From campfires to curtain calls, s'mores to scripts, and sunsets to soundtracks, students spent the summer fully immersed in the arts. Whether on stage, behind the camera, or in the recording studio, they explored their creativity and honed their talents—all while soaking in the spirit of summer. Read on to see how they brought that inspiration back to campus this fall.

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Maggie Solomon-Scheller '26:

Maggie attended The National High School Institute (NHSI) at Northwestern University in the Film/Video Division as a Production Concentration student this summer.

“I wanted to attend a program where I could get a taste of what film school and living away from home would feel like,” shared Maggie. During the program, Maggie had the opportunity to learn about directing theory, take special elective courses, and attend masterclasses from industry professionals. Students also shot short 2–3-minute films every weekend based on prompts the screenwriters gave them.

“My two favorite classes were ‘TV Pilots’ and ‘Directing Actors.’ In ‘TV Pilots’ we watched around a dozen TV pilots and learned about how they are created. This resulted in us creating pitch decks and pitching a TV show,” said Maggie. “In ‘Directing Actors,’ we learned how to  break down a script and properly work with actors (as well as be actors ourselves.)”

The program concluded with a final capstone project, where screenwriting students pitched their scripts to directing students to be potential collaborators. Maggie directed a script titled “Your Typical Rom-Caahhhh,” a playful take on traditional genre conventions. “I wanted to use the conventions of a 70s rom-com or sit-com to display the protagonists' everyday life and use the colorful world of a rom-com to show motifs throughout the film.” To accomplish this, she assigned each of the two main characters a signature color — blue and red. “I chose to have many moments [in ‘Your Typical Rom-Caahhhh’] where the colors the characters wore or interacted with conveyed their internal feelings or the direction the plot would be heading.”

Maggie is excited to apply what she learned in her film classes at GS this year. “One of the most important things I learned was how to properly ‘Shot List,’” said Maggie. "Shot listing is an incredible form of planning during pre-production that ensures the actual set runs smoothly and time is not wasted. I think this will really help me during my IB HL Collaborative film that shoots in October. We will have very little time to shoot and being able to plan this much in advance will help a lot.”
 

 

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Arthur Esaw '26:

Arthur participated in the Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive at Berklee, an immersive program meant to enhance students’ instrumental or vocal performance mastery.

The program draws musicians from more than 70 countries to Boston and includes one-on-one instruction with Berklee’s renowned faculty in a rigorous curriculum that offers college credit. “My experience with the program was great because I found people from all around the world that are like-minded,” said Arthur. “I chose to participate because it gave me a chance to audition and to also get an early decision for my college application.”

In the program, students like Arthur learn skills like how to play in a band, develop improvisational and reading skills, and improve techniques in weekly private lessons. Students also have the opportunity to explore areas of the music industry such as songwriting, music production, music business, music therapy, and more through elective coursework.

“My favorite moment was creating an arrangement of ‘Billie Jean’ that we played live at a concert,” said Arthur. “I also improved my music reading skills, which will support me in  my IB music classes.” 

 

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NaNa Courtney-Bacher ’27

NaNa attended a 10-day Pre-College Intensive program at West Chester University designed to prepare high school students for college auditions.

This immersive experience allows high school students to take classes with university professors and professional artists while living on campus and training alongside their cohort. “I chose to participate in the program because not only would I get more acting lessons and improve my skills, but I would also learn how college auditions work,” shared NaNa. “I also chose it because this college is on my college list, and I thought this would be a good way to see if I liked the teachers, students, and vibe.”

The 10-day program was an impactful and positive experience for NaNa who commented on how supportive they found the community and learning environment. “One of my favorite moments was when we did ‘Theater Kid Karaoke’ one night. Not only was it a chance for us to nerd out and sing our theater songs, but it also brought us all so much closer because there was zero judgment and lots of cheers,” said NaNa. “We also got to see everyone at our most relaxed and vulnerable moments.”

The program culminated in a final showcase performance where students performed excerpts from different plays; NaNa was part of the Macbeth excerpt. “We put everything into the performance, and it showed. Plus, rehearsing for it was so much fun — I couldn’t stop laughing at some of the acting choices we made.”

NaNa shared that they feel more prepared for college auditions next year and plans to bring their flexible and dynamic skillset to GS performances as they continually improve.

“As everyone knows, theater is live; whatever happens in the moment can’t be undone, so knowing how to be flexible and adapt to what just happened is crucial for anyone in the theater department,” said NaNa. “Learning how to handle these situations [in the program] was really helpful.”

