AP Lang Classes see The Great Gatsby

Edyn Brock, writer • November 27, 2025

AP Lang class watching Gatsby

On Tuesday, November 25th, Atherton’s Theater Department performed ¨The Great Gatsby¨ for AP Language students. It took place during school from second to fourth period, and allowed for the students to see it performed first hand. The AP Lang students are currently reading the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald in their classes, and were able to experience Atherton’s take on it live.

Noah Kelly (12), is one of the main characters in the play, taking on the role of Jay Gatsby. He is very proud of how the performance went.

“It was really exciting because they got a chance to see it visually instead of just reading it. I was trying to impress Mrs. Bennett because it’s her favorite book, so when I saw her after the show and she was really proud of us it really made me excited. I think it went really well. It was definitely one of our best performances,” Kelly said.

June Petry (12), head of props department also thought the show went well saying, “It was the loudest curtain call I’ve heard all weekend”.

Mason Godbey (10), was one of the AP lang students that was able to see the show.

“I think my favorite part of it was seeing the lighting throughout the whole play. And it was cool seeing the parallel of actors before the war and after and getting to see a visualization of the characters,” Godbey said.

He enjoyed the play so much that he even went on to say, “I wish every book that we read in English class had a play for it. It made every scene feel so much more impactful and I got to like the characters way more.”

Penelope New (10), was also able to see the play and agreed that she enjoyed it.

“I liked seeing it live with people I know. I would be like, oh I remember that line from the book. And it was cool to predict what would happen next and see how they would take it to the stage. It met and exceeded my expectations,” New said.

This performance allowed the AP Lang students to experience a unique opportunity to further their understanding of the book. The good reviews from both audience and cast shows the impact that this experience had on all of them.

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About the Contributors

Edyn Brock, Writer

Joining the 2025-2026 Aerial Staff is Edyn Brock (12). Brock enjoys sports photography, and journalistic writing. In her free time she goes to the gym, hangs out with friends and family, and spends time with her pet rats. Brock is very excited to be part of this staff, writing about sports and student life, and she can not wait to contribute her skills in photography, and love of getting to know people to make the best Aerial yet!

Callie Thornton, Editor

Callie Thornton (12) is an editor and writer. During her first year, Thornton first thought of participating in the Aerial as a way to fill a class period, but contrary to previous intentions, realized that she had fallen in love with journalism. In her second year on the Aerial, Thornton is excited to be deeply involved in journalism again. She has hopes for more perspectives to come through the newsite, expanding outside of school to see more impacts in the community. Thornton looks forward to the new team taking the Aerial to the next level. At Atherton, Thornton participates in archery and track. Passionate about movies, film, and photography, Thornton hopes to go to college to pursue a career in film. Thornton’s top three movies are The Iron Claw, The Way Way Back, and Mid90s. In her free time, she enjoys painting, scrapbooking, listening to music, and spending time with her cat named Tom.