Middle School Dance by KingsWay School

Middle School Arts

The Value of Participating in the Arts

This term in Middle School, we have had many wonderful opportunities to celebrate and grow students’ unique God-given giftings in the Arts.

Middle School Arts Council — Image by: KingsWay School

Our Middle School Arts Council, led by McKenzie Cross and Vivienne Nguyen, have run Wacky Wednesdays. These fun lunchtime events have been a blast for arts-loving students across Middle School. Events such as karaoke competitions, Just Dance and a photography competition have provided the students with a safe place to have fun and showcase their talents.

Year 8 Melodrama — Image by: KingsWay School
Year 9 Drama — Image by: KingsWay School

Students’ creativity this term has been thriving during Dance and Drama classes. In Drama, students have had many opportunities, such as performing clowning, melodrama, shadow puppetry and group chorus performances. Our Year 9 drama students used the idea of bullying to develop their own powerful and effective drama pieces. In Dance, students have been engaging in line dancing, musical theatre, rock n roll, contemporary and Bollywood styles. All Middle School dance students have also had the opportunity to create and perform their own choreographies.

Year 7 had a Social Studies unit called the ‘King and Queen of Trash’. Their learning was to repurpose and re-use items that would have been placed in recycling bins or landfills by creating an outfit as ‘wearable art’. Some very creative outfits were made!

Image by: KingsWay School
Image by: KingsWay School

The annual Middle School Whanau competition 'Pavement Art' had artists pitting against each other in a friendly contest. The theme was 'Belonging: making our houses a home' and considering the Body of Christ. It was thrilling to see Year 7s/8s/9s working collaboratively and efficiently to create works of art that celebrated the themes of belonging and house culture.After discussion amidst the judges, the decisions were:• Cook: 4th• Darby: 3rd• Youngman: 2nd• Braddock 1st!

Cook - MS Pavement Art Competition — Image by: KingsWay School
Darby - MS Pavement Art Competition — Image by: KingsWay School
Youngman - MS Pavement Art Competition — Image by: KingsWay School
Braddock - MS Pavement Art Competition — Image by: KingsWay School

Throughout all of the Arts, students have been learning about the power of creative storytelling. They learn that communicating ideas through the Arts is powerful because it is memorable, relatable and inspiring. Many students have created artworks that communicate the hope and peace which God offers when we entrust our lives to Him. I have been truly amazed at what Middle School students have created this term using their artistic giftings.

Elizabeth Hagen
Middle School Drama and Dance Teacher