Paige is a gifted Year 12 Arts student who enjoys exploring her artistic talent through our wonderful Arts Department. Our General Visual Arts course, provides an immersive visual arts experience in which Paige can develop skills in several mediums such as painting, sketching, printmaking, and digital art. Whilst at home, Paige enjoys the sights of natural sea life and draws inspiration for her artwork by gazing out her bedroom window towards the ocean. She is grateful for the support she receives from her friends and family, who are encouraging of her exceptional art pieces. Paige has enjoyed a lot of success in the last 12 months with several of her artworks appearing in prominent exhibitions within the Geraldton's Arts community. The most noteworthy of 2021, her inclusion in the Midwest ArtPrize Junior Division, the Genesis Exhibition, and her print work in the Arts & Crafts in the Piazza. Paige’s work was also featured our 2021 Wavelength publication. This year, seven of Paige's charcoal drawings will be showcased in the Post Office Laneway Gallery. (www.cgg.wa.gov.au/community/our-community/arts-and-culture/post-office-lane-lightbox-gallery.aspx) Paige was the 2021 Prize winner for General Visual Art Year 11, and the joint recipient of the Sister Pascal Award for Year 11. She was recognised after a very successful year in the Visual Arts and for her engagement in Drama studies and involvement in our Musical Production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Paige is highly motivated and enjoys spending her time working on her art both in school and at home, and is working hard to ensure her artwork is continually on display in Geraldton, including watercolour whales seen splashing down the road on the planter boxes on Chapman Road. Paige has also enjoyed the financial rewards of all her hard work. She has established 'Paige's Designs', a small business that sells her artworks, including prints of her original artworks during the Christmas markets and on Sunday's at the Geraldton Platform Markets. She has also been busy producing a line of products to sell locally to display her work, such as mugs, stickers, and printed cards. Paige is always looking for opportunities through local art exhibitions to continue showcasing her work.
We look forward to sharing more of Paige's Arts journey throughout the year. “Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you’ll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you’re gonna be rewarded.” Jimi Hendrix
Spoken by Jimi Hendrix, one of the most well-known rock artists of all time, it reminds us to stick with what we love and that we will be rewarded for our efforts despite the hardships and difficulties we may endure. Jimi Hendrix, also happens to be the hero of our next student artist profile - Year 9 student, Jack. Jack is a keen guitarist having only begun playing a year and a half ago after his dad got him absolutely obsessed with rock music. Playing both electric and acoustic guitar, Jack takes weekly lessons with Mr Meynell here at the school and enjoys every minute of it. He regularly comes to Music during Breaks and jams with his friends, learning different pieces and expanding his musical repertoire. For Jack, music is a way that he can express himself, his feelings and tell stories. Jack took Music Technology in Semester 1 and made great used of his performance skills within the tasks set. Loving it so much, Jack has chosen music as an option for 2022 and hopes to further refine his performing skills as well as his overall technical ability. Jack was privileged enough to be a part of the students who led the Music workshops on Monday 30 August for Year 4 students from St. John’s School. Teaching the Year 4s how to play tunes and riffs on electric and acoustic guitar in the sessions gave the primary students an opportunity to experience what Nagle has to offer, and how Nagle Catholic College is the perfect environment to nurture and grow musical talent just like Jack Western. We look forward to seeing what Jack's future has to offer. Everyone relaxes and unwinds in different ways. Some do this through exercise, meditation or cooking. But there is a small select group every year who find art relaxing and choose to pursue it as an ATAR subject throughout Years 11 and 12.
While the 2021 cohort of ATAR Visual Art students have concluded their high school art journey, the impact of their final pieces remains with their teachers, peers and the College. Meaningful pieces were created throughout the course of the year, with Visual Art student award winner and graduate, Kiara Flannigan reflecting on her two-year ATAR Visual Art journey, “Art is really just one of those outlets for me…[for] when I need to calm down or be mindful”. Kiara’s piece “House of Cards” was inspired by the concept of domestic violence and the family structure. Inspired by tarot cards, she assigned each card to a different character in the family and used Artline illustrations and colour on MDF boards to create a ‘House of Cards’. The fragility of her art piece is symbolic of the fragility of the family structure, and while it is something quite negative it is an important issue that she believes should be highlighted. The course allows students to use visual language to express ideas and use the skills they honed throughout lower school to produce meaningful artwork. The art they create is not restricted to painting however. Artline, fabric and comics are just some of the mediums past students have used to express their creativity in ATAR Visual Art. 2020 graduate Lucy Lin was privileged enough to have her final piece “Grandma’s Garden” featured in Pulse Perspectives 2021. College ATAR Visual Art graduates have been lucky enough to be featured in the Perspectives Art Exhibitions on several occasions now, highlighting the high standard of care and professionalism along with nurturing the Visual Art teachers provide to the students at the College. With ATAR Visual Art being “stressful but fun at the same time”, Kiara encourages students who enjoy art to consider continuing it in Senior School. “We need more people in the Arts courses. It [would have been] nice for there to [have been] more people to bounce off ideas…but it [was nice to get] a lot of attention and one on one time.” If you are not planning on pursing an ATAR journey, the college runs General Visual Art as well meaning it really is a course for anyone no matter what pathway they are on. We wish the 2021 ATAR Visual Arts graduates all the best for the future and cross our fingers that perhaps they are lucky enough to be featured in the 2022 Pulse Perspectives Exhibition.
