Building Futures Vol 6 2012.pdf - Merici College

Cultural AssemblyThe Arts Express Themselvesnumber, ‘Josephs Coat’ from theColleges’ first musical production‘Joseph and the TechnicolouredDreamcoat’. It was an entertainingway to open up the concert, andcreated a very energetic atmosphere, asthe young cast and crew demonstratedtheir devotion and talents to theCollege community. They performedagain later in the concert with thepiece ‘Canaan Days’ a very emotiveand expressive piece, designed tocreate empathy for the audience anddisplay how drama, dance and musiccan change an atmosphere and stiremotions. The musical was shownearlier this term and the enthusiasmof the performers was still present asmuch as it was during show week.The students who missed out onseeing the production, got to see twobrilliant numbers, and it was verybeneficial that those students got tosee a glimpse and be a part of theproduction too.The Year 12 senior Dance class for‘Dance Fest ‘displayed one of theirpieces called ‘Girl Power’ and it wasdefinitely one of the highlights of theconcert, as it emphasised the strengthof women and was a relevant messageto the young girls of the College. Thepiece was very well choreographedand illustrated great determination,practice and detail. The time andeffort the girls put into these pieceswas very clear, and the performanceitself was very enjoyable for all whowatched.The first major performance in frontof the school for the College choirwas also presented at the assembly.Performing ‘Electricity’ from the BillyElliot Broadway Musical and ‘Youcan’t stop the beat’ from Hairspray,gave an opportunity to the audiencewhere they could sing and performas they too were familiar with theglobally recognised songs.Drama always demonstrated thetalents of the girls at Merici, andmanaged to put on a unique anddifference performance continuallyevery year at the Cultural Assembly.The Year 10s performed a shortpiece from their Museum Theatretask. The contemporary and diversedramatic style was very different andunexpected for the audience.Media videos were played through theopening of the assembly, and showedthe creativity of film and photography,and the entertainment and humour thestudents gain from it. It demonstratedsome very wonderful and entertainingideas, and the students thoroughlyenjoyed it.The concert this year, proved to beboth engaging and entertaining. Theperformances seen on the day wereonly a small fraction of the works thathave been performed and displayedwithin and outside the College thisyear. The Cultural Assembly outlinedthe amount of effort, hard work andmotivation both staff and studentshave to create truly marvellouspieces. All their efforts both seen inthe assembly and outside are greatlyappreciated by the College, andwe look forward to seeing new andwonderful things next year.Jordan MedlockExpressive Arts Cultural CaptainMoruya, Cooma, Gundagai and theCanberra area.The Canberra Branch of the Knightsof the Southern Cross (KSC) and theCatholic Education Office has workedfor the past 12 months to create andorganise the event, which formedpart of the Year of Grace celebrationsin the Archdiocese. Merici Collegevolunteered to host the festival andprovided administrative support,lunch service and afternoon tea toparticipating teachers, students andtheir families.Choirs offered a wide range of hymnsand songs ranging from “My God (MyGuy) from the movie, Sister Act 1, to“The Rhythm of Life”. Choirs rangedin size from 14 to 57 members but theoverall enthusiasm and commitmentwas there for all to see. The whole ideaof the choir festival was to let childrenexperience the fun of performing inpublic and this certainly was achieved.Three professional judges volunteeredtheir services for the festival – JakiKane, Jenny McCarthy and MargeryLindermayer – all with many yearsof involvement with choirs. Theyapplauded the work done by choirdirectors and students alike inpreparing for the event. Some choirswere created just for the event.Mike Cassidy, District Chairmanof the KSC, presented the trophiesfor the first three places and theEncouragement Award (all of whichhad been sponsored by the CatholicDevelopment Fund).1st place was taken out by St Patrick’sParish School, Cooma, NSW, 2ndplace by St Patrick’s Primary School,Gundagai, NSW, and 3rd place byHoly Trinity Primary School, Curtin,ACT. A special Encouragement Awardwas given to St Edmund’s JuniorChoir, Griffith , ACT. All participatingchoirs were presented with framedParticipant’s awards.It is hoped that schools wouldcontinue to participate in the festivalevent for many years to come and anumber of schools, who could notattend the event in 2012, have alreadyshown their interest for 2013.Media Release issued by the Archdioceseof Canberra and Goulburn CatholicEducation Office, August 2012.11