Georgetown Day School

The Ultimate Monster Mash!

Er, mashup! An artistic collaboration between our High School art students and 1st graders has been in the works for the past couple of months, and has finally come to life!

LS art teachers Ashely Ortiz and Jenn Heffernan, and HS art teacher and department chair, Sarah Riley, came together with an idea in which 1st graders drew pictures of monsters, and then passed them along to high school artists who then used their sketches to create 3-D sculpture versions.

This Tuesday our high school students and first graders met in person and exchanged their co-inspired art!

Last week, at our 1st Grade Authors Brunch, our students in the 1st grade read their original books aloud to families and faculty!

The culmination of a year in Writers’ Workshop, each book represents months of hard work and offers imaginative glimpses into the lives and minds of our six- and seven-year-olds.

Along the way, students explored personal narratives, character and setting development, sequencing, vivid details and adjectives, hooks and leads, onomatopoeia, strong closing sentences, and supporting illustrations!

Last week, our 5th graders created a Living Museum!

..amazing and sometimes stumping parents and faculty as they stepped into the roles of influential figures from history, science, athletics, and entertainment, to name but a few.

Guests explored the museum, listened to student speeches, and guessed each student’s identity during this interactive culminating event for the Traveling Biography Unit.

Throughout the unit, students immersed themselves in nonfiction biographical texts, researched the lives and accomplishments of their chosen figures, and wrote and delivered speeches from those perspectives.

The Middle School chorus gathered in song before an audience of parents and faculty last week, performing a wide variety of numbers from the traditional Zambian folk tune, "Bonse Aba," to "Al Scholsha D’varim," "Nine Hundred Miles," to “How Can I Keep from Singing?”

But the showstopper was a medley of 1980s classic hits that quickly turned into an audience-wide singalong. The energy in the room was unforgettable!

Last week students, faculty, and parents gathered for the opening of the 7th and 8th grade art show, showcasing not only some stunningly sophisticated work, but also the creative process behind much of it.

By displaying sketchbooks, studies, and materials alongside completed pieces, our art teachers gave the viewers a window into the creative process, including some of the experimentation and problem-solving that go into artistic growth.

Congratulations to our students and teachers on a huge success!

Step into “The Fata Jungle!”

Here are highlights from Fata Morgana, GDS’s extracurricular dance program choreographed and performed entirely by our GDS High School students.

Fata is more than a performance; it’s a celebration of self-expression, discipline, creativity, and community through movement!

Photos by Jeri Tidwell

Congratulations to all of our students, faculty, and staff on another incredible Middle School Community Production!

This year’s original production, “Splintered Realms,” followed a group of students navigating the fallout of an experiment involving a mysterious AI machine known as the Mindsphere. As reality begins to unravel, teamwork and creativity become the key to setting things right.

The Middle School Community Production is a special theatrical experience that invites students to contribute ideas and creative writing around a central theme, which is then collaboratively adapted into a script by the cast.

From storytelling and performance to set construction, lighting, sound, and technical design, students collaborate and use imagination and innovation to create something uniquely their own.

Student creativity and ingenuity are at the heart of this annual tradition, and this year’s production was no exception. Bravo to everyone involved!

Thanks again to all who joined us and made for a stellar alumni weekend! We are counting down the days until we get to see you at the next reunion!

Save these dates: May 14- 16, 2027!

Art & Activism in Spanish: First-Ever Course Showcase!

This semester, students in our new Art & Activism in Spanish course explored how artists use visual art as a powerful tool for social critique and change.

Students began by studying José Guadalupe Posada, the influential Mexican printmaker known for his satirical imagery during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876–1911). They also learned about Posada’s iconic creation, La Catrina, and examined the legacy of contemporary Mexican and Chicano/a printmakers inspired by his work.

Students then designed their own prints to promote a cause of their choosing using these artists as inspiration; connecting art, identity, and activism through both language and visual storytelling.

They presented their work in an informal "gallery" setting at the HS.

Last Friday, we celebrated one of our favorite GDS traditions: the Senior Walk!

On their final day of classes, our seniors walked through cheering hallways and fields lined with students, faculty, signs, hugs, and endless applause. From our youngest learners to longtime teachers, the entire community came together to celebrate the Class of 2026 and send them off with love and pride.

We can’t wait to see where their journeys lead next!