NEW ERA IN THE ARTS FOR DIO The start of Term 2 signalled a newly expanded role for our Head of Drama, Sarah Spicer, as she took up her promotion as Head of Faculty – Arts. Andre Worsnop, who was previously in the role for 17 years, left Dio last term to become one of the deputy principals at Glendowie College. His role as Teacher in Charge of Music has been taken by Rachel Sutherland. Sarah’s new Head of Faculty role entails managing visual arts, drama, dance and music, as well as planning for the future of the arts subjects in the context of the new Performing Arts Building, completed earlier this year. Sarah will continue to teach senior and junior drama classes, and lead Dio’s drama Scholarship programme. “I’m very excited to be taking up this new role,” says Sarah, who has been teaching at Dio for the past five years. “It’s an exciting time for the arts with a lot of change in the industry and, of course, the added excitement of being able to teach, learn and perform in the new Performing Arts Centre.” Sarah has many accomplishments, including significant success in the National Shakespeare Festival, and being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Sarah is also a professional actor and director. Originally from the UK, she emigrated to New Zealand eight years ago. During her time in the UK, she directed at the National Theatre in London, and was a West End actress, mainly performing Shakespeare. She is also a published writer of plays and poetry. Sarah holds several qualifications, including a Masters of Educational Leadership from Cambridge University. She trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and is currently studying for her doctorate in education. Prior to joining the staff at Dio, Sarah had been Head of Drama at Logan Park High School in Dunedin. In her role as Head of Drama she has been instrumental in creating a curriculum that is strengthened by 4
Sarah Spicer and André Worsnop
international industry professionals and developing a co-curricular programme to work in conjunction with the other arts disciplines. Sarah introduced the Theatre Studies IB Diploma programme in the last two years, achieving top-ranking results among international students. “Performing Arts at Dio is supported and strengthened by international industry professionals, which sets the bar high and allows us to have a revered industry standard. “This is reflected in the high calibre of performance our students reach across
all arts disciplines, and the top-ranking examination results they achieve across all year levels.” As Dio’s new Teacher in Charge of Music, Rachel Sutherland, brings a wealth of experience to the role. “I’m really excited about my new role, and with the changes coming to the Middle Years Programme of International Baccalaureate and NCEA Level 1, I think it’s a really exciting time to be involved in music and the arts,” she says. Rachel, who’s a Dio Old Girl (1993-2000), has a Masters of Music in Classical Performance (Voice) from the University
DIO TODAY
1-16 Dio Today Leading V14.indd 4
1/07/21 2:09 PM
