Senior Spotlight: Dan Clark

Senior Dan Clark is well known for his theatre exploits here at Jemicy, but he is much more than just an actor.

Clarks peers have only positive things to say about him.

“He always makes my day. There isn’t a day that I have talked to him where I haven’t laughed or smiled,” senior Haley Palmer said.

Classmate Meghan Gosse ’21 also enjoys the being around the affable Daniel Clark.

“He’s great, very sophisticated. And I’ve loved working on shows with him,” Gosse replied.

“He’s adorkable,” Eli Greenwald wrote via Snapchat.

I couldn’t agree more. Dan is hilarious and witty on and off stage. In my experiences with him at Jemicy, he’s never failed to make me smile whether playing a drunkard in our production of Into The Woods, or just in the halls. 

His teachers know him well inside and outside of the classroom, and here’s what they have to say about him:

“Daniel is one of the few students who’s presentations actually get better the less he practices them,” his Current Events teacher, Mike McKee, wrote via email.

“Daniel cares deeply for his friends. He speaks eloquently and writes clearly,” science teacher Jordan Abramson wrote about Clark.

“Outside the classroom, Daniel is polite, good humored and outgoing. While inside the classroom, he is an attentive, inquisitive, and insightful student,” English teacher Matt Diana replied via email. “Daniel enjoys peeling back the layers of the novels we read and analyzing the characters within them.”

“Daniel Clark emanates his true self both in the classroom, in rehearsal, and certainly on stage! He is playful, caring, and always knows how to make a memorable entrance and exit,” teacher and Performing Arts Chair Sean Elias responded via email. 

“Dan is incredibly charismatic. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have met Dan this year and have him in class,” history teacher Barclay Groseclose commented via email. “He’s the type of student that can raise the entire level of discussion in the classroom with his engaging, thoughtful, and deliberate manner.”

Clark is also becoming well-known for his writing. In an interview with him, here’s what he had to say:

Q: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

A:  I knew I wanted to be a writer junior year. I wanted to do both writing and theatre, but I found it would be hard to balance the two, so I chose writing because I have a larger passion for it.

Q: What is your favorite experience at Jemicy?

A:  The sophomore trip to Assateague Island. That was so much fun. 

Q: Who was your inspiration as a writer?

A:  Alan Sorkin, the writer of West Wing. His writing is beautiful and almost like song lyrics.

Q: Have you chosen where you’re going to attend next fall?

A: Yes. Bennington College in Vermont. It’s an art college, and some of their alumni include Alan Arken and a few Pulitzer Prize winners. 

 Congratulations Dan Clark on going to Bennington for its creative writing program.