The Arts

Chapel time each Sunday night. This is further enhanced by the opportunity to attend Bible Study sessions during the week and these groups have become very popular as the girls enjoy the heartening support these times together provide.

In 2020, the Fairholme Boarding House continued to be a busy and vibrant place with a huge variety of activities for the girls to participate in before and after school and on weekends. Speed, Power and Strength was offered on three afternoons and two mornings per week, and this proved very popular with the Boarders. Morning and afternoon walks and runs also offered an opportunity for the girls to get regular exercise. On the weekends many girls walked to local parks to enjoy the markets or the playgrounds, with a stop off at the shops on the way. Regular trips to bowling and laser tag, Bounce, and Grand Central kept the girls active. A trip to Wet and Wild started off the year and trips to Ice World and Emu Gully were offered towards the end of the year. Other regular activities for the girls included baking and craft, and games on the oval or in the Fairholme pool.

The Big Sister program continued in 2020, and this provided a wonderful support to our new and younger girls. Of course, it also provided a good chance for our Senior girls to further develop their leadership skills. Year-level etiquette dinners continued as well, and this allowed the girls to plan activities within their year levels to contribute towards the overall wellbeing of the Boarding House.

A successful orientation weekend was held in September and again in late October to ensure that all new families were ready for the 2021 school year. The Boarding House welcomed nearly 50 new families to these events, and many of these girls and parents commented on how helpful it was to attend and learn all the information they needed to transition successfully to Fairholme College Boarding in 2021.

Fairholme Friends of Boarding continued to develop and attract new members throughout 2020. Towards the end of the year it was decided to hold meetings, via zoom, each month after the College P & F meetings, and this has proven to be quite a successful mode of communication. The Friends of Boarding held a very successful Boarders’ Cent Sale which raised significant funds which will benefit the Fairholme community in 2021.

2020 was another successful year for boarding at Fairholme.

MRS KAREN HAYWARD, HEAD OF THE ARTS

‘The arts are an intellectually engaging intersection of lateral thought and practice. They interrogate the human experience and challenge our understandings by encouraging and provoking alternative ways of seeing, thinking and doing. They enable us to know and observe our world collectively and as individuals. They reveal a sense of who we are and might become as we make connections and new meaning of the world around us and our place in it.’ (QCAA – The Arts Senior Syllabus 2019)

Despite the unique challenges faced, The Arts at Fairholme College in 2020 continued to offer students an array of intellectually engaging opportunities, albeit via some new, creative and innovative ways. The Arts Programs served to challenge, develop, extend and empower students through the delivery of rigorous academic programs and an array of exciting co-curricular opportunities. The resilience and dedication displayed by our professional staff and our talented students speaks extensively to the enjoyment, passion, creativity and strength of Fairholme Arts.

DANCE

Dance is offered as an academic subject in Years 8 – 12. The Senior Dance course is a QCAA academically-rigorous General Subject that contributes to the ATAR system.

Dance fosters creative and expressive communication. It uses the body as an instrument for the expression and communication of ideas. It provides opportunities for students to critically examine and reflect on their world through higher-order thinking and movement. It encourages the holistic development of a person, providing a way of knowing about oneself, others and the world.

ACADEMIC RESULTS

Year 8 Dance A – 66.3%, B – 30.4%, C – 3.3% Year 9 Dance A – 65%, B – 30%, C – 5% Year 10 Dance A – 100% Year 11 Dance A – 42.8%, B – 57.2% Year 12 Dance (*excl. External Exam Results) A – 50%, B – 37.5%, C – 12.5%

EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• Contemporary Dance Choreography Performance for Year 12 choreographed by Jen Murray • ‘Women of Strength’ Luncheon – Dance Troupe Performance • Phoenix Online Dance Competition (Troupe and Troupettes) • Dance Photoshoot for the Dance Troupe and Troupettes • Co-curricular Offerings • Dance Collective (Open to Years 7 – 12) • Dance Troupe (Auditioned Group Years 10 - 12) • Dance Troupettes (newly formed in 2020) (Auditioned Group Years 7 – 9)

• Interhouse Dance – Solo, Small Group and whole House Competitions.

DRAMA

The study of Performance is offered to students in Year 7 and Drama is offered as an academic subject in Years 8 – 12. The Senior Drama course is a QCAA academically-rigorous General Subject that contributes to the ATAR system. Drama fosters creative and expressive communication. It interrogates and reflects the human experience by investigating, communicating and embodying stories, experiences, emotions and ideas. It engages students in imaginative meaning-making processes and involves them using a range of artistic skills as they make and respond to dramatic works.

ACADEMIC RESULTS

Year 7 Performance A – 38%, B – 59%, C – 3% Year 8 Drama A – 41.8%, B – 53.9%, C – 4.3% Year 9 Drama A – 33.3%, B – 66.7% Year 10 Drama A – 50%, B – 33.4%, C – 16.6% Year 11 Drama A – 16.6%, B – 50%, C – 33.4% Year 12 Drama (*excl External Exam Results) A – 50%, B – 37.5%, C – 12.5%

EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• Senior Drama Performance of ‘Antigone’ • Queensland Theatre – Scene Project (Years 9 & 10 Drama Classes) performance of ‘Wisdom’ at the Empire Theatre’s Heritage Bank Armitage Centre. • AMEB Drama & Performance Examinations Barbara Sisley Awards in 2020 (Top Result in Queesnland in their respective AMEB Grades) presented to Jenna Tomlinson (Year 11) for Grade 5 AMEB, Libby Clark (Year 10) for Grade 4 AMEB, Emmi Lange (Year 7) for Grade 2 AMEB, Lucy Rose (Year 6) for Grade 2 AMEB and Richa Vimal (Year 5) for Grade 1 AMEB.

CO-CURRICULAR OFFERINGS

• Troupe de Loop (Years 7 – 9) • Individual Tuition – Speech and Drama • Interhouse Drama – Solo and Small Group Competitions • Sound and Lighting Crew (Years 8 – 12) – students involved in this group provide invaluable sound & lighting technical support, backstage assistance and equipment set-up for myriad College events, assemblies and performances throughout the year and are an integral part of the fabric of The Arts Department.

MUSIC

Music is offered as an academic subject in Years 7 – 12, with Music Extension being offered as an additional course of study for Year 12 students. The Senior Music and Music Extension courses are QCAA academically-rigorous General Subjects that contribute to the ATAR system.

Music fosters creative and expressive communication. It allows students to develop musicianship through making (composition and performance) and responding (musicology).

ACADEMIC RESULTS

Year 7 Music A – 74.3%, B – 25.7% Year 8 Music A – 57.1%, B – 42.9% Year 8 Performance Music A – 63.6%, B – 36.4% Year 9 Music A – 100% Year 10 Music A – 71.4%, B – 28.6% Year 11 Music A – 0, B – 100% Year 12 Music (*excl External Exam Results) A – 100% Year 12 Music Extension (*excl External Exam Results) A – 66.6%, B – 33.4%