Sitting in shared silence in the George School Meetinghouse last August with her son, Francis, Liz Jandoli ’91, P’11, ’27 was immediately brought back to her first meeting for worship as a George School student.

“The first time you attend meeting is a unique experience of nervous energy,” Liz said. “Everyone is looking around and trying to understand what it means to sit in complete silence. The power of sitting in silent worship together, finding community away from the noise of life, is unlike anything else I’ve experienced.”

Liz found her light in the meetinghouse and at George School, as did her stepson, Caspar ’11. So, when it came time to drop off her son Francis, a new member of the Class of ’27, she knew that she couldn’t miss the opening meeting for worship. She was pleased to find the building virtually unchanged from when she was a student.

“Adolescence can be tough,” she says, “but George School was a super-supportive and nurturing environment. I’m excited to know the meetinghouse will become a place of reflection for Francis as it was for me.”

As a student, Liz found her pathway through photography; she ran the dark room as her co-op. Mixing the chemicals and developing film, she learned the fundamentals of photography. After graduation she went to Tulane, where her work-study job was to assist the university photographer.

“George School’s high level of arts education stays with me to this day in all the photography that I do,” she said.

In addition to photography, Liz was a SAGE (Students Associated for Greater Empathy) leader her senior year. SAGE was a peer-to-peer student support organization. And while she continued to value meeting for worship throughout her time at George School, an experience after her senior year deepened her relationship to it. She and fellow classmate, Andrew Kessler ’91, were hired to support George School Archivist Kingdon Swayne ’37 as he compiled materials for his book, George School: The History of a Quaker Community, which was created to mark the celebration of the school’s centennial.

“We spent our summer on the second floor of the meetinghouse with boxes of historical photographs, looking for clues to categorize them,” she remembered. “I glimpsed how the school evolved through different eras. Spending the summer in Kingdon’s office in the meetinghouse forged a special connection with that building and gave meeting for worship an even deeper meaning for me.”

Years later, her stepson Caspar was looking for a year-long study abroad experience. He had attended primary and middle school in Germany. Liz encouraged him to look at Quaker boarding schools, and Caspar chose George School.

“His original plan was to study in the US for a year but ended up calling us about halfway through the year and said that he didn’t want to come back. Caspar finished his high school education at George School and graduated in 2011,” she said.

For Liz, it was grounding to see that George School had adapted over the years but still provided an education centered in Quakerism with a focus on social justice and the whole student. So, when her son Francis expressed a desire to discover his American roots, George School seemed like a natural choice.

“The decision for Francis had a lot to do with the observations of his big brother,” Liz said. “He’s American but raised in Switzerland. Traveling to a school six time zones away takes a lot of bravery. Caspar was a true explorer and Francis followed in his footsteps.”

Like Liz and Caspar, Francis has begun to forge his own path, finding a passion in rowing. “Francis attended Swiss schools from kindergarten on and there are no school sports. Our family hikes and skis, but Francis never considered himself an athlete,” she said.

Liz recommended he try rowing because he kayaks and knows how to sail; she hoped his comfort on the water would translate into interest in the sport. Francis was instantly hooked.

“It has been so exciting to witness the insane success story of the sport in its second year, catalyzed around the amazing rowing coach,” Liz said. “Francis gets lit up about being a rower in the same way that I found my inspiration in the darkroom.”

Through Caspar and Francis, Liz feels more connected to George School than ever. “George School is this constantly evolving organism that people connect with during their time on campus. Caspar had his version and Francis is making his experience, but there is a through line of Quakerism that transcends the generations. I’m proud to be an alumna and parent of two international students who followed in my footsteps in making George School their own.”