On 18-21 June 2014, the NBCS production of Annie was staged in the Marina Prior Centre – the fifth musical under the direction of Ryan Desaulnier, and following on from the exceptional production of Camelot in 2013. The cast of over 60 students brought the touching story and famous music to life with immense talent, and great enthusiasm. As a community, we would like to acknowledge the dedication and artistry of the entire Ensemble and Production Team – thank you for making the show an outstanding success.

Annie tells the story of a young orphan girl (played by Annabel Mance), living in New York City during the 1930s, in an orphanage run by the cruel and embittered Miss Hannigan (Nikki Bates). Annie’s infectiously bright personality helps her foil whatever scheming she comes up against, until one day she finds a new family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Alec Green), his secretary Grace Farrell (Emily Van Ameyde), and a lovable dog named Sandy (Brandie) that Annie rescues from the city streets.

Annabel, Nikki, Alec and Emily, along with Simon Buchner, Sienna Kydd, Matthew Welinski, Josh Nila, Hamish Green, William Clarke, Lucas Van Rhijn, Maddi Calvert, Taylor Sheahan, Sarah Handy, Robert Varley, Martin Bennett, Lachlan Ford, Ally Rowe, Tom Rowe, Matthew Hinton, Jasmine Scales, Tallulah Suthern, Taylor Jankowski, Emily Barker, Mikaela Thornton, Callum Audet, Chloe Worthington, Tori Fraser, Rosie Prince and Niamh McCool – supported by an excellent Ensemble – all did a sensational job, and delivered Broadway favourites with flair and pizzaz.

Special mention should be made of the cast of Orphans – led by Sahara Nalbandian-Watkis, Claire Hutchison, Sophie Waller, Ella Thornton, Annie Walker and Abbi Crossley – whose performance was a particular highlight. We are especially grateful to our youngest performers for their commitment and dedication to the show.

We would also like to offer our heart-felt appreciation for the work and extended hours invested by the Creative Team in crafting such a professional show: Director and Choreographer Ryan Desaulnier, Assistant Director Belinda Tolmie, Music Director Phil Rees, Producer Tamara Buttrose, Costume Designer Ros Moore, Assistant Costume Designer Jenni Thomas, Dance Captain Kaitlin Pert, and a special mention to illustrator of the ‘Annie’ cartoon and exceptional backdrops, Leigh Hedström.

Finally, thank you to all those who attended and supported the show, and to the parents of students who waited patiently on so many occasions – we are confident you will agree that the production was well worth the weekly rehearsals and time invested – thank you for your support.

We have put together a gallery showcasing the production, with photos by parent and professional photographer Annette Scholtz, and in-house NBCS photographer Michael Harris. We hope you enjoy re-living the beauty and drama of the production.

View gallery →

We are delighted to share the news that Heather Wrathall, member of our Relationships NBCS team, received significant recognition last week at a ceremony in Canberra. Heather was awarded the Humanitarian Overseas Services Medal, for work she undertook with the Australian Agency for International Development in Samoa following the 2009 tsunami that devastated the region.

The Medal is awarded by the Governor-General to honour emergency humanitarian service overseas in hazardous circumstances, and was presented in a ceremony at the Department for Foreign Affairs last Thursday, recognising 27 outstanding individuals for work in humanitarian service following the Samoa tsunami in 2009, Pakistan floods in 2010, Christchurch earthquake in 2011, and Japan tsunami in 2011.

Congratulation to Heather for this truly outstanding recognition.

Congratulations to Luke Exton (Year 12, 2009), who has just begun a 12-month research and development internship with Cisco Systems in San Jose, as part of the Cisco International Internship Program. Luke is currently studying a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at UNSW, majoring in telecommunications, where he was nominated by his thesis supervisor for the internship due to his high level of achievement and aptitude.

For the past 12 months, Luke has been conducting research on software-defined networks (SDN), specifically looking at network efficiency and security. SDN is a new approach to computer networking to control and direct traffic by external software, meaning they are able to be reconfigured easily and as system needs and applications change on the fly. The work of the project team was profiled in the Sydney Morning Herald last Friday, which features an interview with Luke’s supervisor, Vijay Sivaraman.

Congratulations to Luke on the recognition and achievement that the Cisco internship represents, and the career-making opportunities and experience that the time in the US will provide.

If you know of NBCS Alumni who have received outstanding recognition or achievement, please let us know via email: wavelength@nbcs.nsw.edu.au

The Rhythm & Blues Music Studio at NBCS recently received a notable new addition to the learning space – a Yamaha Digital Grand Piano. The piano is additionally note-worthy because it is the very first one in Australia, thanks to the work of NBCS Music staff member, Brad Fuller.

The new piano is a fantastic resource for Music students across Secondary, representing many new possibilities in the way music is made, as well as for composition, and mixing and layering sound. The form factor not only allows for the touch and tone of a grand piano (including voicing from a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand), but also has the acoustic advantage of using the grand piano shell, giving an even richer sound. With the digital capabilities, students and staff have the ability to output directly to their computers or iPads, or even control the piano itself from their digital devices, opening up a myriad of new possibilities and opportunities.

Students have already been making innovative use of the piano’s capabilities, with some Year 12 students considering ways of adapting their HSC Music performances. The piano is the perfect complement and extension to the already industry-standard facilities of the Rhythm & Blues space. We are excited to see and hear the music that our students will be able to create.

Last Friday morning, a unique time-trial was recorded at NBCS – Race Walking around the school campus and building site. Year 10 student Aidan Kerr was the inaugural athlete, completing the circuit beginning on the Primary Basketball Court, around The Zone, past Admin and the Gateway Building, across the roundabout, into the Global Learning Village Quadrangle, straight down past Science, and back to Primary to complete the lap.

Completing the course in just over 2 minutes, Aidan’s time was a blistering 2:12:23. Aidan is the school’s resident Race Walking champion, with many years of high-level competition as a Race Walker. Race Walking has very strict rules to differentiate it from running, requiring at least one foot to be in contact with the ground at all times. In June Aidan competed at the Federation Cup in Canberra, where he placed 5th nationally in the Mens U18 5km Race Walking event – a fantastic achievement.

With the inaugural lap-time now officially set, students are invited to mount a challenge to Aidan’s time, with an official race occurring each Wednesday at 1:30pm. The event was a fun display of school spirit and community, and we would like to thank Aidan for playing such an integral part.

About the workshop: A panel of selected guests will answer your questions plus provide strategies, tips and advice for parents on supporting your child through the senior years. Panelists include: Greg Powell, Clinical Psychologist; Jenny Exton, Head of Secondary; Phil Jobson, Senior Mentor; Anne Jobson, School Counsellor; and Lou Deibe, parent and teacher.

This event is specific for parents with children in Years 10-12, but all parents are invited and welcome to attend.

If you have any specific questions or areas of the Senior Years you would like covered please list them in the space provided on the linked registration form.

We have childminding for school-aged children who will watch a PG movie under supervision.

When: Tuesday 29 July, 6:30-7:30pm
Location: SCIL Building at NBCS

To register please complete this form.

This week’s Parenting Ideas information sheet:

• Separation Anxiety

In association with our Empowering Parent Seminars, we have been providing additional weekly parent information sheets to support NBCS parents. Some information will be more relevant to Primary than Secondary and vice versa. This is to support families within our school community covering all age groups.

If you would like an information sheet on a specific topic sent via Wavelength, please contact Mrs Anne Jobson via the School Office (9450 1311).