Students Learn and Explore Beyond the Classroom

In the world of fashion, Danse Mobray ’26 immersed herself in the business side of style at a pre-college summer program with Vogue magazine, studying marketing, branding and merchandising. Meanwhile, Lorelei Gary ’26 launched a sustainable clothing pop-up, Blue Planet Consignment, and oversaw everything from logo design and clothing curation to the store’s overall setup.

The arts came alive for many students. Malachy Green ’26 performed in classics including "A Comedy of Errors" and "The Oresteia" at Vassar College’s Powerhouse Theater Training Program, and classmate Ayalah Spratt ’26 won third prize in Princeton University’s Ten-Minute Play Contest for her dark comedy, “Written in Blood.” Music students also hit high notes: Dallas Banks ’28 advanced his double bass and improvisation skills at Ithaca College, Stella Imamichi ’29 performed on stage at Lefrak Music Hall after studying classical voice, and Amara Kaur ’27 explored the music industry at Grammy Camp alongside performers such as Renee Elise Goldsberry and Sara Bareilles.

Students explored photography in different settings. Sophia Ding ’26 studied photography and imaging at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Sam Haas ’27 captured the landscapes of Yellowstone National Park under the guidance of a National Geographic photographer, turning the natural world into a classroom.

Some engineering-minded students expanded their horizons in the world of STEM. Malcolm Giles ’27 studied precalculus and engineering at the STEM Institute of City College of New York, while Crystal Niu ’28 attended a summer pre-college program at Columbia University, where she took a course in data science and machine learning.

Science research students continued their projects in various labs. Ella Shapiro ’26 worked at the Ratan Lab at the Burke Neurological Institute where she focused on treatment for hemorrhagic stroke victims, and Viva Topper-Kroog ’26 interned at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with a focus on CAR-T cell therapy, an innovative cancer treatment.

The great outdoors beckoned both Loewy Nalle ’27 and Clover Graves ’27. Loewy spent 22 days on the Appalachian Trail, completing 200 miles and climbing to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine. While Loewy explored rugged trails and mountain summits, Clover cultivated her connection to the natural world in a different way — learning about gardening, nutrition and sustainability during her internship at the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden.

Bella Danahy-Levine ’26 headed to our nation’s capital to attend the St. Albans School of Public Service, where she met with Supreme Court justices, current and former members of Congress, and top journalists while diving into pressing public policy debates. 

Masters Dance Company members stayed en pointe. Ari Melnick ’26 spent his summer studying ballet, modern, contemporary, hip-hop and jazz at the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp in Colorado and the American Dance Festival at Duke University. Susie Brown ’27 attended The Ailey School’s Junior Division Summer Intensive where she explored the Horton technique, ballet, jazz and pointe, and also danced at the New York City Dance Alliance’s Summer Pre-Professional Intensive.

After a summer of exploration and growth, students have returned to Masters ready to turn their experiences into inspiration for the year ahead.