The past weeks have provided many occasions to watch our St Mary’s girls performing and playing sport. Over the years the pleasure and enjoyment provided by these occasions has never dulled in my experience, instead, each event provides delight in the talent and accomplishment of the St Mary’s girls.

The basketball tournament which we hosted last weekend was a happy event that highlighted competitive sport and sportsmanship. The event was lifted by the spirit squad, who were on hand to cheer and motivate our teams.

Another special experience for me in the past week was to visit the matric art students during their final practical examination. They were required to produce a piece of work over a 24-hour period (or four mornings). The process that they followed was to conceptualise an idea, explore stimuli, plan and experiment in their visual diaries, and then create an artwork within a structured and restricted time frame. This would be a daunting task for any adult. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with each student to learn more about her ideas and creation of her artwork. It was a privilege to share in thought process, to understand the challenge of the creative process and appreciate their personal development as artists. Their final work is remarkable – the standard is high with each student’s individual artistic style evident and the final pieces having aesthetic appeal.

I wish you all a restful half-term.

DEANNE KING
HEAD OF SCHOOL