ADDISON VOGT – Social Entrepreneurship with a New Product Launch
Upper School
Addison Vogt, Class of 2023 invented The Conversation Game, a set of conversation starters to help teens manage social isolation and anxiety. Addison first started the project two years ago while taking the Innovation Diploma (iD) Social Entrepreneurship course. The class was a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Schoolyard Ventures program. Social Entrepreneurship aims to develop leaders who build innovative and sustainable social enterprises that deliver impact at scale. Like her entire class, she was affected during the pandemic and experienced social isolation and anxiety. To invent her product, Addison worked closely with her classmates to understand how they could make a real-world impact, “The conversation starters themselves come from observing and gathering data on real teen conversations for authenticity and through lots of feedback, focus groups, and testing.”
Vogt emphasized that after many iterations over the course of a year, she was able to bring the product back to iD, this time as a client, for a Design Brief, where a dedicated team of upperclassmen worked with her to develop a road map to getting her company βKickstarter-ready.β Learn more about Addisonβs story on her website.
TUCKER M, NATHAN P, AND OLIVER W – Lower Campus Club Founders
Lower School
Lower Schoolβs Tree Club has grown in size and sophistication since last yearβs original project scope to name the trees on Lower Campus. The clubβs founders, Tucker M, Nathan P, Oliver W, with support from Science Teacher, Eileen Fennelly, have partnered with Trees Atlanta to identify, source, and plant three trees on our campus. The team has dedicated their time to drafting correspondence with Trees Atlanta, brainstorming what species should go where and mapping the trees that currently reside on the Frontier. Due to the clubβs growing participation, the three founders requested a meeting with the Schoolβs Brand Team to develop custom club t-shirts and an advertising strategy. The founders included their designs for inspiration. Although the 3 Tree Club founders displayed attributes including curiosity, integrity, and creativity combined with solution-seeking and innovation, they might not have realized it, but we saw it and are both inspired and proud.
CONNOR HOLLOWAY – International Violin Virtuoso
Upper School
Connor Holloway, Class of 2025, has been invited to play the violin at The British Suzuki Associationβs Gala at Royal Albert Hall in London this Easter Sunday, April 9. His passion for playing is evident through the countless hours of practice and guidance from Middle School Music Teacher, Alison James. This is a prestigious opportunity for Connor and a testament to his commitment to the craft. With attributes of self-leadership, creativity, and grace paired with his impressive skill, he memorizes every piece to an exacting standard and maintains his current repertoire for other auditions and events.
His passion for music has led him on an incredible journey. Connor started playing the violin when he was six years old, βI have played every day since my first lesson almost 10 years ago. Along with my lesson with Allison James and normal practice schedule, I play second violin in a four-string quartet at Franklin Pond Chamber Music and I represented Mount Vernon in the Georgia All-State Orchestra in Grades 8 and 9β. His experiences and achievements will continue to open doors for him as he learns new techniques and makes new connections in the music and cinematography industries.
MADISON ZGUTOWICZ – Collegiate Equestrian Hopeful
Middle School
Madison Zgutowicz, Class of 2029, has found her passion in horseback riding and competing. Madison shared her journey towards becoming an accomplished equestrian, stating, “I fell in love with eventing and quickly progressed. As I started excelling, I realized that I could go far in the competition world and even attend college for it.”
Madison’s dedication and hard work have enabled her to achieve success in various competitions while also paving the way for her future endeavors. “I won Overall Equestrian Novice in 2022 at the United States Equestrian Association event in Savannah last July where I competed against 20 and 30-year-old riders. It made me realize my potential. At that show, a UGA recruiter walked up to me and told me there was a spot waiting for me after high school. Now, my family and I have been researching colleges that could help me continue to live my dream. It’s cool to think about where my passion could take me.”
