Published on: 13 March 2015





The Senior School was abuzz during Thursday lunchtime as the English Department and Senior Library held an English Festival. Boys moved about the School listening to slam poetry, debates and speeches by staff, as well as visiting stalls brimming with activities and festival ‘merchandise’.

Head of English Neil Walker said the aim of the festival was to create a buzz about English and to remind boys of the fun they can have with English-related activities. The Centre for Ethics also hosted author Craig Silvey and AJ Betts who spoke to English classes about their writing process.

During lunchtime, students and staff presented performance poetry, which included some well-received slam poetry, before a panel of judges. Highlights included Christ Church’s resident poet Kevin Gillam, performance poet Kate Wilson and of course, the boys. Nearby, student debating also drew big crowds.

Boys could also take part in a Celebrity Speech Hunt, where they had to seek out staff from different departments who were reading speeches and poems in various locations around the School. There were prizes for this as well as a Bulletin quiz.

Another big hit with the boys were the Senior Library’s festival-style stalls complete with signage, badges and bunting. Merchandise included the library’s popular Author Wars game cards, created by library staff Luke Milton and Lia de Sousa, and a badge-making stall where boys created badges featuring their favourite Author Wars authors.

There was also a screen print your own library bag stall, in a design also created by Mr Milton, and a mobile library.