themselves. African drumming was brought to life by
a visit by African musicians and they performed a basic
beat on the drum kit. The girls also developed a rhythmical
composition using non-musical instruments.
The Year 9/10 Songs and Musicals class used Musicals to
learn about the different components of a song. They then
wrote their own songs and created backing for a track, using
loops and samples.The Unit 3 and 4 Music Performance
class was hosted by Ruyton in 2013, along with the Unit 1 and
2 class, as a combined group. Solo and group performing,
musicianship and analysis were studied and all members
of the class enthusiastically studied performing and took
a great deal from the different aspects of the course.
Our Drama Department continues to provide opportunities
for our girls to shine, in both curricular and co-curricular
forums. Showcases of classwork at every level, from Prep
through to VCE, have allowed parents to enjoy the
maturing skills of their daughters. The Junior School has
continued its tradition of staging a delightful series of
shows. In Term 1, Year 5 demonstrated their work on
Differences; Term 2 saw Year 6 take to the Royce Theatre
stage with the play
Peter Pan;
Year 3 and 4 staged their
play
Elemental – Fire, Earth,Wind andWater
in Term 3 and
the excitement of the Prep to Year 2 musical
The Bug and
Butterfly Ball
filled Term 4 with the batting of many tiny
wings! In Year 7, an adaptation of
James and the Giant Peach
was presented in November, allowing our budding actors
to gain an understanding of the full gamut of organisation
required for a performance. The Year 8 cohort took to the
stage in September with a number of group-devised soap
operas, dripping with melodramatic pathos and twisted
into complex narrative structures. In May, our Year 9 to 10
Performance to Production students devised performances
from visual stimulus. The performance of these pieces took
the form of an interschool Drama festival held at Ruyton for
the first time. Our VCE Drama students also responded to
stimulus to research, devise and polish their solos, and
exhibited a varied palette of emotions.
On the co-curricular side, the Drama Department produced
a colourful variety of performance events, many in
partnership with other schools. Yet again, exceeding our
previous standards of production values, the Scotch/Ruyton
play,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream,
saw students working
together to accomplish a beautiful and entertaining show.
The Ruyton/Trinity musical
Guys and Dolls
was another
opportunity for our girls to work alongside our partner
school in a creative environment and the show was very
well received. The Trinity Senior School play,
One Flew over
the Cuckoo’s Nest
was a gritty portrayal of the legendary
story. By contrast, our Performing Arts House Festival (PAHF)
saw our Year 11 cohort lead an array of students from Years 7
to 12 in a loud outpouring of competitive fun. Our Drama
Captain, Dana Heir, supported the Department very capably
and as part of her role, ran the lunchtime Drama Club for a
close-knit group of die-hard thespians.
The many events run by the Performing Arts Department
would not be possible but for the support of our hard-
working Friends of Ruyton Drama Association (FORDA) and
Friends of Ruyton Music Association (FORMA) members.
Mr Paul Smith,
Director of the Performing Arts
Physical Education
In sport, it is a common misconception that the biggest and
strongest will have the most success. Ranked 17th out of
the 24 GSV member schools in terms of population, Ruyton
never lets its size hamper its achievements. In 2013 GSV
Division 1 Cross Country, Ruyton were winners for the tenth
consecutive year; in Athletics they finished first in four of
the last five Track and Field GSV Division 1 Championships;
in Swimming they achieved a second place in Division 1 and
in Rowing the Senior Firsts won a Bronze medal at the
Nationals. As Mr Stephen Ellinghaus, Ruyton’s Head Coach
of Cross Country, and Track and Field, said,
‘Success comes as
a result of a commitment from the whole team to training,
as well as on the day of the competitions.’
This year in Physical Education the girls have undertaken
a variety of traditional sports and have also been
introduced to many new sports. The Year 7 girls have spent
the year learning the skills involved in many of the core
sports offered in the Girls’ Sport Victoria (GSV) Competition.
New sports such asWater Polo and Badminton were also
introduced. To help celebrate Physical Education week,
all Year 7 students participated in the GSV Sports Expo
at Monash University. The expo provided students with
a variety of experiences in both traditional and less
‘well known’ sports, such as Calisthenics, Lacrosse, and
Ultimate Frisbee.
Our Year 8 students continued with participation in core
GSV sports and the focus of Physical Education lessons
moved towards developing greater games sense. The sports
of Touch Football and European Handball were introduced
in Year 8. A Peer Teaching unit was undertaken during
second semester. Students worked in small groups to
develop a safe, fun and inclusive game which they then
taught to the rest of the class.
Annual Report 2013
15
