An excerpt from Mr. Lewis Speech on Opening Night of the Creative and Performing Arts Showcase.
I would like to start by congratulating all of our students on their achievements and creative pursuits this year.
As we look around this exhibition and hear the performances, we witness students who are giving something of themselves, those creating new ideas, articulating new ways of commenting on the world we live in or helping us to appreciate something we may have overlooked.
In this our 60th year of educating at St. Dominic’s College – it is wonderful to see the arts represented with such rigor. This year represents a milestone for our Faculty also – I have been the Coordinator of Visual Arts and Drama at the College for 10 years. As I reflect back over this time it is fitting to acknowledge some of the Faculties highlights and achievements:
- In 2018 we received the NSW Visual Arts and Design Education Association (VADEA) grant to enable Contemporary Artist Khaled Sabsabi to work with our students and exhibit student works at Penrith Regional Gallery.
- We have fostered multiple Collaborations with students at Caroline Chisholm College on projects to address the beatification of the Penrith environment.
- Working in conjunction with Penrith Council, urban planners and architects – our students developed seating designs for the Nepean river precinct and contributing input to the urban design of the Nepean River precinct.
- We have Achieved the top HSC results in the College over the past 5 years.
- six students nominated for Artexpress (a showcase of our states top HSC artworks)
- three Students exhibited at Artexpress at our state Gallery – the Art Gallery of NSW
- two Students achieving 50 / 50 for their artmaking.
- Blake Raymond 2017– Awarded the S&S Prize for Creativity at the AGNSW
- Paul Phillpot, 2016, Winning the International HeadOn Youth Photography Prize
- We have Hosted educational exchanges with the University of Illinois USA – to promote quality teaching pedagogy and syllabus developments.
- Night Garden Exhibitions at Penrith Regional Gallery
- And a highlight each year is our BIG DAY out elective excursion to either Sydney Biennale, Cockatoo Island, VIVID, or significant architectural sites in our city.
Our students at St. Dominic’s’ have been blessed with wonderful resources, facilities and educators to enhance their creativity and assist them in developing a mindset of problem solving and innovation and creativity – necessary soft skills for success in our future workforce.
I would like to congratulate all of our students who exhibited and performed at the Showcase. Your efforts, the long hours, studio time, practice, rehearsals, and refinement of your skills are evident in the quality of work presented. This caliber of work is not possible without a dedicated team of teachers who support and stretch your sons learning – to Mrs. Knowles, Mr. O’Keeffe and Mrs. Thompson, Mr Wilson, Ms Ede and Mr Hine, Thank you.
Mr. Lewis – Coordinator Visual Arts
