Student Spotlight: Upper School Student Dash M. ’29 Shows Courage through Creativity

“I love arts exposure and education; it’s very important to me,” said Upper School student Dash M. ’29. “I find art is very powerful because it makes heavier topics easier to digest, and allowing everyone to see that will make our world a better place, with less miscommunication.”

Dash is a dedicated writer with an appreciation for the Arts and a love for storytelling. On campus, he wears multiple hats in the Performing Arts Department and writes for Bush’s longtime newspaper, The Rambler. After the academic day ends, he continues to improve his skills by writing for Teen Tix, a Seattle organization through ArtsFund that empowers young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons, and leaders.

“TeenTix also provides access to art-related programs, workshops, and events around Seattle,” Dash said. “So if you’re aged nineteen and under, you can receive five-dollar tickets to nearly anything around the city.”

Dash and Upper School student Clara T. ’29 both write stories for Teen Tix and The Rambler, demonstrating their devotion to highlighting a range of topics through their developed abilities. They support Teen Tix’s essential values—youth empowerment and breaking down barriers that prevent young people from accessing the arts. While writing for Teen Tix, they spread the word about new events while encouraging their peers to venture out into the Seattle community and participate in everything it has to offer.

He credits the dynamic faculty and staff at Bush for assisting him in his creative endeavors and providing him with guidance for his stories. Teen Tix and Encore magazine recently published Dash’s first interview piece titled The Things Our Mother Tells Us, which spotlighted Upper School Performing Arts Faculty Kelly Kitchens and her background in professional performing arts.

“Each of my teachers has helped support my writing,” Dash said. “Especially Upper School English teacher Mia Manzulli, who helped me in the beginning stages of the article. She’s also an amazing person to talk to because she's a fan of the arts, so we share that connection.”

Although Dash’s penchant for writing developed at an early age, it has been fostered through his English lessons and through many beloved Bush programs, including Upper School Cascades, which offered a wide range of courses that allowed him to showcase his creativity. During this academic year, Dash took Kelly’s Cascades course, Stages of Wonder: Creating Theater for Young Audiences, and her Shakespeare course. An avid performer, Dash also played a significant role in the Middle and Upper School Drama Production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on Thursday, May 7, and Saturday, May 9. 

“I was so excited when I came to Bush and found out that Kelly was going to be teaching here,” Dash shared. “I’d already seen some of the productions she’s worked on, and she’s been involved in the arts for a long time. So I decided to interview her because I wanted to know more.”

Dash hopes to raise awareness of upcoming Teen Tix events through his writing while also promoting Bush’s Performing Arts Department. His goal is to emphasize the importance of the Arts in both the community and on campus. 

“Art isn’t just one thing–it encompasses visual, performance, music, and writing—it’s whatever you make of it, and there is art out there for everyone,” Dash said.