Arts News Term 3, Week 8

Debating News

2025 has seen debating flourishing at SMC, and it is so wonderful to see so many students participating and gaining valuable skills and confidence. We have had eight junior teams regularly competing in the Junior CSDC competition, hosted here at SMC, two Thursday evenings per term. 

Our Debate Club is ably led by Year 12 debaters Kieva Hanlon and Orla Miller, who coach the middle school debaters each Wednesday lunchtime, passing on their knowledge and inspiring the girls through fun games and skills exercises.

We are especially proud of our Year 10 Korimako team, who were runners-up in the final recently, so second in a competition of ~40 teams.  Congratulations, team Korimako! 

CSDC Junior runners-up for 2025 - SMC Year 10 Korimako - Annabel Grantham, Juliet Young & Elise Sherratt

Also highly commended in this year’s competitions are Year 9 team Kea (Victoria Lettink, Divya Pereira & Isabella Bruwer), who just missed out on breaking to the Junior semi-finals, and Year 11 team Pūkeko (Lena Abdinor, Chloe Marfell, Susanna Tully), who had a fantastic first year in the senior competition and also just missed out on breaking.

The Debating fun continues with the annual SMC vs Christ’s College showcase debate against our brother school on Tuesday lunchtime this week in SMC’s Blackbox Theatre with the motion ‘This House regrets the rise of the trad wife influencer’.  Next week we have our other annual competition with Christ’s College, Whiua te Kupu, where teams from each year debate and compete to take home the beautiful pounamu trophy donated by the Gearry family. Finally, CSDC Junior Regionals will take place at the University of Canterbury on Sunday, 12 October, to round off a fabulous year of debating, and we hope to have 4x Year 9 and 10 teams take part.

Why should you consider joining Debate Club at high school?

Debating is valuable because it builds essential life skills, including critical thinking, public speaking, research, collaboration, and confidence, while also improving academic performance. It teaches students to analyse complex issues from multiple perspectives, construct logical arguments, and communicate effectively and persuasively under pressure. These versatile skills are highly sought after in higher education and professional fields, helping students differentiate themselves in university applications and succeed in their future careers. In lists of the top skills sought by employers, these transferable skills frequently feature ahead of technical skills, such as those specific to STEM fields, because they are the skills that employers cannot easily teach their graduates. Give yourself a head start and try debating next year!

Jenni McLaughlin
Career Pathways Advisor and TIC Debating

MUSIC
This week, we have seen two exciting music events take place - a Music Itinerant Concert and Encore.

The Senior Arts Council team hosted the Music Itinerant Concert, made up of Madeleine McCoughlan, Emily Chambers and Lucia Tully.

We were treated to a variety of songs from students of all ages, abilities and experience. Some were experienced veterans and some were nervous first-timers taking to the stage. Thank you to our brave performers and audience members for supporting this valuable opportunity.

ENCORE took place yesterday with 19 students representing the Middle School Choir. Encore is an Independent Middle School Choral Festival. The girls rehearsed and performed in Christ’s College Auditorium last night to an appreciative audience. The concert comprised massed choir items and performances from individual choirs, involving eight independent schools from Christchurch.

DRAMA
Y12 Drama Students Embrace the Chaos and Fun of Commedia dell'Arte

The Year 12 Drama class has spent the last few weeks immersed in the vibrant and chaotic world of Commedia dell'Arte, a historic form of Italian theatre. To guide them on this journey, the students have been fortunate to work with specialist tutor Jodi Bate, who has been sharing her expertise and passion for this unique performance style.

Jodi has introduced the students to the core features and characteristics of Commedia dell'Arte, a theatrical form known for its masked stock characters, physical comedy, and reliance on improvisation. The workshops have focused on the essential elements of clowning and fun, teaching the students how to use their bodies and voices to create larger-than-life performances without needing a script.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRODUCTION
The Production is now cast for the Middle School Production: A Story of Rona. Rehearsals are well underway and the girls are working hard, developing their characters and learning new ensemble skills. Some are speaking, some are dancing and some girls are behind the scenes starting to bring the production to life. 

The Middle School Arts Committee is also working on bringing the production to life by designing decorations for the Atrium in relation to the story.

Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of next term.

