Every Boy Is An Artist

Published by St James Senior Boys' School on Friday 10th of March 2023

Arts Week this year was a resounding success. The week started with a Photography Assembly, when the boys were given a fascinating talk by professional photographer Kate Carpenter, whose stunning, surrealist juxtapositions of nature and people left the room in awe, and the winners of the photography competition were announced.

The boys were then treated to an ‘open rehearsal’ of the school show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat. I felt such pride in our boys, performing so courageously in front of their most intimidating audience – all their friends!

And so a theme started to emerge: art as a platform to leave one’s comfort zone and overcome fears. The next day developed this theme, as a number of staff gave ‘bitesize’ talks and demonstrations of their secret artistic passions, revealing hidden sides to their lives that the boys (and their colleagues!) found fascinating. As part of the week, we ran music, Shakespeare-reading, and monologue-writing competitions rounding off with examples of excellence performed in our Lower and Upper Assemblies.

Mr Coburn