Under the Trees, George School’s e-newsletter, is delivered to your inbox on the first of the month. We are excited to share stories of alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and students who are making an impact at George School and around the world. Each issue will also include a calendar of upcoming events and opportunities to engage with us. To ensure continued receipt of newsletters, please make sure to update your information. If you have previously opted out of emails and would like to receive them again, please let us know by contacting the Alumni Office.
Through two service projects while at George School, Whitney Wilkerson ’95 learned the power of human connectedness, and later created the Gateway Fund to create opportunities for George School students to find meaningful experience through service.
Meredith Baldi ’01 is building upon the strong legacy of service learning at George School, integrating service with coursework as a core component of the Signature Academic Program.
Franklyn Yadaicela ’23 returned from a service learning trip in Athens, Greece this fall. The trip allowed Franklyn and his peers to learn, firsthand, the day-to-day challenges of the refugees, and had a worldview altering experience.
Jada Johnson ’24 and Flora Kim ’24 sought inspiration from George School’s past, bringing back buff and brown to launch a fashion startup for the new entrepreneurship course that was created for the Signature Academic Program.
Heather Mooney teaches the new entrepreneurship course that was made possible by the Signature Academic Program implemented this year. Heather is excited to teach a hands-on course that gives students an opportunity to put theory into practice by starting their own businesses.
George School Trustee Peter Vari p ’96, ’08 got his taste for innovation in the 1960s when, as a 14-year-old boy in Soviet-influenced Hungary, he stumbled upon a TV show that introduced him to a love for learning on which he built his life-long career in entrepreneurship.
As Director of Student Activities, Shari Rossmann appreciates that students are strongly connected with their home foods, and draws on her own experiences to encourage, teach, and enable students to share these connections.
Jason Geng ’25 is a student from China who helped coordinate Lunar New Year celebrations on campus this winter—sharing his nostalgic family recipes at his home away from home.
As an author, food stylist, culinary judge, and TV personality, Maureen Petrosky P ’23, ’23 seeks to teach people how—simply—they can build a beautiful life around food.
Scholar-athletes are hitting the courts, fields, and track ready to bring home Cougar wins for George School. Three student leaders—Max Forstein ’23, Ria Paladugu ’23, and Emmett Schmucker ’23—are at the ready to capture these moments.
Whether traversing the streets of New York City or perched above a Broadway stage, Ashley Garrett ’76, TR is always looking for the next great photograph. Her extensive and beautiful portfolio embodies her mentality that a great photo can be taken anytime and anywhere.
Director of Visual Arts and Design Danielle Picard-Sheehan is all about relationships. In her work as an artist, family is often her focus. In her work as an educator, her relationships with her students are what “fill her up”—and what help students grow as artists and individuals.
Sydney Burns ’10 launched her legal career from a foundation of learning at George School. During her time as a student, Sydney discovered a passion for philosophy, which she parlayed into a career in law, and found an application for the learning she loves.
Students in the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course presented their exhibitions this fall to an audience of their peers and George School faculty.
As participation in high school sports in general, and football in particular, declines nationwide, George School faces a time-sensitive challenge regarding its football program.
For the past seven years, basketball has become a passion for Priyanka (Pri) Ponnam ’25, growing from a fun hobby into a serious competitive outlet. Pri invests time in perfecting her sport, practicing each aspect of the game with the determination to be the best.
Glenn Schwartzman ’80 has built a decades-long career as a professional sports agent, advising clients in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. But when he was a student at George School, sports management was a little-known profession.
Head basketball coaches La’Keisha Sutton and Ben Luber were drawn to George School for different reasons, but their underlying motivation is the same: both have committed to giving back to the sport they love.
The Uehlein family shares a unique perspective of George School traditions across two generations of alumni. Some of the traditions through the decades have remained the same, while others have changed and evolved.
After thirty years at George School, Pippa Rex will retire in June. She reflects on the traditions she’s seen come and go, those that have remained constant, and how all traditions are created to bring joy and meaning to the lives of George School students.
Chase Kennedy ’23 works hard as a member of the George School Student Activities Board (SAB) to uphold traditions at George School and to build new ones for the future. Chase has been heavily involved in the community during his three years on campus since coming to George School as a sophomore.
Jō Adachi, the painting and drawing teacher at George School, creates as both a teacher and artist, educating with the mantra that everyone can develop the skills to be an artist with the right mindset and approach. Many of Jō’s students have gone on to have careers as artists and built the foundation of their creative process at George School.