Daina is a talented student who is finding her inner talent through a newly offered course at the College. Media Production and Analysis which is offered as a General and ATAR course at the College, explores the production of films. Despite it not having been run for several years, a new Media teacher and a group of 16 Year 11 students have managed to get this course back up and running again… and it is already a clear hit with students.
Daina studies ATAR Media Production and Analysis. Prior to studying this course, she regarded filming and photography as side hobbies she enjoyed, having also taken up Photography as an Option during Year 10. However, despite only having studied this course for one semester, she is already realising how many opportunities in this industry she really has. One of the reasons for her inspiration and dedication to the course is her teacher, Mrs Marissa Williams. Daina describes her as being “the best teacher ever” because “the energy she gives off is just so bright and vibrant”. While Daina said she wouldn’t describe herself as arty, I think she’s pretty creative. Between having a weekend job and studying ATAR, she loves to play drums at home and is constantly trying out new hobbies with her friends. However, her interest behind the camera has not once failed her. Having always made iMovies and videos, she was thrilled to be able to create a music video as an assessment task during Media. “I got to create my own music video which was really fun because I got to use the camera and combine both taking photos and making videos, which are both things I really enjoy.” – Daina I was privileged enough to be able to watch the music video and I was wowed. For someone who has had zero professional experience in the field, having only ever experimented at home in her free time, what she crafted was is a masterpiece. It is evident that Daina is talented at such a young age, and with such little professional experience, if she wished to, she could go far in the industry. However, Daina acknowledges that it is an extremely difficult and competitive industry to get into, but by pursuing this course it has helped her get a better understanding of what she enjoys and gain a better understanding of the film industry. When I first had a look at the course I thought ‘Oh it’s like English. Why would you want to do double English?’…and I clearly wasn’t the only one! Daina herself thought the exact same thing going into the course. When she read the syllabus she hadn’t been sure if she should take it up as an ATAR subject since it seemed like there was a lot of written work and she wasn’t the most confident in writing essays in English…and she didn’t expect it to be different. Except it was! “I felt like I could actually write stuff because it is so much more different than I thought it would be.” It just proves that if you’re good at writing English essays, it doesn’t mean you’ll be good at writing essays in a different subject…and vice versa. Media Production and Analysis is an innovative course in this ever-changing and media driven society, and students benefit massively by studying this course if they choose to pursue such a career. A young girl falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in the magical Wonderland, a place full of adventure, excitement and quirky creatures.
