CAPA NEWS
YEAR 10 DRAMA EXCURSION; ‘LORD OF THE FLIES’
On Wednesday August 21st, the Year 10 Drama class, saw ‘Lord of the Flies’ at the Sydney Theatre Company in the Roslyn Packer Theatre at Walsh Bay. It was a matinee performance specifically to cater for High school students. Students from as far as Nowra came up for this significant experience. The plot centres on when a plane crash leaves a group of schoolboys marooned on a desert island. It is not long before they descend into rivalries, chaos and violence. Artistic Director Kip Williams’ staging made our students look at Lord of the Flies with new eyes. It was an excellent example of physical theatre with minimalist props. It had an exciting ensemble of adult actors, including Australian screen star Mia Wasikowska (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) bringing Golding’s island of boys to life, showing how quickly small cruelties can escalate. More than just pig’s blood will be spilled. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a 20th century masterpiece, as relevant today as it was on its publication in 1954. In it, Golding created an enduring modern myth, examining humanity’s terrifying capacity for self-destruction. Thank you to Mrs. Cascarino for her organisation of this event, and to all the students who really enjoyed the experience.
YEAR 10 PHOTOGRAPHY EXCURSION COCKATOO ISLAND
On Friday August 23rd , students from the Year 10 Photography and Digital Media classes accompanied by Mrs. Hume, Mrs. Parkinson and Mr. Peters visited Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, as part of the current unit of work; Locate, Situate, Speculate. The focus for this term’s artmaking task is film-making. At this location, students worked to produce a short ‘Thriller’, ‘Drama’ or ‘Horror’ film with i-movie. Other locations on offer included Circular Quay, at the railway stations, on the ferry or on the train. In a similar fashion to the ‘Tropfest’ film festival which has a signature item each year, in this task the Signature Item was ‘CANDLE’. That meant ‘CANDLE’ needed to be in some part of the short film.
In addition to an awe-inspiring harbour location, Cockatoo Island provided backdrops ranging from heritage to industrial. The remains of a convict prison, houses dating from the 1840s, cavernous workshop spaces, sculptural cranes and dry docks, all only 20 minutes away from Circular Quay by ferry. Students engaged with this spectacular and natural landscape, colourful convict past and industrial heritage to shoot for both their short films (moving images) and photographs (still images). Students were given a short walking tour of the island by their teachers and given the remainder of time to go to their own site-specific location in groups to get footage for their films. Their behaviour was exemplary. We look forward to their completed films.
HSC SHOWCASE EVENING 2019
It is important to celebrate the achievements of our most senior students.
One of the key benefits of learning at John Therry Catholic High is the fact that our curriculum supports our students in studying a wide range of subjects. Our students excel particularly in the Creative Arts and they are rightly celebrated for their achievements.
In 2019, our Principal, Curriculum Coordinator and the Executive Team identified a need to draw attention to the achievements of our most senior students, the HSC class of 2019. The demands of the HSC are hard to overstate, and any Year 12 parent will testify to the hours of determined research, practice and preparation that are necessary for students to perform at their very best during this important year.
The HSC Showcase Evening was an event that was designed to achieve the following aims:
- To allow students to display and demonstrate their achievements across a range of academic subjects
- To allow HSC students to receive feedback that is crucial to the process of their Major Works.
- To provide a large audience for our performance students to prepare for their practical examinations
- To allow parents, family and friends to ask questions and interact with students to better understand their achievements. This involved challenging the students to prepare for these discussions and to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding.
- To demonstrate to our younger students what is expected in the HSC, and to inspire them, challenge them and help them make informed decisions about their future studies.
In 2019, we were fortunate to see outstanding Major Works, Performance Pieces, Bodies of Work, Folios and Projects from a wide range of Subjects including:
- Aboriginal Studies
- Drama
- Music
- Photography
- Visual Arts
This was the first time we provided a showcase for all of these subjects on one night, and it is a testament to the hard work and enthusiasm of staff and students.
The evening was intended to create a strong sense of community with approximately 200 hundred people in attendance. As a school, we look forward to continuing to grow and develop the evening to make it a “do not miss” calendar event. Thank you to all the teachers, students and the Hospitality classes who assisted setting up the catering for this event. Without your support this would not be possible.
RUVARASHE SHOKO ; THE UNLISTED
Congratulations to Year 10 Drama student Ruvarashe Shoko who was cast in the current Channel 2 Drama series ‘The Unlisted’. Ruva is an outstanding unassuming student who is following her dreams. She was recently on television in episode 7 release on September 20th. The series will premier on Netflix on October 15th.
The plot is based around Twelve-year-old identical twins Dru and Kal who discover that the government is secretly tracking and manipulating Australia’s youth via electronic tracking devices. Together with a group of underground vigilante kids – The Unlisted – they must stop the evil authorities from creating an army of young soldiers who can be manipulated to serve the wealthiest citizens. We are very proud of Ruvarashe's achievements and look forward to her future success in the industry. You can watch the current episodes on abciview.
