passions.

You can be a hockey player who sings in the showcase choir, a physicist who writes for the school newspaper, a skier who does improv.

Julia

At the end of her sophomore year, Julia traveled to Ireland to play in the Kerry Cup, an elite competition open to 64 of the world’s top junior golfers. Not only did Julia lead her Kerry Cup team to victory, she earned low medalist honors, and set a course record. “I’m very interested in science and artificial intelligence,” Julia says. “I often think about meshing my skills and passion for comp sci and golf—bringing artificial intelligence into golf in some way as a career.”

Eleanor

Eleanor is a talented cross-country runner and star hurdler on Taft’s track team. Where does she get her confidence? “Trying out for Improv was like a leap of faith for me,” says Eleanor. “Being a part of the group ended up really shaping many aspects of my experience as a student at Taft. Improv helped me come out of my shell. It gave me confidence to be myself, and make mistakes and to learn from them in every aspect of my life.”

Mihir

Mihir is passionate about changing the world. He has volunteered with nonprofits across the United States and India, and was the first high school student to win a seed grant from Be The Change Venture Inc.; he used it to research food access and the effects of malnutrition on learning. Mihir’s research was designed to inform plans for remediating hunger among the children of Ahmedabad, India. The point of his work, he says, is “to shine a bright light on the issue of world hunger.” And he knows something about bright lights: Mihir is also an actor, and his turns on the Taft stage have been filled with as much passion as his work around hunger.

Taft offers more than 50 academic courses in the arts, from Dance for Everyone, Drawing & Design, and Electronic Music to Canto, Acting, Chamber Ensemble, and Theater Technology. You’ll be required to take some introductory classes, but most students engage with the arts long after those requirements are met, through courses at the advanced levels, independent tutorials, formal afternoon programs, and arts-centric clubs. Concerts, plays, recitals, exhibits, and popular “open-mic” coffeehouse evenings fill the school calendar. They not only broaden and enhance learning, but also bring energy, culture, creativity, and balance to our community.