This is the classic story line of our 2021 musical production, Alice in Wonderland, taking place in the second week of Term 3 at the Queens Park Theatre (QPT) with performances on Thursday 29 July through to Saturday 31. With two matinee performances and three evening showings, it means that those students and staff involved in the production have got quite a schedule over the week. With countless people in the limelight and behind the scenes involved in prop making, lighting, costume, make up and promotion, the effort going into this production is nothing short of inspiring. Two rehearsals per week on top of school and other extra-curricular activities seems like a full-on schedule for these cast members, yet they are so eager to perform that they have started rehearsing three times a week to ensure that the Musical they present will be the best it can be. I have been lucky enough to be asked to write about this talented group and seeing their joy and enthusiasm makes me realise why they love coming to rehearsals. The bonds and friendships that have been created whilst in rehearsal, brings an unspoken connection with one another which is clear to see in their performance. The laughter on their faces when Jordan goes into character and uses a slow droopy accented voice to mimic the caterpillar. The joy on their faces as soon as Mr James Softly starts playing music on the piano. The enthusiasm and dedication that each and every one of them bring to everything is something uplifting to see. It would not be a true musical if it were not for a live band…which is exactly what Alice in Wonderland has. Mr James Softly, our Head of Music, has assembled a small band of gifted individuals that will play live during the productions. Including our own talented students, Mr James Softly himself and even a couple of professional musicians. The Year 7 students will be lucky enough to enjoy this musical firsthand at the matinee performance on Thursday 29 at the QPT and you can too by keeping an eye out in the Daily Notices, newsletters, College Facebook page and around the school for advertising letting you know when and where to buy tickets towards the middle of Term 2. This is the first time the College will return to the QPT since 2017, when the very successful musical, The Addams Family, was performed to an appreciative audience so there are high expectations and a lot of excitement amongst the cast and crew. Performing at the QPT to a live audience will be a fantastic experience for all involved. The cast for Alice in Wonderland is as follows: ALICE/KNAVE OF HEARTS - Keira ALICE UNDERSTUDY/KNAVE OF HEARTS - Ellen QUEEN OF HEARTS/MOTHER/CAUCUS RACE ANIMAL - Jazmin THE MAD HATTER - Rhett THE WHITE RABBIT - Belle THE CATERPILLAR/CAUCUS RACE ANIMAL - Jordan THE DOORMOUSE/TWO-OF-HEARTS CARD/ROSE-PAINTER - Chloe THE MOCK TURTLE - Freya THE DODO BIRD/FIVE-OF-HEARTS CARD/ROSE-PAINTER - Megan THE CHESHIRE CAT - Macy TWEEDLE-DEE/CAUCUS RACE ANIMAL - Mya TWEEDLE-DUM - Heidi LOREENA - Briella THE MARCH HARE - Jazmin KING OF HEARTS - Elliot ENSEMBLE/CHORUS - Paige, Teagan, Madison, Emily, Sophie. We wish everyone involved in Alice in Wonderland a fantastic Term as they continue to rehearse in preparation for Term 3’s performances. Fairy tales speak of princesses dancing the night away and there is one girl in Year 10 at Nagle who does exactly that. Ellen Laurie lives and breathes dance. It dominates her life. Dance is her life, and her life is dance.
Ellen started dancing when she was just four years old and has not stopped since. When I asked ‘how much’ Ellen told me she dances so many hours per week, she could not say exactly how many hours…because it is so many. She dedicates every living, breathing second outside of school to dance, and loves it. Her secret; she gives school her undivided attention when she is at school and gives dance her everything when she is at dance. Juggling school and dance is a challenge but add being cast as an understudy to the lead role of Alice in our Nagle 2021 Alice in Wonderland musical to the equation and you’ve got a jam-packed schedule that does not leave a lot of time for anything else. Five performances of the musical will be performed by a fantastic cast of students across Years 7 to 11. Ellen and the cast are very excited to be performing at the Queens Park Theatre in Term 3. Ellen has been cast as the ‘Alice’ understudy to the talented Keira King, and will have the opportunity to play the lead of Alice in some of the shows. When not performing as Alice, Ellen will play the role of the ‘Knave of Hearts’. Ellen herself admits that it is hard missing out on some things with such a busy schedule. Sacrificing a lot for dance, means that she misses out on birthday parties, trips, and little things like going to the beach or the movies, but she claims it’s all worth it and wouldn’t have it any other way. Her talent is not unseen. The countless hours, days, and weeks she has spent dancing were recognised in 2020 where she received the Senior Dancer of the Year award at All Things Dance Geraldton. This prestigious award entitles Ellen to free tuition at All Things Dance for all of 2021. Ellen can choose to join whatever dance class she wishes, which maybe partly explains why she literally listed off so many dance styles that she is trained in, that I zoned out because there were just too many to remember. And with that many dance styles, Ellen cannot pick a favourite; “They all have different things about them that I love”. As if dancing seven days per week for hours on end AND being part of the whole school musical production of Alice in Wonderland is not enough, Ellen also teaches at All Things Dance. Training up to become a dance teacher is nothing hard for a girl who has been dancing for the best part of 11 years and teaching the junior dancers the basics is a piece of cake for her. Ellen’s drive and determination is something else, really impressive and places Ellen as a great role model for her young dance students at All Things Dance, someone to aspire to and look up to. Ellen is really looking forward to her Year 10 Dance Option in Semester 2 at Nagle and loves being involved in Dance classes at school as well. When I asked her what she wanted to do in the future she simply replied, “Something to do with dance”. Whether it is travelling as a dancer, dancing in productions, or becoming a dance teacher, what she knows for sure is that dance is destined to be a part of her future and she can’t wait to see in what shape and form it will be…and neither can we as the Nagle Catholic College community. The Captain is one of her favourite songs to play and it is safe to say that she is the captain on the musical journey she is finding herself on.