Virginia Steck Johnson ’14 forayed her passion for painting into a career through dedication to the art form, hours of practice, and an obsession with form and concept. She took the opportunity to create while at George School and developed an art form that is uniquely hers.
Linglong Dai ’23, one of George School’s skilled student-artists, uses a scholarly approach to creating paintings inspired by surrealism. For Linglong, art has been an interest since childhood, honed through the intensive IB program at George School.
As Head of School Sam Houser begins his seventh year at George School, he reflects on what drew him to George School, the launch of the school’s Signature Academic Program, and offers advice to someone who is thinking about a career in education.
Jean Morrison, PhD ’76 serves as the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Boston University. Her career in higher education has been guided by an open-minded approach to pursuing opportunities that began when she was a student on campus at George School.
Sean Vereen, Ed.D. ’95 serves as President of Steppingstone Scholars, an educational social mobility organization that helps low-income students in Philadelphia to navigate pathways to college and the workforce. Building on the leadership skills he learned at George School, Sean is leading a growing organization that is impacting the lives of students and their families.
Teresa Liang ’23 is one of George School’s journalistic leaders who uses her talent as a writer and editor to publish the student-led newspaper, Curious George. “Journalism is an extension of my interests and I thought joining the Curious George staff would be a great opportunity to make new friends,” said Teresa.
Terence (Terry) Culleton, who taught English at George School for thirty-nine years before retiring in 2019, reflects on his journey as an author and poet. He is the author of three published books of verse, A Communion of Saints, Eternal Life, and A Tree and Gone.
N. West Moss ’82 is an accomplished author with an impressive catalog of published work. Speaking as both a writer and educator, West says, “To express our thoughts in writing is a profound act of self-acceptance, and it is what makes the great writers great.”
Nancy Zurn Bernardini has served as coach, teacher, mentor, and friend, impacting multiple generations of students through athletics and physical education at George School since 1978. As she prepares to retire at the end of this school year, Nancy reflects on her coaching philosophy, what she is most grateful for, and the one memory that stands out during her time here.
Jaime Ginsberg ’95 played for four years on varsity teams and spent eight seasons being coached by Nancy Zurn Bernardini. “The athletic programs at George School were foundational for me” said Jaime. “Nancy was a role model for me.”
Claire Roche ’22, Katie Hendry ’22, and Alice Morrison ’24 built a friendship through athletics, and credit their coach, Nancy Zurn Bernardini, with creating a welcoming culture that helped them find their place at George School both on and off the field.
Join us May 6–8, 2022 to celebrate achievements, rekindle friendships, and reflect on your George School experience. We have missed gathering in person and cannot wait to see everyone!
For more than 45 years, Rob Ganz ’69 has been coordinating initiatives for his class reunions, drawing on his commitment and dedication to George School as the foundation for his important work with the class and with the school.
Jessica Harms joined the George School community in February as the new Director of Alumni Engagement. With years of experience in alumni and parent relations, Jessica is ready to hit the ground running.
Lucy Lang ’99 was recently appointed as Inspector General of New York, overseeing more than a hundred executive agencies, handling investigations into corruption, fraud, and abuse at the executive level across the entire state. She reflects on her time at George School and her career in public service.
Ryan Aponte has been active in Model UN for most of his teaching career, so he was thrilled when the opportunity to sponsor Model UN at George School found him.
Matthew (Matt) Rampe ’23 joined Model UN to explore his passions of history, politics, and current events, while honing his public speaking and debate skills and having fun in the process.
The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) launches its inaugural “Play On!” community touring program with Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream this summer, and they are coming to George School!
Guests are invited to campus on Sunday, June 11 at 4:00 p.m. for the performance in the William Penn Outdoor Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public. Bring your own chair and blanket, and enjoy the show outside to kick off your summer!
Stock up on your GS Gear before heading into summer with the 20% Clearance Sale on specially marked apparel items from now until the end of school on June 2!
The School Store hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on days when classes are in session.
Questions? Contact Maddy Roepcke at mroepcke@georgeschool.org.
Bring back your used Literature Books, that are in decent condition, to the School Store between May 26 – June 2 and get credit onto your GS account.
The School Store hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on days when classes are in session.
Here’s the list:
Maddy & Glen
School Store
Parents/Guardians: Please join the Parent and Guardian Association (PGA) for dinner in the dining hall at 5:30 p.m. before its final meeting of the school year on Monday, April 17. The meeting will be from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the MDA Library Conference Room. Those unable to attend in person may join virtually via Zoom. The meeting link is on the Parent Portal.
