“If you’re not letting your life speak, what are you doing with your life? You need to find your meaning in life. For me, it’s in doing things that bring me joy and bringing positivity into the world.”

His George School clubs schedule reads like a comprehensive list of keyword searches on the School’s “Get Involved” web page. But no worries: Jack Storie ’26 enjoys every item on that schedule. 

“When I came to George and there were all of these opportunities, it was overwhelming at first; I wanted to do everything,” he said. Remembering that there are only 24 hours in a day, he narrowed down his choices, but still shot high: “I found all of these things and just went for it!”

Jack appreciates the autonomy George School gives students to stretch their legs within clubs; while advisors are present and available, students call the shots. “It’s almost like you’re at a college,” he said.

He’s co-managing editor of Curious George, the student newspaper, and co-hosts and co-edits George Curiosity, a podcast that showcases “George School-centric stories,” he said.

There’s Stage Band, the jazz band Jack runs with three other students, and for which he plays percussion and bass guitar. The group sometimes treats the School community to outdoor jam sessions over lunchtime. There’s Ultimate Frisbee and wrestling. He’s even the leader of the school’s Plant Club.

And Jack heads up Athletics Media, the team that provides on-the-ground sports coverage for George School athletics. This is a particular passion — one he has earmarked for college. “I’m planning to major in some sort of sports media/sports communications,” he said. The Trenton Thunder, one of New Jersey’s minor league ball clubs, employs him part-time as one of their main photographers. 

 

During his junior year, Jack delivered a George School TED talk that urged the School community to avoid distraction and reap the rewards of becoming fully engaged in their interests. With so many activities on his own calendar, how does he do this and still maintain a healthy go-time/down-time balance? 

The answer is in “finding your priorities,” he said. “Especially in senior year. Classes are harder. There are college apps. There have been times when I needed to take a step back from some things. 

“It may sound corny, but the reason why I do these activities is for personal enjoyment,” he continued. “So, if I have a paper due tomorrow, I’m going to be focusing on the paper due tomorrow. I put my physical and mental needs ahead of everything. Like, I refuse to pull all-nighters. But I am very content to be a B+/A- student and not hating myself every day, rather than being an A+ student and stressing every day.”

 

Best of all, letting his life speak through deep engagement within his passions means both Jack and his community reap the benefits — an especially meaningful outcome.

“If I’m experiencing joy, that’s going to trickle on to others,” he said, “whether it’s bringing joy into the world or even a small community. I see it when I go around campus and see the good impact I’ve had on other students — if I got a good picture of one of the soccer players and they’re really happy about it, or I was working with someone on the newspaper. You can see the effects you’ve had trickle on to other people. It’s inspiring.”