 

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Monica B. '28:

Monica participated in a theater camp at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia and performed in SpongeBob the Musical.

“I thought it would be a fun experience to learn more about performing and auditioning professionally,” said Monica. Her dad also attended the camp when he was younger and thought she might enjoy the experience as well.

The camp was one month long and put on six shows — Monica was placed in SpongeBob the Musical, made up of 13-17 year olds from the area. “I had a fantastic experience,” she shared. “Everyone was so kind and incredibly talented. Besides the show I worked on, we also had daily classes to teach us about everything possibly related to theater.”

Monica’s favorite moment was the show’s first performance for the other campers. “They were a fantastic audience and made our show feel more alive just by being there,” she commented. “Being in the show helped me learn a lot about being on the stage and backstage — from auditions to performances — and most of all just how to really be a good member of the cast or crew in a show. These are skills that I plan to bring back with me on the stage at GS.”
 

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Reese Searle '28:

Reese wrote an entire album's worth of music that she hopes to record in the George School studio this year.

“I have written a lot of songs over the years, and I had the idea to put some songs together into an album for my partner’s birthday,” shared Reese.

While creating her album, Reese taught herself to play acoustic guitar, add instrumental layers to her lyrics, and blend chords and melodies together to form a song.

Reese loves songwriting because it allows her to express her feelings through something both she and others can connect with: music. She spent several hours every day working on the album. Some of her favorite moments were when she finally figured out a guitar riff or melody that clicked, or when she wrote a lyric that truly captured the message she wanted to share — especially if it included a good rhyme. “I learned a lot about how to write music, how to express myself, how the guitar works, and how the lyrics and instrumentals work together,” said Reese. “I also learned about song structure, and how to construct an album where the songs each connect to one another.”

Reese is thankful that GS supports her musical ambitions through Vocal Ensemble, where she can strengthen and learn more about her own voice. She is looking forward to recording her songs in the campus recording studio this year!

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Zach Maas ’28 attended the Oxford Academia and Putney partnership at the American University of Paris.

He wanted to participate in the program because Paris has always been a source of inspiration. “It’s a city that has served the creative minds of many over centuries,” said Zach. Having been there before, I wanted to get to know the city better and experience the same kind of inspiration that so many others have.”

He participated in two classes in the program: a history course and a combined creative writing and drawing class, where students explored Paris to gain creative insight for their projects. “The classes were very entertaining and non-formal,” commented Zach. “We spent every day exploring the city — covering some decent ground. We also took excursions over the weekend, one to Rouen and one to Deauville, both in Normandy. We also got to see Versailles, which kept things interesting with the change of scenery.”

Zach’s favorite moment of the program was during his history class, when after a long day of walking around and observing monuments, students took a rest at the Café de la Paix. “We read an article on Haussmannization and had a discussion over coffee and biscuits,” said Zach. “It was a nice break from the constant moving around, and the café had an absolutely stunning interior.”

His artwork was comprised of sketches that he completed as a final project for the creative program. “I was inspired by walking around churches in Paris, and felt this feeling of being overwhelmed and dominated by the imposing architecture,” said Zach. “I tried to convey a climactic scene from the story in my artwork."

Zach is excited to build on the ideas he developed during the summer program as he continues working on his stories and artwork at school.

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Autumn Bussey ’27

Autumn performed in the show Something Rotten Jr.! through the Ensemble Arts Summer Performing Arts Program at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA.

This 3-week program focuses on developing the "triple threat" performer—acting, dancing, and singing. The first two days centered on auditioning and learning material for Something Rotten Jr. The first two weeks of the program are dedicated to skill-building classes and rehearsals; the third week consisted of rehearsals for the show, which the students performed on the final day of the program.

“I chose to audition because it's a free program that builds all the necessary skills for musical theater,” said Autumn who learned about the program from her friend at George School LJ Faustin ’27 in Spring 2024.

“My favorite moment was the hours waiting to be called into the audition room,” reflected Autumn. “This was on the second day when I didn’t know anybody. Most people there knew at least one person from their school or their area. I was nervous at first, but everyone there had a common interest,” she continued. “At some point, we got off track to start doing cheer stunts and played around for two hours. It wasn't just about auditioning and getting a role, it was about meeting people that would soon become my closest friends.”

Autumn enjoyed her experience and discovered that theater doesn't have to be all work and stress — it can also be a space for meaningful connection. “I’ve learned to live truthfully in every moment — with the art and people I care about. Though the program lasted only three weeks, the relationships I built will stay with me much longer.”

Learn more about the arts at George School