The payoff is well worth all the nerves
Sport, drama and music are as central to life here as they are at any good school, and I have enjoyed supporting our students at a raft of recent cultural and sporting events. I hope to report more on their sporting successes after spring break. In the meantime, please join me in wishing the best of luck to our Varsity Boys’ Basketball team who will play in the Provincials at SJR this afternoon. Go Eagles!
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We had an early start in the Keefe household on Sunday thanks to a playoff game and the clocks going forward, so I was happy to spend a restful hour or so in School that afternoon at the Spring Music Extravaganza. The enjoyment in music-making was palpable and there was a welcome breadth of pieces from the students of our private music teachers. Hats off to our young musicians!
Rock Show 2018 was magnificent. I was in awe of the students' creativity and daring and the astonishingly high quality of the music. The Burt provided a special setting for our performers and the atmosphere was full of wonder. Everyone was having fun. Bravo! I can only imagine the months of work and passion that went into producing such a professional performance. I felt proud of every student. They will never forget this experience and will have benefited and matured in so many ways because of their teamwork.
It can be a scary business standing up in front of your peers and trying to engage them, whether through music, debate or drama, but the payoff is well worth all the nerves. This was not only evident at the Burt on Monday but in the Moffat-Richardson Theatre last week. The Student-Directed Plays were splendid proof that giving our students freedom and responsibility allows them to flourish in a creative environment.
Ms. Kozier reports on a strong showing by our Junior School choirs in the 100th Annual Winnipeg Music Festival. The Grade 1 Choir, SJR's Little Singers, and the Grade 2-3 Junior Choir Club were awarded silver medals for their excellent performances. The Grade 4-5 Girls’ Choir was awarded a gold medal for their performances of "I See the Moon" and "Humpty Dumpty". Not to be outdone, the Grade 4-5 Boys’ Choir won a gold medal for "Dance of the Willow" and "I'se the B'y", which featured a tremendous collaboration with Senior School musicians Lauren (flute) and Lucy (tambourine). Junior School parents can view videos and photos from the festival in yesterday's 'Recent Activity' feed in mySJR. Congratulations to the 200 Junior School students who made up these choirs and to the many students from across the whole School who took part in vocal and instrumental solo competitions at the Festival.
Senior School musicians are performing alongside some of the world’s best-known jazz acts at the Brandon Jazz Festival today. It is sure to be a positive experience and we wish them well.
Whatever music and physical activity your children enjoy during Spring Break, I hope they will also have the benefit of silence and stillness. It is time for a breather before we rise to the challenge of accomplishing a great deal in the remaining 12 weeks of the academic year.
SJR is proud to be accredited and affiliated with several local, national and international educational organizations.
St. John’s-Ravenscourt School was founded in 1820 principally to serve the children of the Selkirk settlers. By 1834 there were forty students, evenly split between boys and girls. SJR has inevitably grown and changed over the years since, though its success throughout has been unimpeachable. Today the programs are as strong as our reputation. A strong academic program is paired with an equally strong attention to the values of stewardship, ethical leadership, and excellence in all areas of academic, social and athletic life.