Arts
Welcome back to all students, parents and staff at Western Springs College – Ngā Puna o Waiōrea.
Congratulations to the following 2019 Arts L3 NZQA Scholarship Award recipients:
Maya Murray
Scholarship Dance
Niamh Maher, Amy Morrin and Queenie Samuel
Scholarship Drama
Eli Lyons, Stella Renner-Allen and Una Schenker
Scholarship Design, Visual Arts
We’d like to welcome new staff to the Arts Faculty – Kayleigh Haworth in Drama and Ashley Heelam in Art and Art History. Both teachers will add to the energy of a busy collaborative faculty and we’re super excited to have you both here.
Congratulations to our recently appointed 2020 Arts Leaders – Grace Hemingway and Frankie Smith. You are a fabulous team and have brought spectacular enthusiasm to your classes at school, not to mention your new leadership positions. Without a doubt, we know you will promote the Arts across campus, in our traveling shows to Intermediates and beyond so well.
The annual SGCNZ Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival is held at the end of Term 1 at Kristin School on Tuesday 31st March and Wednesday 1st April in the Dove Memorial Theatre. Arts Leaders will mentor any junior/senior students wanting to get involved. We have a history of achieving great results in the competition and over the years we have been lucky enough to have had students and teachers get to Wellington, the South Island and The Globe Theatre, London to partake internationally in Shakespearean productions. Meetings will be on Thursday lunchtime when required.
Thanks to Arts Leaders Frankie Smith and Grace Hemmingway – for ‘O’ Week ArtsNews Heading.
arts@wsc.school.nz Kirsty Britton – Arts Coordinator
Introducing the 2020 Arts Leaders – Grace Hemingway and Frankie Smith
Frankie Smith & Grace Hamingway
“Hi I’m Grace and I’m one of your 2020 Arts Leaders. In the Arts I am involved in Dance and Drama but absolutely love and support those in Music and Art. I’ve been doing both Dance and Drama classes at Springs’ since Year 9 and I have to say that the class productions are the best part. Class productions are a time to come together as a class and really build a collaborative connection with peers that other subjects don’t really offer. The Arts are something that I truly believe everyone should be involved in in one way or another. It’s something that allows us to be creative and learn skills that help us discover our own voice in the world. Everything from visual arts to dancing, acting, singing and all – the Arts allows us to have a voice. So, for 2020, we will support everyone participating to make the Arts at springs accessible to everyone, not just those who have previous experience in the subject. I mean creativity is one of our school values so why shouldn’t we all get involved!” Grace Hemingway
“Hello, I’m Frankie and I’m also 2020 Arts Leader for WSCW. I am super keen on creativity and I feel that the Arts Department at Springs’ has been an awesome creative outlet for me. I have taken Arts subjects such as Painting and Drama as subjects at school since starting at Springs’ in year 9 and have loved growing so much in these environments. Also being part of a band and having so much support from the Music Department has also been so awesome (as I am not a music student). Knowing that teachers at Springs’ are willing to help and take an interest if we, as the students are willing to do the same, has been so eye opening. Going away for Leadership Camp too was amazing, to know that there is an almost subconscious support program in place with the other students, where we are all happy to help and listen to the problems of others. It was very nice to feel connected with people that I would have otherwise not have really known, it makes us all see that we are on the same level. Ultimately I would love to see WSCW as an arty, creative school in our new fancy buildings. I think that being surrounded by creativity and activity is so fun, so an aim for me is to definitely continue that school culture and get students excited by the arts, its subjects and all that they offer and not feel like it’s exclusive because really anyone can give it a good old go!” Frankie Smith
We’ll be looking to recruit senior students in years 12 and 13 wanting to be involved in our Arts Committee – encouraging participation, Arts promotion and involvement with activities about school. During ‘O’ Week lunchtime activities we have been talking to interested students’ and handing out sign-up sheets. To be considered, please return sign-up sheets to the school office or to either of us – Frankie or Grace – by Friday 28th February. The group meets fortnightly and this year will support events such as SGCNZ Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival in March/April at Kristin School, Talent Quest, Dance and Drama Class Productions, Music and Media shows and more.
