George School Welcomes the New School Year

George School kicked off the 2023-2024 school year in style and started a new tradition with Community Convocation on Sunday, August 27 followed by a community cookout and camaraderie on Red Square.

A time to gather and formally begin the new academic year together, Community Convocation is a celebration of the wonder and milestones that await us all in the exciting year ahead and to welcome new students to the George School community.

The energy was electric as returning students, faculty, staff, parents, and guardians lined the cherry blossom walkway from the William Penn Outdoor Auditorium to Main Building, cheering on the new students as they begin their new journey. This walk is a symbolic way for new students to begin their George School experience, as it is the same path they walk down when they graduate. They start where they finish—bookending their George School story.

“[Students] you will soon be making new friends, exploring new subjects, and learning from teachers and peers alike,” said Head of School Sam Houser. “You will also be enriching this community with your wide range of experiences and interests, and along the way you will be our teachers too. Every year brings a sense of renewal and possibilities.”

New to the school are 162 students representing 14 states, 32 countries, and 6 continents. The newest students also have a wide range of interests and talents, including:

	One student helps out on her family’s non-profit farm that grows vegetables and raises livestock to feed to soup kitchen in Philadelphia for free.
	One student can name all the countries of the world.
	One new student has met Michelle Obama and has worked with refugees on two different continents. Another student has won awards for coordinating multiple food drives.
	One new student has won awards for coordinating multiple food drives.
	One new student is part of a prestigious music program at Julliard School of Music.
	One student is a prize-winning stand-up comedian.
	One student plays baseball in both Bermuda and for an elite Philly League – and was selected to play in the first Pony Girls Baseball World Series in Tochigi, Japan.
	One student is in a rock band that played at the Hard Rock Café.
	One student taught himself the Arabic language and read the entire Quran as a second grader.
	One student is a published poet.
	One student is a member of the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County.
	One student is currently taking an entrepreneurship class and founded his own nonprofit called Legal Equality Advocacy Fund (“LEAF”).

“I know that the students sitting here today all have their own story to tell on how you came to George School,” Flora Kim ’24 shared in her speech. “Maybe it’s because your parents or siblings attended here or you wanted to attend a school in a different state or country. Perhaps it was because you want to surround yourself with diverse opportunities and individuals or you simply fell in love with MDA. Whatever the reason or reasons may be, each of us holds something greater than ourselves, and tomorrow is just one of the days where you will ‘let your life speak.'”

We look forward to getting to know all of our new students this year and celebrating the wonderful accomplishments of our entire community!