Creative & Performing Arts

Big Night Out 2025: A Celebration of Student Talent and Community Spirit

On May 29th, our school community gathered to celebrate the 20th edition of Big Night Out, our annual performing arts showcase. This milestone event continues to be a highlight of our school calendar, providing a platform for students to express their creativity and showcase their talents in front of friends, family, and the wider community.

This year was particularly exciting, as we welcomed over 100 performers who brought a diverse array of acts to the stage. More than 700 people filled the audience for two fantastic concerts, creating an electric atmosphere that celebrated the performing arts. The night started with an exciting drumming group, who showcased their skills in rhythm and creativity, energising the crowd right from the beginning.

Throughout the evening, we enjoyed a wonderful variety of music, with solo performers and bands from Years 8 to 12 sharing their unique talents. Each act brought something special, captivating the audience with their passion and skill. The junior and senior choirs added a beautiful touch to the performances, their harmonies filling the auditorium with uplifting melodies.

In total, there were 30 excellent performances across the night, featuring a range of styles including rock, pop, jazz, and RnB, ensuring that there was something for everyone to enjoy. We also want to thank our wonderful hosts for the night, Jimmy, Brianna, and Alya, who did a fantastic job of keeping the audience engaged and entertained.

A big thank you goes to our tech and stage crew, who worked hard behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. Special shout outs to Tahlia, Steven, Ryan, Shastine, Princess, Blake, and Oliver for their dedication and effort in preparing for the show. In the days leading up to the event, the hall was full of energy as they got everything ready.

The night ended with an amazing cultural dance performance, showcasing the beautiful traditions of Tonga and the Cook Islands. This exciting finale had the audience cheering and celebrating the rich diversity of our community through dance and music.

This event not only showed the hard work of our students but also brought our community together to celebrate creativity and talent. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported Big Night Out. We look forward to many more years of showcasing the arts and inspiring our future stars.

Thanks also to the P&C for their volunteer contributions and the raffles. The night also could not have happened without the volunteer teachers of JJ giving up their evening to help supervise, prepare the BBQ, and manage the event. Thanks to those teachers involved.

NSW Boys Vocal Workshop

Congratulations to Omar and Carl in Year 11 who participated in the NSW Boys Vocal Workshop. They were fortunate enough to record a track at Trackdown Studios in Moore Park, which will be released later this year. The three-day Boys Vocal Program is a non-audition vocal program led by tutors Stuart Davis and Arlo Sim at Trackdown Studios at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, in Term 2 Week 6. During the first two days of the workshop, students and teachers work on vocal warm-ups, vocal techniques, ensemble singing, filming a film clip, and developing an exciting harmonised repertoire.

We are incredibly proud of Omar and Carl for their dedication and talent, and we look forward to hearing their recorded track when it's released.

Stay tuned for more updates on our students' musical achievements and upcoming events.

Creative Arts

It has been a productive and creative semester in the Visual Arts faculty, with each year group engaging deeply in their units of work and developing both technical skills and personal expression.

Year 7 have been exploring the theme of portraiture, experimenting with proportion, tone and expression to better understand how artists capture identity. Year 8 have embraced the bold energy of street art, culminating in the design and construction of their own ceramic sculptures inspired by urban culture. Meanwhile, Year 9 have been developing their printmaking skills through lino printing, drawing inspiration from the architecture of our local area.

Year 10 have taken on more conceptual challenges, creating mixed media paintings that address a range of contemporary social issues. Their work has shown thoughtful engagement with both materials and meaning. Year 11 are currently investigating Modernism, examining the evolution of painting during this era, and developing increasingly sophisticated techniques in response.

Finally, Year 12 have been working busily on their HSC Bodies of Work. With the final submission deadline approaching, students will have the opportunity to continue developing their artworks during the upcoming holiday workshops.