This year I was given an opportunity to take part in the production of Mama Mia.
This process began with an audition. We took place in a dance audition and then an audition for the leads where we had to sing two songs previously prepared. I was cast as a dancer. We started the vigorous rehersal process, meeting 2-3 times a week, consolidating and rehearsing our lines and choreography for the show. We were responsible for learning our lines, organizing our props and costumes and then taking part in a series of dress rehersals bringing the production together. I tried to help out where I could with props and costumes as well as the leads when I could. We performed in three shows, this was amazing as it was like performing in a real theatre company performing three consecutive nights. Over all this was an amazing experience to be able to perform and be apart of a production and lead the audition process and be part of a theatre company.
I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a ‘Peer Support’ leader for 2022. This journey first started
With one personal development week which began with us working along side our heads of houses and our house mates to take part in a series of exercises showing and developing our leadership and teamwork skills. We then submitted an aplication with a self lead activity to the rest of the group, after we had been accepted we split into our smaller groups and began planning for the year following a series of prompts to base each session on. We began meeting with the year 8’s every Thursday morning in tutor group. We had to lead and take part in activities working to creat a connection between year 8’s and us working to send the message of each activity. This was an amazing opportunity to work with and mentor the younger students as well as to make connections and work on my leadership, team work and communication skills.
This year I was able take my place for the second year as a ‘Student Choreographer’ for the 2022 dance concert ‘Rise’ based on empowerment. In order to acquire this position I had to undergo a selection and audition process. This process included submitting a cover letter, resume and an audition where we were required to lead a warm up and teach 16-24 counts of previously choreographed work and submit our over all themes and concepts. My concept based on the idea of empowerment was on ‘Time’ and the idea that time or the lack of time we have empowers us to live our lives to the fullest. Once my application was accepted, I was employed by The Agency. I chose students from years 11 and 12 who were interested in being in my piece I lead a warm up each session teaching my choreography and preparing my girls for the audition and concerts. I had to do all my own admin work as well as order costumes and design my lighting. This was an amazing experience yet again allowing me to work on my leadership, organisation, and creative skills and teaching me how to lead and manage a team .
From the beginning of year seven I have worked as an ‘Assistant Dance Teacher’ at my dance studio Dance Venture along side the dance teacher, working with children aged 4-6. Whilst teaching, I demonstrate steps and help with choreography and lead a warm up. I often have to deal with separation anxiety with such a young age group making sure all the students feel included and enjoy their time learning ballet. Helping out by dancing along side the student’s, gives them confidence in class and in our concerts helping them not to get stage fright. I help with costuming and looking after my students in the dressing room. I love teaching and find it is an amazing opportunity to help ,inspire and nurture the next generation of dancers.
In English, I have had many opportunities to display and grow my capabilities. Task 6 Dramatic performance was a learning experience that allowed me to develop my abilities, especially creatively. Working with two classmates, we decided to look at feminism and the mistreatment of women as a whole. We looked at three different social groups, including women who want to stand up and speak up, women who felt powerless and stayed silent, and men who were uneducated and mistreated women. After deciding on our topic, we had to get our creative juices flowing and think creatively about pulling the play together. Thinking creatively, we came up with the unique idea of showing a focal character at three stages of her life to help people understand that this issue affects everyone and make it audience-appropriate.
We had to think creatively about how to costume our play as we had limited resources and no time for significant costume changes. We decided to use symbolic objects to represent each character. The focal character, in different shades of blue as well as having age-related symbolic objects for each stage of her life: child-pigtails, teen-leather jacket, adult-Balzer, lucy-bow, hunter–hat, bus driver-steering wheel, making it easier for us to have multiple characters and for the audience to follow the storyline.
To set the scene for the audience, we created a video displaying each scene’s locations with transition slides to following the storyline. We wanted to think creatively and think of a way we could reach the audience about this issue. We thought of the idea to break the 4th wall and address the audience. We did this at the end of our playset out a protest. We spoke a speech about the real-life issue at hand, bringing this issue into reality into the real world out of the world of the play speaking to the audience, which connected us with the audience. This project allowed me to grow my creativity and helped me to think creatively in new ways to create a performance.
This year I had the privilege of choreographing my Own piece for the 2021 Dance Concert Unite. My piece ‘Face to face but not eye to eye was about how technology gives us some things but also creates a sense of fake connectivity and unity limiting our face-to-face connectivity. This experience was an amazing opportunity, I learned how to choreograph, plot my own pice, choose stage lighting and decide on costumes and budgeting. Running my own class and dealing with different skills and personalities was a valuable experience that I will never forget, teaching me so much about dance and choreography, an experience I am so grateful for.
