Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Frankley Carnival 2007
On Monday the rain stopped and clouds parted over Frankley, Birmingham, for precisely the two hours requested to allow the School’s Carnival to be the triumph everyone’s efforts deserved it to be.
Last year Holly Hill Infant School blazed the trail by staging a Circus Carnival that involved the whole school, costumes, chanting, actions and a band. It was magnificent. Soon there was a clamour for an expanded carnival this year with neighbouring schools; the result was even more magnificent.
There were three bands, including a full-on Samba Team, an exuberant dancing section and four giant carnival costumes, which threatened to convert into gilded paragliders in the high winds. The increase in age range gave the carnival more diversity than last year. The Seasons’ theme gave the pupils a chance to pursue their own creative ideas whilst keeping a coherence to proceedings. There was an army of Snow Fairies, a host of trees with wind rustling their leaves, thunder clouds with lightening, rain drops and rainbows, fiery Suns, a platoon of Lady Birds, Green Shooting Grass with worms and earth, clumps of flowers surrounded by butterflies and bumble bees, whilst a shoal of silver scaled fish played a slippery samba.
The large-scale combination education, artistry and logistics delivered by Ana and her small team was deeply impressive. The engagement enjoyment of pupils, teachers and other school staff and support of parent was evident. A burst of sunshine was the least everyone deserved.
The only shame was that an executive decision was taken by Forestdale School to withdraw on Monday morning in fear of the weather. This decision robed the Carnival of even greater spectacle and the pupils the chance to share their efforts with the wider community.
Over the last two years Reaside School has been working on an extended project exploring and in some cases inventing, local mythologies. Now surely they have helped create their own mythology – the great Frankley Carnival of 07.
James
Last year Holly Hill Infant School blazed the trail by staging a Circus Carnival that involved the whole school, costumes, chanting, actions and a band. It was magnificent. Soon there was a clamour for an expanded carnival this year with neighbouring schools; the result was even more magnificent.
There were three bands, including a full-on Samba Team, an exuberant dancing section and four giant carnival costumes, which threatened to convert into gilded paragliders in the high winds. The increase in age range gave the carnival more diversity than last year. The Seasons’ theme gave the pupils a chance to pursue their own creative ideas whilst keeping a coherence to proceedings. There was an army of Snow Fairies, a host of trees with wind rustling their leaves, thunder clouds with lightening, rain drops and rainbows, fiery Suns, a platoon of Lady Birds, Green Shooting Grass with worms and earth, clumps of flowers surrounded by butterflies and bumble bees, whilst a shoal of silver scaled fish played a slippery samba.
The large-scale combination education, artistry and logistics delivered by Ana and her small team was deeply impressive. The engagement enjoyment of pupils, teachers and other school staff and support of parent was evident. A burst of sunshine was the least everyone deserved.
The only shame was that an executive decision was taken by Forestdale School to withdraw on Monday morning in fear of the weather. This decision robed the Carnival of even greater spectacle and the pupils the chance to share their efforts with the wider community.
Over the last two years Reaside School has been working on an extended project exploring and in some cases inventing, local mythologies. Now surely they have helped create their own mythology – the great Frankley Carnival of 07.
James
