Joey Summers has spent four years at Frederick High now. But that almost didn’t happen.
Joey was originally supposed to go to Erie High School, but they closed enrollment before he could get a spot. Instead, he enrolled at Frederick and feels fortunate every day to be a Golden Eagle rather than a Tiger. Since day one, he has been involved in every Frederick program he could manage, and Frederick has been made better from his involvement.
Let’s start with theatre, which is Joey’s main passion. Joey has been a part of every Frederick mainstage production since his freshman year. His favorite thing about being involved in theatre is the diverse and vibrant community theatre offers. Joey quickly broke out of background roles, and last year, he was the titular character in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Yet success hasn’t gone to his head: his top all-time favorite theatre production is one where he was in the chorus: High Fidelity. He cherishes that play during his freshman year over his other roles because “no other show has ever felt that fun.”
“It felt like actual high school getting to be in that play when I was a freshman,” he said. “Not to say that the other shows [he’s acted in] aren’t good, but that one gives me such a nostalgic feeling toward my early years in high school.”
Joey attributes this humility toward his appreciation for his fellow actors and the amazing work they do even with the smallest of roles. He said, “I have this way of looking at theatre: if you take a show and equate it to a bright light, and take a camera in the middle of the theater and there’s a bright light shining in the center, it’s really not that interesting, right? But when you have multiple lights shining around, it creates this nice picture.”
Last school year, Joey was appointed as a Colorado State Thespian Officer (STO), meaning he gets to serve as a student leader within the International Thespian Society by planning and assisting with big events such as ThesCon, advocating for arts education, and more. Taking on this title was a challenge for Joey but he always knew he wanted this prestigious accomplishment. During his freshman year, he became the first freshman ever allowed to attend ThesCon so he compete with his one act group.
Joey vividly remembers seeing the STOs at that first ThesCon and being amazed at the title they carry. “I remember one of them came up to me and introduced himself—I didn’t know where I was going, and I saw him with his sash on, and he directed me to where I needed to be.”
Joey thought of being an STO as a big challenge, but he knew he was up for that kind of leadership role. “I’m really big into challenging myself to do things that are hard.”
Outside of theater, Joey has also shown his leadership in Student Council and Link Crew. His warm and welcoming voice, honed by his work in theatre, has been a staple of Frederick assemblies, after-school activities, and announcements. Joey also joined GEBN last year in an effort to become just as talented behind the scenes as he is when he’s in the spotlight.
Joey is not sure what he is going to do after high school yet, as there are three potential careers where his bold presence and striking leadership could lead him to success. The first is theatrical performance, obviously, and if theatre doesn’t become Joey’s future vocation, he plans to still act on an amateur level for local productions.
However, law is very appealing to Joey. During high school, Joey has taken AP Composition, AP Literature, and AP US History, all of which have given him the skills to make impassioned speeches and arguments and understand tomes of legal precedent and statutes.
Joey’s favorite high school class, however, was US Government during his junior year. He loved getting to learn about the structure of our government, the different branches, and the electoral systems, and it unlocked a passion he didn’t realize he had: politics. Joey told us he can see himself majoring in political science, going into a career in public service, running political campaigns, and even running for office.
Regardless of if Joey will make speeches about adjusting the minimum tax rate or Shakespearean monologues about hearing the chimes at midnight, his larger-than-life presence and bigger-than-average heart will surely lead him to success. And given his unexpected entrance into Frederick High and what he has done since, Joey knows that he doesn’t need the most rock-solid plan in order to have a fantastic future.
