Arts News Term 4, Week 0

Arts Soiree

We will kick off Term Four with our annual Arts Soiree, themed Mamma Mia. We are looking forward to a night of costume, Greek food, music, dance, and singing. We have a limited number of tickets available if you are interested in coming along. 

Please email anna.turner@stmargarets.school.nz if you are interested in buying tickets. 

Creative Technologies Showcase

Kapa Haka

Te Haerenga Kapa Haka ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū kia Whakanui i te Wiki o te Reo Māori Kapa Haka trip to Christchurch Art Gallery to Celebrate te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Called together by our Kapa Haka tutor Matua Sonny, more than 500 students from seven Christchurch kura – including Heaton Intermediate, Christchurch East and us, gathered in front of Te Puna o Waiwhetū (Christchurch Art Gallery) from 12 – 2 pm on Wenerei 18 th o Mahuru, in a beautiful, dynamic event, to whakanui (celebrate) Te Wiki of te Reo Māori.  

Our 102 ākonga (students) ranged in age from Year 4 - Year 13: all our Years 4,5 and 6 students, 25 or so girls from years 7 – 8, and our Senior Kapa Haka rōpū (group). The two-hour programme brought to the onlookers a rich array of waiata-ā-ringa, waiata tira, haka and novelty waiata with poi and rākau. Ours was the final school performance, with ākonga from Year 4 – 13 performing some items separately and coming together for our school waiata and the haka Ka Panapana. It was a powerful tuākana/tēina moment.

The concert concluded with all of the participants joining together to sing the beautiful haunting waiata, “Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho”; (My Language, my Awakening), composed by Te Okeroa Huriwaka and Tawhiro Maxwell in 1991. It was heartwarming to see the leaders of all the different kura stand shoulder to shoulder in the front line for this final waiata and karakia, signaling kotahitanga and the whakahirahiratanga (great importance) of Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa. 

Nā Helen Moran

Robocup

Robocup Stars Shine Bright in Auckland
Millie, Bea and Amy Bring Home the Gold

One of our school teams triumphed at the recent National Robocup competition in Auckland. Millie Edwards, Bea McGlashen, and Amy Viles were crowned champions in the "On the Stage" category. Their victory marked a standout achievement in a challenging competition.

However, not all teams had the same fortune. Sofia Tivers, who partnered with her cousin Will from Medbury, faced a frustrating experience. Despite their best efforts, Sofia and Will’s robots malfunctioned, showing "stage fright" and refusing to operate as programmed within the time limit. Yet, the pair handled the setbacks with dignity and maturity, standing as excellent ambassadors for their schools by demonstrating perseverance and never giving up.

Millie, Amy, and Bea competed in the "On the Stage" section of the NZ Robocup challenge, where students must create an engaging story and bring it to life using robots, music, costumes, and drama. Their performance, inspired by The Greatest Showman, captivated the judges. Millie, a seasoned competitor since 2020, displayed exceptional leadership and skill throughout the event.

The trio’s performance was extraordinary, showcasing creativity, teamwork, and technical excellence as Millie and Bea successfully defended their national title from 2023. Though they faced stiff competition from Sage Engineering, their determination and talent led them to a second consecutive victory.

With this impressive win, Millie, Bea, and Amy have solidified their status as top robotics competitors in New Zealand. Their success is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and countless hours of preparation. Congratulations to all teams and the fantastic support network behind each competitor. 

Art Awards

On the 17th of September, we celebrated students' success across Creative Technologies, Oratory, Performing Arts and Visual Arts at the annual Senior Arts Awards. Amy Jones addressed the senior school for the final time as Arts Prefect, and we had amazing performances from the Year 13 NCEA Dance students, CJay Horrey, with a performance of All the World’s A Stage and an amazing closing number from the Jazz Band. It was also a wonderful opportunity to recognise the success of students involved with Shakespeare in Schools, Big Sing Cadenza and Shakespeare in Schools. Students have worked hard across their senior years to hone their craft and discipline in their chosen discipline and have given service in various ways to the Arts faculties. 

