Small schools from around the Mudgee region came together at the Town Hall Theatre on Thursday for the annual Small Schools Eisteddfod.
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Students from Hargraves, Ilford, Glen Alice, Wollar, Lue and Bylong competed to bring the best verse, drama and music to the stage.
The Small Schools Eisteddfod has been running since 2004, and long-time adjudicator Denise Wood said over that time she had seen the students’ confidence grow and the schools attempt more adventurous performances.
“The whole knowledge of the staff and their whole sense of this as a performance; I can see that they’re picking up on the things that we talk about each year,” she said.
She said the eisteddfod gave the students a chance to perform on the big stage to a large audience, and to create their own piece for the drama section.
Lue Public School principal Jane Huish said her students had a wonderful time, and the enjoyment they exuded on stage was the reason Lue won all three categories.
She said it was a pleasure to see the students’ resilience and self esteem grow as they prepared and performed.
Katrina Odgers helped the school develop its play while Liz Liddell helped with the music and verse.
Ms Odgers said the beauty of a small school performances was that every child was involved, and the students of Lue agreed that they couldn’t have presented their play without every student’s contribution.
“None of us miss out – we’ve all got a part,” said student Ashley-Kate Wright.
Ms Huish said the result was that the whole school felt they had earned the prize and could say, “We are fabulous.”
The students said it was fun to perform and feel famous on the stage, and to enjoy the performances by the other small schools.
Some of the small schools were also accompanied by fourth year teaching students from Charles Sturt University, which Ms Huish said would be a wonderful professional experience for the future teachers.
RESULTS
Verse speaking
1st: Lue Public School
2nd: Glen Alice Public School
3rd: Hargraves Public School
Highly Commended: Ilford Public School
Drama
1st: Lue Public School
2nd: Hargraves Public School
3rd: Bylong Upper Public School
Highly Commended: Wollar Public School
Music
1st: Lue Public School
2nd: Hargraves Public School
3rd: Ilford Public School
Highly Commended: Glenn Alice Public School