Fine & Performing Arts

FINE & PERFORMING

Cybelle Gable ’21 Arts

Tatum Spears ’21 AnnaKate Stipanov ’21

Recognition for Expression

SEVEN GPS JUNIORS and seniors were recognized by The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers for their commitment to excellence in artistry. Founded in 1923, the national nonprofit organization established the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards to highlight teens for their talents and creativity across 28 categories that range from printmaking to novel writing, painting, ceramics, and more. This award recognition program is the nation’s longest-running program for creative teens and considered the most prestigious.

Hundreds of thousands of works are submitted each year from students in every state in the nation. This year, 27 GPS students entered 35 pieces across the 15 visual arts categories to be judged on their originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal vision or voice.

In the Southeastern Region, Lily DuPlooy ’21, Mia Iannios ’21, and Madi Clower ’22 were recognized with Honorable Mentions, and Ellie Paty ’21, AnnaKate Stipanov ’21, Emma-Kate White ’22, and Caroline Farris ’22 were awarded Silver Key Designations.

“I frequently tell my students how good they are, but receiving recognition from outside of GPS is validation of their skill and creativity that comes from someone besides their teacher,” says GPS art teacher Debbie Glasscock. “I’m so proud of how hard my students work, and I’m thrilled so many were recognized this year.”

MUSEUM OF THE MUSE

The Terpsichord Thanksgiving Concert featured six pieces and kicked off with a company-wide dance choreographed by Director of Terpsichord Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90. Midway through the program, audience members (both in person and those tuning in virtually) enjoyed the traditional senior duet choreographed and performed by President Annsley Kelly ’21 and Vice President AnnaKate Stipanov ’21.

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GPS drama teacher Mark Krawczyk was drawn to the poetic theatrical works of Chattanooga native playwright and poet (and former GPS girl!) Peggy Douglas for this year’s spring theater performance. Originally written as standalone monologues, Douglas’s pieces were reworked with the ensemble and Krawczyk to create a sense of dialogue and a community that, although about times from the last 100 years, could have been about the past year. The characters inhabited our region—from Signal Mountain to downtown Chattanooga and beyond—and Douglas’s works acted as a springboard to create original material.

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL SHOWCASES

During their Chapel showcases, Middle School students performed pieces from Vivaldi, Bach, and Joseph Campello, among others, while the Upper School program featured favorites from Gioachino Rossini’s classic opera “The Barber of Seville,” Tchaikovsky’s worldfamous “Nutcracker” ballet, and Hans Zimmer’s movie masterpiece “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

A LONGSTANDING LESSON

Faculty Emerita Cathie Ault Kasch ’72 returned to campus to teach her infamous meter study lesson to the ninth-grade choreography class. Excited to learn from one of the greats, the freshman dancers practiced and performed for her later that week.

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD

Calling it “a stunning achievement for the musicians,” Instrumental Music Director Mary Baxter planned the first music showcase of the year in only two weeks. Thanks to good weather and an even better idea, nearly 100 Middle and Upper School students performed on Smith Courtyard on a Sunday afternoon, divided into three separate mini-concerts to allow for social distancing among the performers and the audience members.

ELLIPSIS

The Terpsichord Spring Concert featured pieces set by Director of Terpsichord Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90, Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education instructor Lonnie E. Davis Jr., and Emory University and Agnes Scott College choreographer Kristin O’Neil.

THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

GPS students were honored to create a holiday music video for the Tennessee Aquarium. While the students would have loved to perform with the animals on site, they still enjoyed spreading some Christmas cheer with instrumental versions of holiday favorites.

MOTION MAKERS

Thirty Motion Makers dancers expressed their voices and emotions through movement in their spring performance. Motion Makers is a club for Middle School students interested in expanding their knowledge and opportunities with dance.

FROM THE PAGE TO THE STAGE

Each year, with guidance from dance teacher Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90, sixth-grade dancers create choreographed pieces based on the book Letters from Rifka. After studying the historical novel in class with their English teacher, Mrs. Suzy McKenna, the girls entered the dance studio to interpret Rifka’s feelings in each country through movement.

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AP ART WORKS

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(1) Annie Sanford '21 (2) Jennifer Wu '21 (3) Mia Hammonds' 21 (4) Hayden McGregor '21 (5) AnnaKate Stipanov '21 (6) Talley Lyons '21 (7) Emma Henderson '21 (8) Annie Sanford '21 (9) Morgan Brown '21

Modern Womxn

Last school year, Emma Dexter ’21 was the second student to be awarded the Fletcher Bright Fellowship for Artistic and Community Engagement. Named for one of the world’s great traditional old-time and bluegrass fiddlers, the late Fletcher Bright, the fellowship enables a student to share her passion with the community.

An AP History student and member of Terpsichord, Emma expressed disappointment with the level of exposure and praise female artists received historically but was empowered by the strength of the female voice in art today. As the recipient of the fellowship, she organized an exhibition of Chattanooga-area female artists of all ages, Modern Womxn, to showcase their works to the broader public and receive the exposure they deserve.

The mission of the pop-up exhibition at the Association for Visual Arts was to provide a platform for local female artists to showcase work that reflects the diverse story of womanhood. Featured artists included Kathleen Greeson, Ellie Swann ’19, Ellie Sikes, Ava Echard, Sherry Collins Hogan, Lily DuPlooy ’21, and Olive Smith.