 | It feels wonderful to live and work at one of America’s great institutions, Groton School. Endicott Peabody, the School’s founder, was driven by a belief that the best education was provided by a school modeled after a family. |
He vowed that Groton would never grow so large that anyone would feel anonymous. This concept remains central to the School’s identity. A 400-acre campus, extensive programs and facilities, an extremely talented faculty, and a generous financial aid budget are available to a student body of only 370. Groton is a small school that offers big opportunities.
Peabody insisted that his students be genuine scholars, and the School continues to offer an educational experience of the highest standard. While Groton retains many elements of a traditional curriculum (few schools ask their youngest students to study Latin), within each discipline students benefit from innovative and creative teaching. Groton students stretch themselves by taking advantage of the opportunity to study one-on-one with teachers in courses that, in many cases, the teachers have designed. Such course titles as Fractal Geometry, The Iraqi Wars, and Cosmology--The Structure and Evolution of the Universe, illustrate the breadth of subject matter that students can access at Groton.
From the first, Groton has sought to prepare students not simply for success in college, but for "the active work of life." Life at Groton is vigorous and engaging. The School's traditional approach to boarding school life and its culture of innovative teaching build skills and traits commonly cited as essential in the 21st-century workplace: teamwork; technological savvy; global awareness; strong writing and oral communication; creativity; and facility with math, science, and languages.
Groton students are gritty and determined, destined to contribute to the the 21st century the way Peabody's charges helped shape the 20th. The beauty of today's Groton is that the School no longer serves just one segment of society, but all of America and the world. A Groton education is for everyone: it is demanding, inspiring, meaningful, and joyful.
If you are interested in learning more about our school, please take the time to fill out our inquiry form. We invite you to visit Groton, Massachusetts. See the grounds and vistas that inspired Endicott Peabody long ago, and meet the people who make Groton School what it is today.
Ian Gracey
Director of Admission |
| | Have a Question? Call 978-448-7510 |
 Ian GraceyDirector of Admission Ian Gracey has led a double life. He has been an educator who has taught courses in English, film, art history, and history, and he has been a filmmaker whose work has won a number of awards, but very little financial remuneration. It is best to emphasize the “has been” in referring to Mr. Gracey as a filmmaker, but his short film, A Perfect Moment did play around the world, and the returns were good enough to pay for his graduate degree. Now middle-aged and preoccupied with a time-consuming job as Groton’s director of Admission, Mr. Gracey is content to watch movies rather than produce them. In the spring he throws batting practice for the varsity baseball team. Many of the players would say that, actually, he throws “at” the varsity baseball team. Mr. Gracey has a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.F.A. from NYU. He is married to Martha, a terrific Groton English teacher, field hockey coach, and lacrosse coach who is, with Mr. Gracey’s assistance, raising three daughters in her spare time. |
 Randi DumontAssistant Director of Admission Randi is assistant director of admission as well as an aid in the Academic Support Office. She is head coach for the girls varsity ice hockey team and also coaches girls lacrosse. Randi joined Groton's faculty in 2012-13, but before that coached three sports at Groton.
Prior to landing at Groton, Randi earned a B.A. in psychology at Middlebury College, where she was a four-year member of the women’s ice hockey team and competed in numerous NCAA contests. Following graduation, she completed a master’s in education at the University of Southern Maine, worked as an educational technician, and coached girls ice hockey at a public high school. |
 James FunnellAssociate Director of Admission Associate Director of Admission James H. Funnell recently arrived at Groton, after 21 years at Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire. While there, Jamie served in a variety of roles, including director of secondary school placement, assistant headmaster, science teacher, and coach of lacrosse and hockey. He was senior prefect at South Kent School before attending Amherst College, graduating with an AB in geology. His wife Margaret is a professor of psychology and brain sciences at Dartmouth College. They have two sons, Sam, a freshman at Trinity, and Nick, a member of Groton's Form of 2013. |
 Cort PomeroySenior Associate Director of Admission Cort arrived at Groton in 2001, having previously served as the director of admission at Applewild School in Fitchburg, MA. Along with his responsibilities in Groton’s Admission Office, he has chaired the Diversity Committee, taught Ethics, served as the transition coordinator, run an Upper School dorm, led community service projects, and coached soccer, hockey, and baseball.
His passion for boarding school life stems from his formative high school experience at the Holderness School in Plymouth, NH. From there, he went on to earn a BA at Hamilton College, while majoring in American Studies and playing rugby, and a M.Ed. in administration from Boston College.
Cort and his three children enthusiastically returned to the Circle this fall from a sabbatical year in Vermont. During his time in the Green Mountain State, he renovated his home, worked as an admission reader for Dartmouth College’s undergraduate office, and pursued his passion for hiking, biking, ice hockey, and reading.
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 William RileyAssociate Director of Admission and Financial Aid Assistant Director of Admission William Riley joined the Groton School community in 2009 after four years at Bowdoin College in Maine, where he was an assistant coach for the men's ice hockey team, assistant to the athletic director, and an athletic liaison to the admission office. Prior to working at Bowdoin, Bill taught Spanish at the New Hampton School in NH. At New Hampton, he also coached mountain biking, ice hockey, and baseball and was a dormitory head. Bill graduated from Colby College and completed a master's degree in education from the University of Southern Maine.
At Groton, Bill works full-time in the Admission Office and is head coach of both the boys varsity hockey team and the JV baseball team. He is an affiliate of an Upper School dormitory. Bill lives on campus with his two young children, his wife Lara, and two chocolate Labs. When not interviewing prospective students, coaching, or reading files, Bill enjoys fishing and mountain biking. |
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