“Winners are grinners”.
Culture Report
Technically I don’t even go to St Thomas’ anymore as I write this after my final exam yet here I am (I think it’s a sign that you never really leave). The word ‘success’ aptly surmises what culture 2015 but, as I have learnt this year, not in the way that we all think ‘success’ really means. Yes the production of ‘Hello Dolly’ filled hundreds of seats, yes we had the highest ever total for crowd numbers and money raised at the Variety Concert and yes we even started a new event called the Lip Sync Competition. However, reminiscing now, the moments I remember the most clearly were when culture brought a motley group of St Thomas’ lads came together and did something fun, did something exciting, paid tribute to New Zealand’s fallen soldiers, messed around on a stage or learnt something new.
Culture is under-rated at St Thomas’ because it doesn’t bring in high profile awards, it doesn’t lead to a respected career path and apparently it is only for “drama nerds” anyway (definitely not true). Our success occurs when little year 7’s who are too afraid to even speak to a few people can do an un-scripted theatresports scene months later, when the debaters can lay down the law against some of New Zealand’s best without getting scared and when the choir boys join together in song. Therefore; no we did not win the Bishop Lyons Shield, no we did not sell-out the production and no we haven’t yet seen the choir perform live but in 2015 there was more real success in culture than there has ever been. I would like to thank all the young STC men, teachers and parents for making us winners in 2015 because in the words of the great Mr Donnelly “Winners are grinners”.
By Alex Hansby