Student Blog: Back to High School is in the Spotlight!

Back-to-school season is one of the busiest, yet exciting times of the year at George School! As a boarding and day school with students from around the world, students eagerly await seeing each other after summer break! I’m a junior day student, and I'm thrilled to share more about the arts and unique offerings at my high school. 

At George School, we are in our fifth year of having a unique seven-term schedule. Each of the seven terms lasts five weeks, and students have three to four classes, ranging from regular academics to various arts and electives. One of the most positive outcomes from this schedule system is that students are able to try out new interests. For example, a student could try an acting class for only one term. If they end up loving it, they can take two more. If they don’t, they only have to take it for five weeks. There are typically three different mods (a, b, and c) of a class, and for many of the arts classes, you can take as little as one or as many as three per year. For a theatre-committed student like myself, I’m dedicated to the acting, singing, and dancing classes. This year I’m taking:

• Two mods of Advanced Acting and Directing 
  • One is focused on monologues, the other on directing 
  • Part of IB HL Theatre: Focus on Acting & Directing 
• Three mods of Dance
  • Ballet 
  • Contemporary 
  • Tap Dance
    • One of my favorites! I’ve taken it every year. 
• One mod of Vocal Ensemble 
  • We perform a concert with members of the string and wind ensembles for family and friends!                                                        

George School also offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, beginning in junior year. Students can take the full IB, which includes six subjects (typically three at a higher level (HL) and three at a standard level (SL)): studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts, along with a few other requirements. Others may choose to take individual IB classes for certificates, alongside AP and regular classes. I’m a full IB Candidate and am taking IB HL Theatre. There are eight of us in IB Theatre: four juniors and four seniors. Within the arts, students can take IB Theatre, IB Dance, IB Music, IB Film, or IB Visual Arts. I chose to take full IB because I enjoy writing, learning about the world, and challenging myself academically. The offering of IB, especially IB Theatre, was a huge draw for me to George School! 

A new (hopeful) tradition in September was a Community Day. Students had off from their regular schedule and instead were assigned to two workshops that ranged from rock climbing to horror make-up to creating jewelry, all taught by faculty or special guests. With over fifty options, students were able to try new interests and collaborate with others they may not have interacted with before. Performing arts-wise, workshops included introduction to improv, building a song, hip hop dance, the rise of hip hop music and culture, and music of Frank Zappa. One of my other favorite interests is baking, and I ended up being assigned to cupcake decorating and making cinnamon rolls from scratch. 

As for the theatre program, George School has three productions each year, with two plays and one musical. This year, the fall play is Much Ado About Nothing, the winter play is Peter and the Starcatcher, and the spring musical is The Prom. Auditions for Much Ado About Nothing took place at the beginning of the second week of school. 

Through my first two years of being a part of GS theatre, I’ve always been on the auditioning side. However, for the fall play, I wanted to try stage managing. I very much enjoyed being involved in the casting process, as that is a career that I’m interested in. I was able to observe the auditions and callbacks, and hear how our new theatre director, Cheryl, pieces the puzzle together to create a balanced and well-coordinated cast. The entire audition, callback, and casting process lasted about seven hours. 

This was my first blog, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about what theatre is like at George School, the IB program, my first-time experience as a stage manager, my experiences as an actor, as well as outside-of-school theatre topics, insights, and interviews.