Lower School Music Department Coordinator Jodi Bohr, who also serves as a Lower School Intermediate Music Teacher, was inducted into the Class of 1760 during the Class of 2020's graduation ceremony on Friday, July 17, 2020. (Jodi, right, is pictured above this story with her daughter, Karin Fortwangler '06).

Will Weihenmayer '03, President, Alumni Society Board:

On behalf of the Alumni Society Board, I want to congratulate the Class of 2020 and welcome you into the alumni community. You may feel like you’re finishing your GA career today, but I would encourage you to stay connected. Stay connected with your classmates, the faculty and fellow alums. Come back to GA/PC Day, attend the alumni events, or join one of the many CSO alumni groups around the country. You have so many opportunities to take advantage of as a GA alum and the school community is here to support you.

I am here today to introduce and welcome four new classmates into the honorary alumni class of 1760, created to recognize non-alumni for their outstanding contributions to the Academy. Numerous nominations are received and closely reviewed each year by the Alumni Society Board before deciding on the year’s inductees.

Given the changes to this year’s graduation limiting the attendance of faculty, a small group of us had the pleasure of surprising each inductee over the past week so they could celebrate with their friends and family in attendance...

...All of these inductees embody GA’s Mission Statement, but as I read the nominations for this person, I immediately thought about ‘Compassionate in Spirit’ and ‘Collaborative in Action’. She might reside in the Lower School, but over her 27-year career at GA she has garnered the support and admiration from faculty, students, and parents of all three divisions and even the Child Care Center. Her love and passion for teaching music has simply impacted and benefited the entire school and beyond. I have two little boys and when I think about having the patience necessary to teach young kids all day in a classroom filled with noisy instruments, that on its own might be deserving of this recognition, but that barely scratches the surface for why she is so deserving and why we are so lucky to have her at GA.

On countless occasions she has worked with her colleagues on new, creative ways to introduce music, instruments and dance into the curriculum. For example, several years ago the third grade introduced a new unit on Africa, and she worked with the teachers to integrate African music and dance into the curriculum. Soon after, she traveled to Kenya, sharing her musical talents and learning more about the culture and music that would ultimately benefit GA students. Upon her return, she connected third grade students with students from Kenya to help both groups learn more about one another. 

In addition to her duties as the Music Department Coordinator and leading the Lower School choir, you can find her accompanying Middle and Upper school students on their recital pieces on her own time, sharing her love for music with the child care center and more recently working with endless patience and persistence to help students synch audio and visual files during this past semester. 

One colleague said “She is the kind of person who goes about her teaching with utmost professionalism and humility.  She never hesitates to volunteer or support GA in any way she can. She simply embodies goodness.”

Please join me in welcoming Jodi Bohr into the Class of 1760!

Other 1760 Inductees:

Bob Moyer

Marisa McAuliffe

Rich Schellhas