Congratulations to the following students:

Music Showcase

On Tuesday 17th of September at 7pm Music students across a range of disciplines gave incredible performances at the Music Showcase. The concert opened with the combined St Margaret’s College and Christ’s College and was followed by choirs, a range of bands and smaller ensembles. The audience was treated to a stunning rendition of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters performed by Rylie Plant on lead vocals, Mae Crawford on bass guitar, Brooke Gore and Charlie Halliday on guitar, Emily Snoep on drums and the String Orchestra. This performance was a collaboration that had been a long time in the making and was an incredible way to end an evening of beautiful music. Congratulations to the Year 13 students who were able to #takethefloor in their final concert for the year. 

A huge thank you to Amanda Woods, Dr Sarah Hickford, Rachel Wilford and Sarena Harrison for their work with music students both within the curriculum and in the co-curricular space. The SMC Music Department would also like to extend a huge thank you to Steve Fowler and Emily Farrell for their work with the bands this year. We have seen exponential growth in this area and it was wonderful to see performers from Year 7 to Year 13 involved in these groups.

Puffs

Christ’s College and St Margaret’s College are excited to present their combined Year 9 and 10 production of Puffs. Students have been working hard in rehearsals over Term Three and are looking forward to their final rehearsals before Opening Night. 

Ticket purchase and details are available via: Puffs - Christchurch - Eventfinda

Tue 5 Nov 2024, 7:00pm–9:00pm

Wed 6 Nov 2024, 7:00pm–9:00pm

Thu 7 Nov 2024, 7:00pm–9:00pm

Fri 8 Nov 2024, 7:00pm–9:00pm

Sat 9 Nov 2024, 2:00pm–4:00pm

Sat 9 Nov 2024, 7:00pm–9:00pm

About the show:

For seven years, a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there, too. It is a tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world.

In this hilarious parody of a familiar story, three potential heroes are trying to make it through a magic school that proves very dangerous for children. Alongside them are the Puffs, a group of well-meaning, loyal outsiders with a thing for badgers. Their epic quest takes the classic story to new places and reimagines what a boy wizard hero can be.

Lions Christchurch Schools Music Festival

On Tuesday the 22nd of October Year 5, 6 and 7 students will be participating in the Lions Christchurch Schools Music Festival at the Town Hall. Students have been preparing for this both in school and at combined area rehearsals earlier in Term Three. 

Congratulations to the following students who successfully auditioned and were accepted into the Music Festival representative groups:

Senior Representative Choir:

Caitlin Ching (Year 7)

Cordelia Jones (Year 7)

Symphony Orchestra:

Olivia Guan - violin (Year 5)

Julia Nguyen - violin (Year 7)

Kathy Gai - violin (Year 8)

Tickets can be purchased via the following link: https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=CSMF24 

Further information about the festival is available via: https://musicfestival.school.nz/

Debating

Congratulations to our terrific Year 10 debating team of Lena Abdinor, Susanna Tully and Chloe Marfell who were runners-up at the Junior Regionals tournament at UC. 

These girls lost narrowly in a very entertaining final debate against St Andrew's College. They were negating the motion that as young adults, they would prioritize investing time into friendships over investing time into a romantic partner.

Congratulations to Lena Abdinor, who was awarded joint best speaker of the tournament along with Lachie Hackston from StAC. 

Other motions debated on the day included whether they would ban those working in the medical profession from striking and whether superheroes are bad role models.

Debating provides students with wonderful opportunities to develop confidence, critical thinking skills, the ability to formulate arguments, think on their feet and speak with confidence and clarity.

In other debating news, last week, we had our annual Whiua te Kupu competition against our brother school, Christ's College, which took the trophy from us for the first time since its inception in 2021.  Tomorrow at lunchtime, our senior debaters will face down against their Christ's College brothers again in the annual showcase debate, which will be held at the College Old Boys' Theatre.  Our Head of Debating, Nina Hayes, will be debating with Year 12s Millie Edwards and Anna Qiu and arguing that as the mayor of Rome in a financial crisis, we would bring back gladiator games at the Coliseum. We wish them well!