GDS Marks 80th Anniversary with Celebration at National Portrait Gallery

The year-long celebration of Georgetown Day School’s 80th anniversary reached its spectacular conclusion on the evening of Saturday, May 2, as nearly 800 parents, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The soirée honored the School’s rich history while looking toward a bright future. 

Guests enjoyed a live band, dancing, curated food stations, and opportunities to get caricatures or silhouette paintings from roving artists. GDS student artwork was displayed on high tables throughout the venue, bringing the School’s artistic vibrancy into the historic museum. Co-chairs Betsy Keeley, Cathy Stocker, and Anu Tate worked with a team of volunteers to ensure the event reflected GDS's unique vibe.

The evening’s program included remarks from Board Chair Donald Saelinger, MS history teacher Julia Blount ’08, and the three most recent heads of school–Peter Branch, Russell Shaw, and Tori Jueds, who begins her tenure in July.

Russell spoke about GDS’s defining qualities, “Optimism, I have come to understand, is at the very heart of Georgetown Day School,” he said. “Think about what our founders did in 1945. Washington was a segregated city. The obstacles — legal, social, human — were enormous. And yet a group of parents looked at those obstacles and said: Not here. Not in this school.”

In her remarks, history teacher Julia Blount ’08, who also serves as 8th grade dean, spoke about the commitment to societal change that GDS inspired in her. “Georgetown Day School instilled in me a belief that I could change the world for the better,” she said. “I returned to GDS as a faculty member to help future changemakers build the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to solve the problems ahead.” 
 
It was a night that perfectly captured the spirit of the GDS community, highlighting how the School has maintained the commitment to its founding ideals while adapting to the challenges of each new generation. 

“GDS has never been about easy,” said Russell in his concluding remarks. “It has been about right. And about joy. And about curiosity. And about community. That was true in 1945. It is true tonight. And I am confident that it will be true 80 years from now.”

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