Georgetown Day School (GDS) is known for the variety and quality of its performing and visual arts programs. From Fata Morgana to the spring musical to the Arts Showcase, there are many ways for GDS students to express and develop their artistic capabilities. While the arts programs are undoubtedly shaped by the many students who choose to participate in them, in some cases, students are forced to take arts classes because students must complete one year of a performing art and one year of a studio art before graduating. We talked to GDS seniors about their experience with the Arts Department and the impact it had on them.
Senior Madison Thân maintained that she has enjoyed her time in the GDS arts community. Thân, who took the Acting II class her freshman year and Intro to Ceramics her senior year, has also been involved with the GDS theater program and plays the cello in GDS’s string quartet. She particularly enjoys making ceramics, expressing that she has “absolutely no stress when [she’s in the ceramics studio]. It’s also a great location. [She has] ceramics sixth period and the light is really nice during that time, which is honestly not something to be diminished.” Thân has enjoyed being able to take advantage of the many different types of art offered at GDS and says that she doesn’t find the GDS art requirement “too restrictive… because the things you do in high school are not and should not be exclusively stepping stones towards your specialized field of choice… And it being just two classes you have to take in your entire GDS career is pretty chill.”
That said, senior Karen Thomas career disagreed with Thân about the limitations of the arts requirement. Thomas thinks that GDS should have an art requirement but “dislike[s] that you have to do two years of both a studio and performing art.” The requirement affected her because she ended up “taking two studio arts this year to compensate for the year of performing arts [she] took.” Despite her disdain for the arts requirement, Thomas has been active in both performing and visual arts, performing in Fata Morgana and creating pieces for GDS’s visual arts shows.
Both Thân and Thomas believe that their time in the GDS arts program has been positive. Thomas, who will be attending Parsons School of Design, said that her favorite thing about her time at GDS is that she has “gotten to develop relationships with teachers more and [her] art has evolved.” Thân, who hopes to continue playing the cello and to pursue visual arts opportunities in college says that she “think[s] the arts have become more and more impressive and [she is] absolutely blown away every year by the art shows and Fata.” To Thân, “It’s just kind of mind blowing how impressive our classmates are and how beautiful and engaging their work is. I feel honored to be able to see it.”
By Caroline Katzive’19 and Jenna Schulman’19