DANCE
The 2025 Dance Showcase was truly an evening to remember, celebrating the incredible talent, creativity, and dedication of our students. Audiences were treated to a vibrant array of performances from dancers of all ages, each piece showcasing not only skill and artistry but also the joy of dance. A highlight of the evening was the stunning and thought-provoking student choreography, which impressed with its originality, depth, and emotional impact. The showcase was a testament to the hard work of our dancers, choreographers, and teachers, leaving the audience inspired and proud of the talent within our school community.

Photos:Inspired Images

VISUAL ART

Junior Artist of the Term:

Congratulations to Yijia Han, our Junior Artist of the Term! She's earned this award for her fantastic progress and skill development. Yijia's watercolour painting of a Canterbury landscape is a standout piece - it is beautifully painted and transformed into a 3D house. Yijia consistently gives 100% to her work, and it shows in the amazing outcomes she creates.

Middle School Artist of the Term:

Xanthe Raxworthy, Year 8, worked really hard on her Woodcut earlier this term. She chose to make a stylised design of Edmond’s Cornflour because there is a special family connection. She has used symbols around her Pop Art item to represent her brothers’ experiences with blood glucose levels. A well-crafted and very sophisticated Woodcut from Xanthe!

Senior School Artist of the Term:

Nina Drummond is creating outstanding work in both L2 Design and Printmaking. Her printmaking artwork juxtaposes imagery from past and present cultures, using her own photographs as subject matter for her compositions and a range of techniques with excellent control. Her design work, based on a dog pampering magazine, showcases a variety of different breeds, with dog products to spoil your favorite furry friend. The illustrations based on her own photos have a slick, original contemporary look with a high level of control using digital media.

The IB Exhibition takes place in the CLA Atrium during the last week of term. Come and celebrate the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of the girls.

The IB exhibition is the final component for the 2 year IB Visual Art course. This year’s exhibition displays work from 5 students from Yr 13: Jemima Jackson, Anjali Selvarajah, Cesca Harris, Sophie Zhang and Yujeong Hong.

This is visual arts at its best, showing a range of disciplines: media, drawing, painting, photography and printmaking.

Opening 3.30pm next Monday and runs until Friday lunchtime.

SENIOR SCHOOL ARTS COUNCIL
Come along and support your friends with this Senior Arts Council event! The Collective Cabaret is a fantastic opportunity to see your classmates perform. Whether you're singing, dancing, acting, or just cheering from the crowd, we can't wait to see you there.

The event will be held on Friday, September 5th, from 4 PM to 6 PM in the WS Breakout Space. All acts have at least two performers, so it’s a great chance to see some incredible collaborations.

Let's make this a night to remember! See you there!

CELEBRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Ruth Agnew’s Speech and Drama students performed outstandingly recently at their SpeechNZ exams. The girls couldn’t have done any better. Congratulations to all of them:

Year 6:  Caitlyn Lam - Grade Two Flexi :Honours Plus

Ada Zhao - Grade Three Flexi : Honours Plus 

Year 7: Isobel Pettigrew - Grade 3 Flexi: Honours Plus

Year 3: Georgia Middleburg -Initial  Honours Plus

Diya Arun - Initial Honours Plus

Mia Wu - Initial Honours Plus

Emily Hughes - Initial Honours Plus

OPPORTUNITIES

2025 New Zealand Opera season | The Monster in the Maze

Facing adversity, could you find your way home?

A community opera by British composer Jonathan Dove, The Monster in the Maze has been roundly praised by audiences, participants and reviewers worldwide. An epic retelling of the Greek myth of the labyrinth and the minotaur, this is a compelling story about resistance, justice, and the power of community – presented here in a stunning new production by Director Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM (Tinā, Red White and Brass, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt) – with a distinctly local setting, sung by choirs made up of child, youth and adult community members in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

Come and support Sam O’Neill performing onstage and Mrs Sue Bealing, playing with the CSO under the stage in the pit!

Isaac Theatre Royal, Ōtautahi | Christchurch This Friday 5 September  7.30pm | Saturday 6 September 2.30pm

More info + Book tickets: https://nzopera.com/opera/the-monster-in-the-maze/

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

IB Arts Exhibition - Monday 8 - Friday 12 September

Arts Awards - Thursday 11 September

Music Showcase - Thursday 11 September

Regional Debating - Sunday 14 September

Term 4

Arts Soiree - Friday 10 October

Combined Orchestra - Monday 13 October 

Middle School Production - Sunday 19 - Tuesday 22 October