like a lot of clothes competition or a clearly defined pecking order at Gunston. Gunston students say they have more important things to worry about.