Hilltop

Student Spotlight

Annelise Seligmann ’23

What drew you to KUA?

I arrived here as a sophomore after deciding late in the admission process that I wanted to attend independent school. When I took a tour, I completely got a sense I hadn’t gotten at any other school. It was practically a blizzard that day and there was snow all over the place and it was hard to even walk around. But I walked into a rehearsal of the musical The Producers and sat down and watched the entire process. It was the best theater of all the schools I visited, and I liked watching the laughing and enjoyment of all the students rehearsing.

How have you included the arts in your KUA experience?

I’m in three out of six ensembles and the upcoming musical will be my sixth show. I’m in the Arts Scholar program. Arts was always part of my life. At 4, I was doing the “grown-up” musicals. It’s always been a draw for me. I’ve also found a lot of other things on campus I’ve wanted to do: I’m a dorm proctor; a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice proctor; and the president of the QueerStraight Alliance (QSA).

You’ve taken a big role with QSA. Why is this important to you?

I came from a small school where being gay and out wasn’t a thing. When I came here, I wanted to make sure people were educated and not have the close-minded experience I had found elsewhere. KUA has allowed me to speak about who I want to be and allowed me to be who I want to become. We’ve had more students come to KUA who are out and open and they know they can continue to be safe here. A couple years ago, [Assistant Head of School] Mr. Kardel gave a speech that really reflects our continuous progression in building our capacity as a school. I want to help build our capacity to connect with one another.

How do you work to build that capacity?

I’ve had a lot of good conversations with people in the Young Conservatives Club. A lot of people might see the Young Conservatives Club and QSA as “enemies” and that’s just not true. We talk about what our engagement can look like and how we can work together. I think we want to listen and understand each other’s point of view. It’s our role to be patient and educate those who may not have access to the same information and not push each other away. It only takes a couple of words. I’ve gotten more comfortable with using my voice and talking to people and that’s part of KUA’s continuous push forward. Part of my thing is connecting with people I don’t agree with. This is a mini version of what society looks like, and we’re going to have to be able to talk to each other, talk to adults.

You’ve used your voice as a student representative on Academic Council. How did it feel to have a seat at the table with administrators and department chairs?

On the first day of Academic Council, I saw a different side of teachers. I knew they were listening and taking things in. I’ve always been good at speaking with adults. Being at that table boosted my voice and made me know that I could make change. Academic Council let me take what I saw as the student experience and apply it to our discussions. A teacher can see what’s going on in classrooms, but as representatives, we could share what things meant to a student in their daily lives—what people are talking about in the dorms or over lunch.

How do you hope to use these skills and experiences going forward?

I’ll be attending Occidental College in L.A. and studying theater with a focus on directing as well as art history. My goal with directing is not to produce plays with a strong social purpose. I see the medium of plays as a way to communicate, protest, and have people heard. I also hope to continue my passion in having voices heard through social change groups, through class offerings such as “Comedy for Social Change.” L.A. is such an open community of people. I hope to take and learn from such a large city the ways to connect people and apply it to smaller places when I leave college. K

BRICKS AND MORTAR Going Through a Stage

The Flickinger Auditorium Stage received a facelift, well deserved after three decades of concerts and Flick Gigs, Fall Plays and Winter Musicals, guest speakers, Tower Cup Competitions, All School Meetings, and much more. The original maple floor, splattered with paint and littered with screw holes chronicling the elaborate theater sets of productions past, was replaced during the summer from corner to corner with a new, sprung, Douglas fir floor.

“From an arts perspective, a new, state-of-the-art sprung floor not only greatly enhances our dance and theater students’ ability to learn, rehearse, and perform safely, it also allows us to attract and host higher-caliber guest artists,” says Noah Harrell, director of theater. “The positive impact of the new stage doesn’t stop with the arts: Twice a week, we all gather in Flickinger for All School Meeting. As those meetings serve to build and strengthen our sense of belonging, an investment of this kind is an investment in the heart of KUA.” K