This summer, a group of Upper School students spent five days immersed in New York City through the GA Experience Program (GAXP). Designed to deepen students’ understanding of service learning, nature, and the arts, GAXP offers transformative, hands-on educational experiences through travel and exploration. This vital program, offered to students free of charge, is supported through GA’s endowment and this trip was made possible through The Brandie Costello '09 GAXP Endowment for the Arts.

Tours

The GAXP group took part in a variety of engaging tours that highlighted the city’s rich artistic and cultural landscape. Highlights included:

• Hearst Tower, where students explored the building’s unique architecture and sustainability efforts, making it the first office building to earn both LEED Gold and Platinum certifications.
• Good Housekeeping Institute, where they learned about the science of product testing and magazine publishing.
• Museum of the City of New York, featuring an exhibit on the history of graffiti art in NYC.
• The Stonewall Inn, where students learned about the pivotal role the site played in LGBTQ+ history.
• Museum of the Moving Image, where they participated in a hands-on virtual reality workshop.

GA Alumni Connections

In addition to the scheduled tours, students were able to connect with GA alumni living and working in the city, gaining real-world insight into creative careers.

Alayna Wiley ’08 led a tour of the Museum of Arts and Design and guided students in creating a “community mobile” focused on empathy, a theme central to the exhibit.

Alli Lorraine ’14 shared her experience working in fashion and brand authentication. She also organized a “thrift shop crawl” in the East Village, offering a unique look into sustainable fashion and retail culture.

Theatre & Performances

The group participated in a creative workshop with composer, writer, and musician Alex Bechdel, centered around his musical Penelope, which the students had seen earlier in the year. Bechdel encouraged students to explore their own creative projects through engaging exercises.

“We were able to follow up on our workshop with Alex by watching him perform his cabaret act at 54 Below,” said Bayard Templeton, Middle School history teacher and trip coordinator. “Having connected with his music before the trip, and with him personally during the trip, it was a real highlight, as were the decadent desserts.”

Additional performances included a backstage tour and Q&A with professionals at the Public Theater, and attending two theatrical productions - the off-Broadway comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, and Death Becomes Her, a Broadway musical praised for its dazzling costumes and effects—particularly enjoyed by students interested in tech theater and fashion.

Student Leadership

New this year, two rising seniors, Keira MacRae ’26 and Lauren Sass ’26, who also attended the 2023 GAXP trip, played a pivotal role in planning and leading this year's experience.

MacRae coordinated a dance workshop with NYC choreographer Katie Drablos, while Sass met virtually with Alex Bechdel to introduce him to GAXP and share student questions in advance. Throughout the trip, the duo led daily reflections, facilitated discussions, and prepared journal prompts for train rides. They will also lead the student project presentations this fall.

“One theme that students expressed following their trip was the importance of this opportunity to immerse themselves in New York City for several days,” Templeton shared. “They described themselves as being much more confident in being able to navigate a big city. Taking the subway, the bus, commuter rails, and just walking around from morning through night gave them the feeling that they could survive and thrive in an urban environment. Multiple students remarked that this experience may change or expand the geography of the colleges they will visit.”

Through exploration, creativity, and connection, this year’s GAXP trip left students not only inspired by New York City and the arts, but empowered to chart their own creative paths forward.