Performing in the Perth City Ballet’s ‘Red Shoes,’ was such an amazing experience that will last me a lifetime. I learned so much about working in a different studio and loved meeting all the girls from the different studios. I have made many new friends and I loved working with Diana Waldron, I learned so much about what it means to be a dancer and what it feels like to be part of a Company, working towards producing a professional show for a real audience.
Performing at the quarry was a beautiful experience and a magical one that I will remember for life. I think that this program is so wonderful because it allows dancers like me who are chasing a profession in ballet to dance in a professional setting and learn what it would be like to be part of a production from start to finish. It was hard work, but I loved it.
Thank you, Diana Waldron, for letting me be a part of this very special ballet.
Year 8 student Jade Wheeler, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight, recently began campaigning for improved teacher training in dyslexia education.
After advocating passionately to politicians and university vice-chancellors for the past several months, Jade has won the support of Education Minister Sue Ellery MLC who is helping promote her campaign to the Federal Minister for Education and WA universities.
Jade has previously spoken with Hon Dr Mike Nahan MLA (Member for Riverton/Shadow Minister for Planning; Asian Engagement) and was invited by UWA Vice Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater to meet with herself and a member of her team to further discuss the cause.
Jade’s campaigning began in Year 3 and, with the support of her parents and the College, has gained increased traction and attention over the past six years.
Jade has recently attracted media coverage in the West Australian Newspaper and on ABC Radio.
Leadership and the ability to work in a Team are two very important skills to have in life. Life is constantly changing and developing and through new experiences and opportunities, leadership, and the ability to work in teams are important skills to have.
This year I have developed my ability to work cohesively in a Team, developing my Leadership skills and improving through my actions with great confidence. Although I have had many opportunities to practice these skills in different situations, I believe one of the most valuable experiences this year that has taught me a lot about both being a Leader and part of a Team, was the 2020 year nine camp to Kalbarri.
My Camp group at the Beautiful kalbarri look out
Throughout our year nine camp there were many opportunities where I had to show Leadership. When I volunteered myself to organize and help out my group with food preparation, I showed leadership as I had to guide my fellow team mates to get all our food into the right boxes with the right quantities, making sure that we didn’t forget anything. I developed a good system where I gave each person a job and then asked them to report back to me, crosschecking each item on the list before we put it into the right boxes, overall a job well done. To make things fair, I had to distribute the food across the group, so everyone carried their share making sure we remembered everything. Each day I helped to distribute the food to smaller groups within our group, making sure that any groups with special dietary needs were given the correct food. Overall, this taught me a lot about being a good Leader, how to delegate to my team, be fair to everyone and get the job done.
Another great lesson I learned from this camp was how to work in a small team . Organizing our sleeping arrangements every night included setting our tents up and taking them down. Packing them up each morning and then distributing the parts to the members of our group so they could be transported to the next campsite. This had to be done as a Team, one person holding the poles while the other two clipped the tent to it to make it stable. We did the same dismantling the tents and cleaning them each time, rotating who carried what to the next camp, working as a team, and having things organized made this experience a positive one improving my communication skills and ability to work in a group.
Me and the rest of my group working together to set up our tents and help everyone else at Camp Kalbarri
The skills that I learnt on this camp through experience, have taught me that being confident and volunteering for things that are new and challenging teach you to be a good leader and Team member. Moving forward I realise that these skills will be are transferable into whatever path I choose to do in life, whether it be part of a ballet Company, or theatre production, Leadership and Team work will be needed.
Year 8 has been full of ups and downs but overall, I have really enjoyed it and have learned so much about myself and experienced new things. My most enjoyable experience was at camp which I really enjoyed. I learned so much about my self and other members of my house and really bonded with my head of house and my peers.
I was pushed to my limits and felt out of my comfort zone, proving to myself that I could do things that I didn’t originally think I could do like the high ropes. I learned so much about my self as a person as well as about my surroundings.
What I learned about myself this year was that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I can make a difference in our world I learned this during my campaign about dyslexia that I could make a change and change laws if I worked hard and put my mind to it.
My biggest contribution to the school would be dance as I’m in all the dance concerts and I am always doing dance as it is my passion. I take it upon myself when I get someone in my group that isn’t the best at dance to help them and teach them.
If I could change anything about this year it would be to not worry as much, to still try hard and work hard but not worry about everything, just enjoy it and be in the moment. My best learning experience of this year would be my Shakespeare assignment.
It was difficult at first as my dyslexia makes it hard for me to read but I persevered and learned the lines I needed to and what it was all about. It really taught me persistence and I learned a lot about working in groups and how to work effectively in them. Overall I have really enjoyed this year and all the experiences I have had.
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