Extending over more than a century, George School's remarkable history now takes center stage on the school's award-winning website with the recent launch of a new "Our History" microsite. The site, located at www.georgeschool.org/history, includes new video content, more than 500 historic photographs, many in playful photobars, and fifty pages of facts organized in a timeline format.

“We are hopeful ‘Our History’ will captivate our visitors and help them learn about more than one hundred years of life at George School,” said Website Executive Editor Susan Quinn, who led the project. "Early reviews from our alumni and current students have been enthusiastic.”

“The new ‘Our History’ microsite highlights the unchanged ‘magic’ of George School—the trust, respect, curiosity, openness, and good humor that are the foundation of the school’s culture,” said Head of School Nancy Starmer.

Caleb Savage ’11, one of the students who helped collect, scan, and edit the historic photographs, echoed Nancy’s comments. “As I was working with some of the photographs, it was interesting to see how much—and really how little—George School has changed.”

One of the more unusual parts of the new site highlights the brick-by-brick move of George School’s Quaker meetinghouse from its location on 12th Street in Philadelphia to the school’s campus from 1972 to 1974. The history of the 1812 building and its move are detailed by Charles Hough ’44, who supervised the process. “It’s all about the trusses” is Charlie’s opening statement as he begins the story.

“Having a single location in which we can share information about our meetinghouse will be a valuable resource for historians,” said Religion Department Head Maria Crosman. “With the 200th anniversary of the meetinghouse approaching in 2012, we already have had a number of inquiries about this historic and important building.”

Another highlight of the microsite is the video featuring the 1984 production of Among Friends. “Among Friends was an original production written, directed, and performed by George School students for the 1984 Alumni Weekend,” said Alumni Director Karen Hallowell. “Many of the songs reference the same experiences current students share. One of my favorites is ‘On Shift,’ a number about students’ experiences working in the dining room. The lyrics, while shading toward the hyperbolic, are still right on the mark.”

Another engaging feature of “Our History” is the online collection of commencement photographs from 1922 to 2010. “When our alumni come to campus they always seek out and visit their commencement photo in Main, recalling favorite memories,” said Karen. “With our alumni spread all over the world, I know that they will enjoy having their class photo and the photos of the contiguous classes together in an easy-to find place online.” Karen plans to showcase this section of the site during Alumni Weekend, May 13, 14, and 15, 2011.

“I liked learning more about Joseph and George Walton,” said Caleb. “As students, Walton Center is a place we come together every week for assemblies and student productions.” Joseph was head of school from 1901 to 1912 and was an early supporter of visual arts. His son George took over as head of school in 1912 at the age of 29 and served until 1948. Walton Center was dedicated in 1964, honoring both Joseph and George. Profiles of each of George School’s seven heads of school are included on the site.

A team of history enthusiasts created, designed, and organized content for the site. Along with Susan, the team included alumna Sara Dayton ’05, Director of Advancement Marketing Odie LeFever, Website Editor Christine Davidyock, Archivist Dave Long, and students Caleb Savage ’11 and Hugh Karr ’11. Much of the early content is based on the work of Kingdon Swayne ’37, who authored the book George School: The History of a Quaker Community, published in 1992. “Our team is profoundly grateful for his scholarly work and careful cataloging of our George School archives,” said Susan.

About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from twenty-one states, thirty-seven foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own. George School was one of the first schools in the United States to implement an International Baccalaureate diploma program. For information about admission, please call 215.579.6547 or visit http://www.georgeschool.org.