Arts Leaders 2020 – Frankie Smith and Grace Hemingway
Dance: What’s on this year?
Dance Performance Opportunities
Year 10 Dance Studio Showing Thursday 2nd July @ 3.15
Intermediate Schools Tour dates to be confirmed (Term 2)
WSC NPoW Po Fia Fia Thursday 30th August
YouDance Festival June 28th – July 1st (Rae Freedman Centre)
Year 13 Choreography Showcase August 19th-21st in TAPAC
WSC NPoW Dance Showcase Wednesday 23rd September in TAPAC
Junior Arts Festival Wednesday 18th November in TAPAC
Theatre trips to see professional dance performances will be confirmed soon! See the Dance Teachers for information about Holiday Dance Workshops with The New Zealand Dance Company and Unitec School of Performing Arts.
Junior Dance Club starts on Tuesday 25 February at lunchtime and will run every Tuesday lunchtime this year. The club will be run by our fantastic Year 13 Dance students and guest tutors. Junior Dance Club is for any Year 9 and 10 students who want to learn a range of dance styles and commit to a group. See one of the dance teachers, Chloe Davison or Sam Wood-Rawnsley in TAPAC to sign up.
HOD Dance – Chloe Davison
Kia ora – Welcome to Drama 2020
The year kicks off with our senior students going to The Pop-Up Globe this February to see Shakespeare’s classic comedy, Much Ado about Nothing. The year 11 students will see Babble, a devised performance created by students from 5 South Auckland schools as part of the Auckland Festival in March. In June the Young and Hungry Company arrive to present Whaddarya; excerpts from classic New Zealand plays. In July years 12 and 13 will see Te Whare Kapua; the Cloud House, written by Miriama McDowell and presented by Massive Theatre Company’s emerging artists.
The biennial School Production is on hold until next year. We intend to change the format and create a unique piece of theatre relevant to the school and our students. This will allow opportunities for greater numbers to be involved and for the students themselves to have more creative input into the work. This year we will ask for students from years 10, 11 and 12 to come on board as part of the creative team to develop this work. The team will include students from across the Arts curricula in both the Kura Auraki and the Rumaki.
DRAMA dates to put in your diary include:
Term 2, week 2: 7th – 9th May
YEAR 11 DRAMA presents Gargantua by Carl Grose
Term 2, weeks 9 & 10 24th June – 2nd July
YEAR 11 DRAMA presents Zero for the Young Dudes by Alistair McDowall
Term 3, weeks 1 & 2
YEAR 13 DRAMA presents……..TBA
Term 4 Week 6, 19th OR 20th November
The Fabulous Junior Arts Festival – presenting work from our young actors, dancers, musicians, filmmakers and visual artists…An absolute feast for the soul!!!
All performances will be in the TAPAC Theatre and show times will be 3:20pm and 6:30pm.
HOD Drama – Robert Pollock
Music News!
Fingers crossed we have moved into our brand new Music Space by the time you are reading this – more news and photos next time. Meantime we are teaching in the hall and in half of the music department and our students are carrying on as the wonderful people they are.
Music Lessons
These are underway but there is still room – see Margaret or Dan to put your name down to learn to play flute, saxophone, clarinet, cello, double bass, trumpet, trombone, drums or guitar. Do this now!
Jazz Band and Chamber Group – We need new players!!
If you play an instrument we want to know about you.
Both of these performance groups lost key senior students last year so we are in a phase of rebuilding. As long as you have been playing for about a year we can find a part for you to play.
Violin, Cello, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone…or something else you think we should know about! See Trina, Margaret or Dan.
Junior Talent Quest!
Junior Talent Quest is coming! Yes, the last day of this term!
Calling all year 9 & 10 talent – get thinking about what your act will be. Anything goes dance, instrumental, comedy, vocal, mime, lip sync….anything!
HOD Music – Margaret Robertson
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