Our first student artist profile for 2021 is Year 10 student, Raine, the up-and-coming musician we have begun to hear quite a bit about, and there is a reason. Being first inspired by Grace Vanderwaal on America’s Got Talent in 2016, Raine started playing the ukulele (being so clueless that she started playing it upside down, which, I would say, is a talent in itself) but soon got bored of it. The Music program at the College introduced her to the guitar in Year 7, and from then on, her music has been surpassing expectations left, right and centre. Raine draws inspiration from Grace and former Nagle Catholic College student, Jade Jackson, who has amassed a significant following on her socials for her raw and heart-felt songs. Starting a somewhat “band” with fellow Year 10 Music students, Nelson and Nick, has helped Raine broaden her style and exposed her to a variety of different genres. Despite playing guitar, ukulele, piano and also singing, Raine claims she has not always been musically talented. “I remember this one time I was singing in the shower and mum came in and she said, “just stop”. I was singing one of my favourite songs to sing now, The Captain. Now my mum is always asking me to sing it.” While with her musical talent you would think she wants to make it big, she doesn not wish to pursue a full-time career in music. Rather, Raine aims to take the ATAR pathway to do something with law, economics or humanities based, and play gigs on weekends… AKA live a double life. She hopes that the tight knit group the Music students have formed from Year 7 to now will carry through into Senior School and that ATAR Music will run. It is safe to say she has come a long way from being the 10 year old who started playing the ukulele upside down and this is largely thanks to Mr Brenton Meynell, her Music teacher in Year 9, who massively supported her and ultimately started everything for her, showing her how to record music and make something out of her talents. She is excited for what the next three years will bring, with new Head of Music, Mr James Softly, already making a profound impact on her, and she is confident that he will help her grow even further and become a better musician. We wish her all the best and who knows, maybe we might just hear her on the radio one day. Every Friday morning during Home Room, three Year 11 students - Toby, Pieter and Kit - meet in the Music rooms and raise the roof with their thrilling music. First friends outside of class, they soon discovered through Nagle’s Music curriculum that they all share the same love of and taste in music - hard core rock! Inspired by true rock legends and artists such as Adrian Smith, the boys were sparked by their role models to become a band. Even though the group has now been playing for over a year, they still have not developed a band name, a “work in progress”. Disappointingly, the ATAR Year 11 music course did not run in 2020 due to low numbers, however, the group are still eager to perform and are searching for outside gigs to showcase their talent. By practicing during school hours and occasionally in a studio in their free time, their love for rock music has blossomed, leading towards their recent performance during the Break 1 Concert Series in the Great Court, which gathered a large crowd. They wish to encourage other students to follow a music pathway at NCC and express their own love for music. Even though the boys’ future outside of school is undecided, they plan to continue playing their music for the rest of their schooling days and see where life takes them. We wish the boys the best of luck in the future and are looking forward to more performances from them. Toby, Pieter and Kit will be playing a set at the upcoming Mental Health/Arts Week PCP in Week 2, Term 3. The boys are currently rehearsing four to five songs that they can play fast and loud to a large student audience in the Gymnasium. Well done Toby, Pieter, and Kit!
Kiara is our first Student Artist Profile for 2020, and it is clear why. Kiara is in Year 11, and currently taking an ATAR pathway into Arts and Literature. Since childhood, Kiara has always had a passion and fascination for the Arts, saying that she “is always doing something artsy” and describes her room as covered with sketches and drawings.
Currently, Kiara is working on an art project for ATAR Visual Arts (seen in photo), where they have recently been studying composition, differences in perspectives, and style. The key idea is that artwork should have purpose and a message to share, which Kiara strongly believes in. Kiara’s favorite style of art is illustration and it is clear to see that this is the area she performs in best. Some of her visual and written pieces have been showcased through the Nagle Wavelength and Genesis publications. By following various artists through social media and browsing Pinterest, she draws her inspiration through a diverse community of designers. Kiara spoke about how her art class expresses her “creative outlook” and is “very therapeutic”. As she works, plays netball and tennis, and studies, Kiara finds that the art class is an escape from her busy lifestyle. Therefore, Kiara fully encourages younger students to select an art course in the future as she wishes it to bring them the same joy it gives her. We wish Kiara luck for her first ATAR exams this week and we are eager to see more of her pieces in the future. Well done Kiara! |