Eisteddfod

Speech

Our students did really well in the Armidale Speech and Drama Eisteddfod:

Prepared Speech

Madeleine Cowley 3rd

Annabel Westwood 2nd

Prepared Speech

Laura Lidgard 1st

Rachael Ward 3rd

Poetry/Prose recital

Laura Lidgard 1st

Madeleine Cowley 2nd

Rachael Ward and Annabel Westwood both received Highly Commended

Improvised Speech

Annabel Westwood 1st

Annabel Westwood wrote this poem for the Eisteddfod, receiving highly commended

Sand

Written by Annabel Westwood

Millions of grains of piping hot sand,

Found at the strip where the sea meets the land,

Wedged in between the grooves of your toes,

And found in the folds of all of your clothes.

Within your sandwich does it lay,

When all you wanted was a fun beach day.

The burning sensation causes you to itch

As it finds its way to your sensitive bits!

Scrubbing in the shower but it never comes out,

3 months later and it’s still in your scalp!

Turning your sunscreen from a cream to a scrub,

While you groan in pain as you rub and you rub.

You merely wanted a day full of fun,

Frolicking under the warm summer sun,

But this demon, this fiend,

Innocent it once seemed,

I see through the lies,

With these sand-assaulted eyes.

Chafed thighs as you flee from the beach,

The pain so tear-jerking that you let out a screech.

A sea day is ruined by the wrath of the sand,

Its tactic so beautifully gruesome and grand.

This poem explains all the reasons I despise sand.

I mean, how could you like it? I don’t understand!

It gets everywhere, and I mean everywhere,

Your ears, your eyes, and even your hair.

How long could I possibly rant and rave?

Leave now or suffer the incoming wave.

I’ve been washing my swimsuit for weeks and weeks,

But sand is immune to my anguished techniques.

At least there’s one thing on which my mind can be set,

That the itch of sand is a sensation I will never forget.

And found at the strip where the sea meets the land,

Is the coarse, rough material we all know as sand.

But, a beach without sand is not so pretty,

So after this, I’ll write sand a nice little ditty.

Drama

Thank you to Josephine Ryan who performed in the Junior spacejump due to a last minute cancellation. Eliza Clayton, Payton Steward and Bernadette Ryan did amazing in their first spacejump at the eisteddfod and the team walked away with first place.

The afternoon saw O'Connor go from four entries to two due to covid. Riley Fittler, Lilly Edmonds, Joesphine Ryan, Maya Teege and Jessica Ferris completed against each other in the senior spacejump competition. Thank you to Riley and Lilly who performing in the other group to allow all students a chance to get on stage. The team of Lilly, Maya, Josphine and Riley won the section with a score of 83.5 while the other team was 83.0 it was a close call.

The last performance was the same students performing a group piece called "Boy who cried genie" a comedy piece with plenty of Improvisation moments. The group scored 86 walking away with first place an excellent achievement.

Choir

Our very small vocal ensemble performed at the eisteddfod last night (a couple of students away due to sickness and soccer). The girls did really well receiving 2nd place in their section, competing against a much larger choir.

Big thanks to Bruce. I threw him in the deep end yesterday asking him to come sing/play with us last night.