Assemblies at George School are different. They will probably challenge your opinions and worldviews, inspire you, and give you and your friends a lot to talk about. Here are highlights of some recent assemblies:


Monday, December 19, 2011
Aldo Magazzeni, Traveling Mercies: Activism for a Better World

Photographer and activist Aldo Magazzeni discussed his work, Traveling Mercies: Activism for a Better World. His photographs are featured in an exhibit in Walton through January 20, 2012 and document his global missions to assist communities in need. Traveling Mercies features photographs from around the world. In Kenya, many of the photographs are from Nyumbani, a village complex housing thousands of children and elderly victims of the AIDS epidemic where Aldo worked with Father Angelo D’Agostino to create a self-sustaining water system. The images from Afghanistan come from his efforts to stand and support day care centers and shelters for children and adults, establish training centers in women’s prisons, and empower female victims of violence.


Friday, December 9, 2011
Fourth Wall and Miracle League

During an engaging and interactive assembly, students got a firsthand look at the Fourth Wall Arts Salon. On the fourth Saturday of the month, Fourth Wall Arts Salon brings together a diverse array of artists and intellectuals for an interactive evening of fine art, music, dance, theater, and topic lectures that inspire and engage the mind. The atmosphere invites the audience to interact with the artists. The Salon is a place where international and local artists gain exposure and guests gain entertainment, information, and the essence of art itself. The George School assembly featured an improvisation tap dancer, spoken word artist, and an illusionist. 


Friday, December 2, 2011
Chocolate That Changes the World

Edison Mamallacta, from Kallari Chocolate located in Ecuador’s rainforest, took students on a visual journey of a Kallari chocolate bar, from its beginnings as a cacao bean to its intense harvesting to its packaging. The students enjoyed a sampling of the chocolate and learned how the chocolate farms can help others. Kallari is 100 percent farmer-owned, organic chocolate produced by a coalition of 850 Kichwa families in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Kallari farmers are one of a small number of groups who farm, make, and market their own chocolate. All of the profits from their sales support sustainable development, health, and education programs while helping to preserve one of Earth’s most important ecosystems.


Monday, October 10, 2011
Mike Levy, "Keeping Kosher, Being Jewish in China"

Michael Levy, author of Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China’s Other Billion, shared his anecdotes from his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in western China. During this assembly, Michael used humor to describe his immersion in the culture during his two and a half years in Guiyang, China. While he arrived there as a vegetarian who kept kosher, he surrendered both to eat more like a local. Michael shared funny, as well as serious stories about the boys and girls he taught. He frequently returns to China to check in on his students and visit the basketball courts, where he said he momentarily attained stardom. In closing, he reminded George School students to learn other languages and to never take anything for granted. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)


Friday, October 7, 2011
Open Doors

Open Doors, a group that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered students, and their straight allies, celebrated its twentieth anniversary by performing entertaining skits to raise awareness of relevant issues within the school community. The assembly closed with an upbeat hip-hop dance performed by members of the club. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)


Monday, October 3, 2011
U.S. Poet Laureate Visits George School

Philip Levine, U.S. Poet Laureate, shared his down-to-earth style of poetry with George School students. Growing up in the 1940s during World War II, Philip said poetry was his mental escape from the reality around him. He is the author of some twenty collections of poems and the winner of the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for his book The Simple Truth. He is best known for his poems about working-class Detroit. Many of his poems tap into memories of his time on an assembly line. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)


Friday, September 30, 2011
Folk Artist Sarah Burrill shares “Act of Love”

Nationally-acclaimed folk artist Sarah Burrill shared her story of courage, strength, and hope with George School students during this assembly. With a contagious style of performing, Sarah sang one of her greatest hits “Act of Love,” which encourages people to make a difference through an act of love. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)


Friday, September 23, 2011
Students share stories of service trip to France

Using a photo montage, George School students shared their experiences of their service trip to France. Started in 1957, this is the longest running student exchange program between a United States and French high schools. George School students work as teachers’ assistants in a variety of educational settings and live with local host families. A trip to Paris is one of the highlights. Students also join their host families for local sightseeing. French students, in turn, visit George School several weeks later. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)


Friday, September 16, 2011
George School Music Teachers Perform

Students were given an entertaining introduction to the world of instrumental and vocal music lessons at George School during this assembly. From piano to drums to clarinet, the school’s music teachers showcased a variety of instruments. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)



Friday, September 9, 2011
Julian Bond '57 and Mark Updegrove '80

George School welcomed civil rights pioneer H. Julian Bond ’57 to campus for an all-school assembly and discussions with students and faculty. Julian was joined by Mark K. Updegrove ’80, director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas. Mark interviewed Julian about his experiences as a politician, civil rights and student activist, and his remembrances of being one of the few African-American students at George School. Julian is the former chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. As a student at Morehouse College in 1960, he helped organize the Atlanta student sit-in and anti-segregation protests and helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Julian has credited George School with introducing him to non-violent social change and individual community service. Mark Updegrove ’80 is an award-winning author described by CNN as "one of the country's best historians." A native of Philadelphia, Mark spent much of his career at Time magazine and later moved to New York as publisher of Newsweek. (Report by Sydney Denmark ’14)