On Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September Kingsley held two creativity days in celebration of the school’s 125th birthday.
Junior School girls in Years 5 and 6 combined with Senior School and Sixth Form pupils to form thirteen large groups, each covering a decade between 1880 and 2000. Their brief was to research key people and events, scientific and technological advances, music, cinema, literature, fashion and local history, and to produce displays and presentations of their findings.
Sessions were scheduled for each group during which they performed physical activities typical of their decade. Representatives from each group also learned a popular song; painted in the style of a famous artist; prepared food; visited the Coventry Transport Museum, the Pump Rooms Art Gallery and Museum and the Leamington Lawn Tennis club.
Although staff acted as facilitators and were on hand to encourage, make the occasional suggestion and track progress, the girls were given a completely free hand to manage and organise the research and presentations – not an easy task in such a short space of time.
As always, everyone rose magnificently to the occasion and Friday afternoon was a real treat, as each decade flashed past in a seven minute presentation. It was a difficult task for the judges, but after much deliberation and having reviewed the feedback from staff, group prizes were awarded as follows:
1890 Best report - presentation had a strong start, whole group involved, exhibition included good artwork and a newspaper in the style of the period
1910 Best research - wide range of topics, well researched, findings presented in an imaginative way, very clear exhibition - easy to identify key events
1920 Most effective team - good leadership and cooperation
1960 Most creative & interesting presentation - exhibition and presentation captured the spirit of the age, good use of costume, close of presentation led very effectively into 1970
1990 Most hardworking team
Individual prizes were awarded to: Zoë Williams, Jess Coxon, Lucinda Murphy, Charlotte Close, Nikki Wall and Laura Martin for outstanding individual contributions to their respective team.
The girls were unanimously positive about the whole experience, commenting that it gave them a chance to work and think independently and creatively in a way that is not normally possible. They loved the freedom and the choice, as well as the chance to make friends and work with people across the age range. The Sixth Formers particularly liked working with other year groups, and the Junior School girls said that they really enjoyed being with the ‘big girls’, who were very kind and welcoming: “We can’t wait till we’re in the Senior School!”, enthused Katie and Livvy in the 1960s team.
Mrs F Harris