Rock Eisteddfod
Mao's Last Dancer - '08
Kokoda '07
The Devil's in the Detail '06
Calwell High School has a proud tradition of participation in the Rock Eisteddfod, having entered every year since 1998.
- We involve students from years 7 - 10 and all students are welcome to participate
- We are inclusive -our hearing impaired students have successfully participated
- Reached the finals each year since 1998 and have been the top ranked government high school on more than one occasion
- Achieved third and fourth placings in 2002 and 2003
- Awarded the Best Backstage Crew for 6 of the last 8 years, achieving a perfect score in 2002
- Other awards have included: Choreography; Concept; Drama; Soundtrack; Set and Prop Design; Stage Use; Lighting and Costuming in Character
- Won the Canberra Final in 2004 and gained 3 rd placing in the Sydney Final
- Won the Canberra Final in 2005
- Won the Canberra Final in 2006 and gained 3 rd placing in the Sydney Final
- Won the Canberra and Sydney Finals in 2007
- Placed second in the National Final in 2007
Rock Eisteddfod - 2008 - Calwell Wins Again
For the fifth year in a row Calwell High School has won the Canberra Final of the Rock Eisteddfod.
Calwell High School performed Mao's Last Dancer to a packed, audience in the Canberra Theatre, amid much cheering, clapping and whistling. Awards given for the performance included excellence in Choreography, Set and Prop Design, Costuming in Character, Performacne Skill, Lighting, Stage Use and more.
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Calwell High School Makes History Again!
Calwell High School was placed second in the national final of the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge that was televised in December, beating nearly 200 schools from around Australia. Calwell's 'Kokoda' entry has earned itself a place in history, being the first entry by a school outside NSW and Victoria to win a place in the event's 20-year history.
This is a fantastic result for the school and the school's community and all the more amazing when you consider that Calwell has a population of around 500 students and we only have Years 7 - 10, unlike the majority of other schools involved!
Once again, congratulations to all involved!
Calwell High School Makes History!
On September 5, Calwell High School participated in the NSW Final of the 2007 Rock Eisteddfod Challenge at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and became the first ever Canberra school to win the event. 'Kokoda' received three awards of excellence: Choreography, Concept and Performance Skill. What a fantastic result!
The audience was moved by Calwell's depiction of the Australian soldiers and their experiences at Kokoda. The show featured the themes of mateship, courage, endurance and sacrifice. Many audience members were moved to tears.
Congratulations to all students, staff and parents involved in the performance, especially Cheryl Diggins, without whom this event would simply not have occurred. Cheryl was also presented with a Rock Challenge award for ten years of participation and dedication to the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge.
Rock Eisteddfod 2007 - Calwell Wins Again!!
On July 4, Calwell High School participated in the Canberra final of the 2007 Rock Eisteddfod. For the fourth year in a row Calwell won this event. In the process, 'Kokoda' received eight awards including excellence in Choreography, Drama, Concept,Lighting, Performance and Entertainment. What a magnificient achievement for a small government high school!
Congratulations must go to Cheryl Diggins, the driving force, the creative genius, the tireless worker, costume designer and maker and inspiration for Calwell's Rock Eisteddfod entries for the past ten years. What an incredible effort for one person.
It was wonderful to see the commitment and passion of all the students who took part. The students honoured the Kokoda Track legacy and commemorated the many soldiers who lost their lives in the campaign. The students embraced the values of endurance, sacrifice, courage and mateship in their performance. Many members of the community have approached staff from the school, telling us how they were moved to tears by the performance. The students ought to be proud of themselves; everything they did was purely exceptional.
All involved were proud to be a part of such a committed, passionate, creative, and respectful team of staff and students. Our sincere thanks also go to members of our parent group and the wider community who helped and supported us in a variety of ways.
Well done to everyone in the Calwell school community who helped to make Kokoda such a resounding success!
Calwell High School Awarded 1st Place in Canberra Rock Eisteddfod Final for the Third Year! 2006
On Thursday July 6 our school’s entry, ‘The Devil’s in the Detail’ was awarded first place at the Rock Eisteddfod Final at the Canberra Theatre. This is the third year in a row that the school has achieved this fine result!
