Lauchlan Davis Sky '14

When Lauchlan Davis Sky ’14 walks the halls of GPS, she feels the same sense of belonging she had as a student. “It’s like no time has passed, but I’m also a completely different person,” she reflects.

A fourth-generation Bruiser, Lauchlan’s connection to GPS runs deep. As a student, she was both a dedicated rower and a constant presence in the art studio, balancing her love for athletics with a passion for creativity. Her Chapel Talk senior year celebrated this legacy, weaving together a journal entry from her great-grandmother’s GPS days with her own reflections on how much the school had changed—and stayed the same—over more than a century.

After graduating, Lauchlan attended the University of Virginia, where she studied art history and English. She relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, and spent several years building her own successful fine art business (Lauchlan Studio) before returning to Chattanooga in 2023. When the opportunity to teach arose, she followed her instincts. “It felt like the right moment to take a risk,” she says. “Art has meaning when it’s shared—not only through the finished piece but also through the creative process. Teaching allows me to share that process with a new generation of GPS girls.”

This year, Lauchlan joins the faculty as an art teacher, guiding seventh- and eighth-graders as well as upper school students in drawing and painting. She hopes her classes give students more than technical skill. “I want them to prove to themselves that they can do something they didn’t think was possible. There’s so much joy in that surprise.”

In addition to teaching, Lauchlan is also an assistant rowing coach for the Bruisers, a role she began right after moving back to town. For her, coaching connects naturally to the classroom: “On the water and in the studio, you’re leading students through a step-by-step process that builds confidence, awareness, and growth.”

Just as her students and athletes are learning and growing, so too is Lauchlan. Her new role has her developing curriculum and processes from scratch. Fortunately, she finds that exciting. For the upcoming Reunion Weekend, she designed a collaborative art project that has students creating small abstract squares that, when assembled, form larger images drawn from historic GPS photographs—such as the Maypole and past graduating classes. “It’s about trusting the process,” she explains. “Individually the squares might seem simple, but together they become something powerful.” The finished work will showcase the collective creativity of GPS girls across grades, a fitting tribute to the enduring spirit of community that Reunion Weekend celebrates.

Lauchlan’s journey back to GPS is, in many ways, a full-circle moment. At Reunion Weekend last year, she and her classmates slipped easily into the rhythms of their school days, laughing, sharing stories, and cheering one another on. “That sense of deep friendship is still so real,” she says. “It’s amazing to see how everyone has grown, but also how familiar we all still feel to one another.”

Now, as a teacher and coach, Lauchlan is adding her own chapter to GPS history, carrying forward the same creativity, discipline, and spirit of sisterhood that shaped her as a student.