Newtown High School of the Performing Arts

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts

St George's Hall
Equality, creativity, excellence
Location
Newtown, New South Wales
Australia
Information
Type Public (Selective Performing Arts)
Established 1990
Principal Peter Shields
Grades 7-12
Enrollment approx 800
Color(s)          
Blue and Red
Formerly Newtown Boys High School and Petersham Girls High School
Website www.newtown-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts (NHSPA) is a state government school located in the suburb of Newtown in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the leading Performing and Visual Arts schools in Australia. All the students that attend the school are able to study Drama, Music, Dance and Visual Arts and are required to study them as part of the school’s curriculum for the first year of secondary school. The school participates in concerts, performances and workshops both on and off school grounds in all types of Performing and Visual Arts as well as Video, Technical, Costume and Design.

The school is run by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training.

History

The school was founded in 1990 as the first state selective high school for performing arts in New South Wales. NHSPA was formed from the merger of the nearby Petersham Girls High School and Newtown Boys' High School on the latter's King Street site. Newtown's foundation principal was Robin Amm, formerly the principal at Petersham Girls.

The school remains open and accessible to the local population, however a larger percentage of prospective students from outside the local acceptance boundaries can audition to obtain a place at the school.

It is also the sister school of the nationally recognised Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Campus

The campus is located on King Street, Newtown and bounded by Newman and Whitehorse Streets. The campus has a large paved playground and a grass oval. The various faculties within the school are located in different areas ranging from A to F Blocks and the gymnasium located near the school oval. The school also has an operational theatre, known as the Studio Theatre, that it uses for its biannual Showcase concerts and other productions. The school also manages the adjacent St Georges Hall which is used for larger productions and school activities.

Cafe next to one entrance to the school

Students

The student body is estimated to be in excess of 1,000 students, This equates to roughly 150 students per school year and 200 students in each of the final two years (Year 11 and 12). A significant proportion of the student body is now recruited through a selective and highly competitive audition process, although local families retain the right to send their children there. Students can audition to gain entry to the school in Years 7 and 11.

Student Leadership

Prefect Body

The Prefecture at NHSPA consists of Yr 12 students who are elected by both their fellow students and teachers. Its primary role is act as role models for other students and represent the school at any public event. The Prefecture is also responsible for assigning fellow Prefects to a faculty at the school, which that Prefect must represent and raise the profile of. The Prefecture is also the sole body who votes for the School Captain. Only members of the Prefecture may be a candidate for the School Captain and Vice Captain. In previous years, the Prefecture has organised the NHSPA Talent Quest which was immensely popular amongst students, and the proceeds raised from the Talent Quest went towards the cost of the Year 12 Formal.

Student Representative Council

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts has an elected Student Representative Council (SRC) composed of two students from each grade. Members are elected for a one year term by the students. The SRC underwent significant reform in 2004 when the students drafted and adopted a formal constitution, and the council changed from a volunteer institution to its current elected structure. The constitution outlines the roles and responsibilities of the key office bearers and defines how the group makes decisions. The SRC's primary objectives are to provide input on policy that affects students and to run charity fundraisers.

Significant achievements

Faculty

The faculties in the school include:

Extracurricular activities

The most notable extracurricular activities available to the students of the high school are the ensembles and companies in the Music, Drama and Dance departments. These form to prepare short performances to be included in the following "Showcase" concerts, staged in the Studio Theatre.

Curriculum

The school focuses primarily on drama, dance, music and visual arts. In addition, students can obtain experience in the technical side of the performing arts including technical theatre, video, costuming and design.

Notable alumni

External links

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Rose. "Student representative’s message" (PDF). Newtown High School of the Performing Arts: Annual Report. Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. Retrieved 30 April 2013.

Coordinates: 33°53′58″S 151°10′43″E / 33.89948°S 151.17851°E