Georgia Military College Fine Arts Assistant Director Major Jenny Morris was inducted into the Georgia Thespians Hall of Fame. The announcement was made at the Georgia Thespians Conference in early February in Columbus, according to a press release.
This honor is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated “an unwavering commitment to theatre education for a minimum of 20 years.” Morris has taught theatre for exactly 20 years, with 10 of those years at GMC.
“While I have taught some elementary theatre, most of my career has been in high school,” said Morris. “I always knew I wanted to be a performer, but high school was when I became inspired to teach theatre myself.”
Morris was inspired to teach due to an internship she had during her junior and senior years in high school.
“I was born into a fine arts family and performed my first show at 3 years old. My mother is a music teacher and so is my brother,” said Morris. “Growing up, I took voice, acting, dance lessons, and played an instrument and was involved in various extracurriculars, like marching band and chorus. I’ve been involved in the arts my entire life.
“I had planned to be a performer in New York,” she explained. “But in my junior and senior year I was able to do an internship during the school day and discovered I really loved teaching. So I planned to teach and perform during the summers.”
During the fall season, Morris serves as the choreographer and co-director for the One Act play. In the winter season, she assists with the literary team and directs and choreographs GMC Prep’s middle school musical. Throughout the spring season, she also choreographs and co-directs for the Spring Musical Main Stage Show. Additionally, she leads the Middle School Musical Theatre Camp and assists with the High School Musical Theatre Camp, according to a GMC press release.
“I think it’s a blessing to be able to start teaching in sixth grade and watch students grow through twelfth grade. I love to see them learn, develop, and hone their craft. That is the most rewarding part of being a teacher,” said Morris.
Outside of the classroom, Morris has performed and done choreography and directing across the United States. She is also involved in Georgia Thespians as a member of the High School and Junior Boards and contributes to the executive board. Morris is also the director of All-State Theatre and has worked with talent from across the state.
“I started as the choreographer for All-State Theatre and then became the director. I’ve been doing that for 20 years and have brought three shows to the international conference,” said Morris. “Something I love to do is work with the best of the best in the state. I love the talent Georgia has.”
Morris was nominated by Director of Fine Arts at GMC Mark Weaver and CeCe Conrath, fine arts director and theatre director at Lakeview Academy in Gainesville.
“It was a dream of mine to be inducted,” said Morris. “My high school theatre director, Bonnie Marshall, was one of the original inductees and she actually came and walked the stage when I was inducted. She stood on one end of the stage with the oldest inductees and I stood on the opposite side with the new inductees. It was really special.”
Morris is hoping to return to performing in the summer and would like to see the theatre program continue to grow from K-12 at Georgia Military College Preparatory School.