“If you are reading this – we made it!
What a joy it has been to be back in ‘theatre mode’ – planning, designing, developing, rehearsing and now finally presenting a full-scale musical to a live audience.”
Kate Amey, Creative Director of Shrek the Musical and 7-VCE Dance/ Drama Learning Leader
Kate’s words in the program for the show perfectly describe the feeling of being ‘back in business’.
Semester 1 at Luther College has been a joy.
Blessed with the return of face-to-face learning, together with a range of immersive experiences such as camps, competitive sport, incursions, excursions, theatre, concerts and so much more, our students and staff are thriving being back on campus.
Music students (and staff) kicked off the year with performances at the Warrandyte Festival, a hive of activity where thousands of people flocked to the banks of the Yarra River to enjoy two days of fun. Jazz in the Hills and the Autumn Concert also provided students an invaluable opportunity to perform in front of a live audience, especially our VCE Music Students.
In addition, our college production of Shrek the Musical played to around 2000 people across five sell out shows. With a cast, crew and orchestra of over 100 students, this ‘fairy-tale’ effort combined teamwork and collaboration across all year levels. Our Year 12 Theatre Studies students are also to be commended with their entertaining, hilarious take on Clue, a classic murder mystery.
The long running Luther College House Competition was back to its best, with swimming and public speaking, exploring a range of issues from COVID to innovation, science, environment, fashion and social media. The depth of research and persuasive arguments were exceptional.
So too were our sporting endeavours with EISM competitions including swimming, athletics and a range of competitive sports with schools in our region.
Coming together daily in Chapel has also been a highlight, a time of great importance, where we can be still, at peace, and engaged in worship before embarking on a busy day. Ably guided by our College Chaplain, Anita Foster, students and staff have led Easter, Anzac Day, Ash Wednesday and many other services.
After a two year wait our Artist in Residence, Phillip Edwards, a highly accomplished water colour artist, has finally made it on campus, mentoring students and staff, engaging them with his infectiously warm personality and love of watercolour. Phillip launched Arts Week in March, which saw a record number of entries for annual competition Chalk the Walk.
Luther continues to build staff skills and expertise with a range of development opportunities through the introduction of the Universal Learning Program, a learning framework and program designed to provide a significant contribution to our approach to contemporary learning. Semester 2 will provide our first opportunity to see the program in action with our Year 7 students starting The Character Project.
Restorative Practice has also been on the agenda, with work being prioritised to ensure the college continues to build a whole school pastoral care and behaviour management approach that encourages and supports respectful relationships.
The Luther College Advanced Support Program and Individual Recognition of Excellence (ASPIRE) program, designed to identify, support and recognise students who are pursuing performance excellence in the fields of Performing Arts or Sport has also started the year well.
Students have completed a series of four workshops through the Thrive Global program at Monash Business School and participated in a motivational workshop with Paralympian Don Elgin.
Semester 2 here we come.
Jacqui Layfield
Principal