Congratulations to all the students, staff, parents and the wider community involved in this production. Calwell High also won 6 awards on the night, including The Award of Excellence for Concept and the Award of Excellence for Set, Design and Function. Students and staff were absolutely ecstatic when the result was announced.
Special thanks and congratulations go to Mrs Cheryl Diggins for her tireless Rock Eisteddfod work for the ninth year in a row. She is the heart and soul of Rock Eisteddfod at Calwell!
Calwell High School Awarded First Place in 2005 Canberra Rock Eisteddfod Final
On Friday July 1 our school’s entry, ‘Follow the Spirit; Follow the Fence’ was awarded first place at the Rock Eisteddfod Final at the Bruce AIS. This is the second year in a row that the school has achieved this fine result.
Congratulations to all the students, staff, parents and the wider community involved in this production. The final performance was a moving and special experience. Calwell High also won 8 awards on the night. These included Excellence in Choreography, Set, Design and Function, Soundtrack, Costuming Character, Visual Enhancement, School Community Support, Social Awareness and the Spirit of the REC Award.
Special thanks and congratulations go to Mrs Cheryl Diggins for her tireless Rock Eisteddfod work for the eighth year in a row. She is the heart and soul of Rock Eisteddfod at Calwell!
Rabbit-Proof Fence 2005
Indigenous Author Visits Calwell High School
On Friday 29 April, Doris Pilkington, the acclaimed Indigenous writer visited Calwell High School . John Bond, Secretary of the National Sorry Day Committee and Audrey Kinnear, a member of the Stolen Generations, accompanied Ms Pilkington.
Ms Pilkington is the author of Caprice: a Stockman's Daughter, Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence and its sequel, Under the Wintamarra Tree.
Ms Pilkington's novel Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence has been recognised as being of great social and cultural significance and has been adapted for the screen.
It was a timely visit as the film Rabbit Proof Fence is the inspiration for this year's Rock Eisteddfod.
Students were captivated as Ms Pilkington gave them a personal insight into the impact that the 'Stolen Generations' had on her life and the lives of other Indigenous people.
The 'Stolen Generations' are thousands of Indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their parents under a government policy of assimilation from the 1880's to the 1960's.
Mr Bond spoke about upcoming events to mark National Day Of Healing 2005 which include the launch of National Day Of Healing on 25 May 2005 at 10:00am at the Great Hall of Parliament and a Forum on "Are we bringing them home in 2005 on 26 May 2005 at 8:45am at the Reception Room, ACT Legislative Assembly.
Ms Kinnear shared her personal experience of being removed from her family. She encouraged students to learn and share, as they are the future of our community.
Students and staff greatly appreciated Ms Pilkington, Mr Bond and Ms Kinnear for giving Calwell High some of their precious time. Both students and staff gained a better awareness and understanding of the history of Sorry Day, the impact that the removal of Aboriginal children has had on Aboriginal people and other issues facing Indigenous people.
Comments from students and staff included: It was very enlightening. It gives me a lot of insight for the dance. It was sad. It was inspiring. It was powerful; deeply moving and it made you want to discover more. It showed grief and hope.
Calwell High School will be holding a special performance of their Rock Eisteddfod entry for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities on 1 June 2005.
Calwell's Rock Eisteddfod Entry Awarded Third Place in Sydney Grand Final 2004!
On Thursday September 9, Calwell High School competed in the Open Division of the Rock Eisteddfod Grand Final in Sydney . It was a fantastic day and the students were a credit to themselves and the school. Students had to be at school by 6.15am but did not perform until 10.45pm - the last school of the evening. It was worth the wait though, because the students did an amazing job and were awarded third place in the field of 14 schools. What an amazing achievement for a small Canberra high school! No other Canberra school has achieved such a result and it is all the more exciting because we performed against schools with students up to Year 12 level.
We also won the award for 'Social Awareness' - a special award for us because we all felt strongly about the message our entry sent to our audience.
Our thanks go to families, friends and all the members of the public who have supported us in a variety of ways. We are very grateful for all the donations received that helped us return to Sydney for the Grand Final. Special thanks to all the supporters who joined us in Sydney for the performance. It was fantastic to hear the cheers for our school in the Entertainment Centre. The support and interest of the Burmese community has also meant a great deal to all involved.