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A Showcase of Creativity: Berwick Academy Arts Celebrates Performance, Music, and More

The 2025–26 school year on the Hilltop showcased the incredible depth of talent, collaboration, and creative energy across all three divisions. From the quiet focus of the art gallery to the electric energy of the theater productions, our student-artists constantly reminded us of the power of creative expression.

Center Stage: A Triumphant Year in Theater and Dance

Our theatrical and dance programs reached spectacular heights this year, delivering a season of range, emotional depth, and technical stagecraft.
  • Upper School Play: In the fall, the Upper School had audiences on the edge of their seats with a wonderfully suspenseful and witty production of Clue.
  • Upper School Musical: In the spring, the division pivoted to musical comedy excellence with a vibrant, show-stopping performance of The Drowsy Chaperone.
  • Middle School Theater: Our Middle School performers brought immense energy and joy to the stage with their fantastic production of The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition. Over 35% of our MS students participated in this production as cast or crew!
  • Dance: Alongside these theatrical triumphs, our dance ensembles showcased their artistry and technical growth, culminating in three May performances that showcased stunning choreography.

Harmony Across the Hilltop: Music and Collaboration

The music department filled our campus with melody, as band, strings, and choral ensembles, as well as hands-on music classes, celebrated their achievements.
  • Celebrations of Learning and Concerts: Families and friends gathered throughout the year for inspiring concerts and Celebrations of Learning, honoring the dedication and musical progression of our student musicians.
  • Winter Celebrations: Over the winter, our youngest students took the spotlight during the Pre-K, K, and Grade 1 Musical Celebrations of Learning, warming up the cold months with music and joy. Grades 2-4 rounded out the first semester with a wonderful Winter Solstice show.
  • Cross-Divisional Mentorship: In a beautiful display of our Pre-K through Grade 12 community, various Lower School assemblies featured our talented Upper School artists performing directly for our youngest students—inspiring the next generation of Hilltop creatives.

Visual Arts in the Spotlight

In the Jackson Library Gallery, our visual artists transformed space and perspective. The space served as a vibrant hub of creativity, hosting various art shows throughout the year, highlighted by our Student Creations art exhibit that ran during the winter months.

Welcoming a New Creative Force: Jessica Andrews Join the Faculty

As our arts programs continue to flourish, we are thrilled to welcome Jessica Andrews to our faculty as our new Middle School art teacher.

Jess joins the Hilltop with terrific experience teaching Middle School art in the Lowell Public School system for the past several years. Additionally, she brings an exciting background in museum curation and makerspaces, having managed summer camps at the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., for the past ten years, alongside her work as a creative DIY educator at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.
Jess earned her BFA in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She and her husband live right down the road in Berwick, and she notes with a smile that she will certainly not miss her previous daily commute!

On the Hilltop, Jess will take over our sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade art classes. Her multidisciplinary expertise will be fully utilized across campus as she also steps into roles as a seventh-grade advisor, leader of our after-school MS Art Team, and a key creative support for our seasonal theater productions.

With dedicated educators like Jess and a student body overflowing with passion, the future of the arts at Berwick has never looked brighter.
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Berwick Academy

31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908

Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.

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