{"id":115725,"date":"2015-07-26T23:07:06","date_gmt":"2015-07-26T13:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=115725"},"modified":"2020-11-20T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T01:38:09","slug":"parents-win-rock-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/26\/parents-win-rock-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents Win Rock Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mad Hatter Harry Jeffs and mice Minnie and Cherry Martoo, all from Year 3, prepare to do their act at St Mary’s annual Rock On Stage concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 27, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Maryknoll Centre at St Mary’s Catholic College in Kingaroy was packed out on Friday night when the school held its annual Rock On Stage Concert … and this year, after seven years in the wilderness, the school’s Parents and Friends finally had a win against the teachers.<\/p>\n

Their side-splitting stage act, which included parish priest (and well-known soccer fan) Fr Nigel Sequeira playing the lead role as a goalie trying to defend against against several elderly women in walking frames and some lavishly dressed ladies, won the judges’ approval over a Beatles ensemble performed by the school’s teaching staff.<\/p>\n

The win was a triumph for the P&F who have been involved in a running battle with the teachers at Rock On Stage for so long no one can quite recall.<\/p>\n

The P&F members, teachers, students and the standing-room only audience of almost 1000 voted the night a rip-roaring success.<\/p>\n

What is most amazing about the annual concert is that it is all put together – from scratch – in just two weeks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every year, in third term, the school alters its normal 6-period day to a 7-period day for a fortnight by pruning a few minutes of each off the normal classes to create a special “Rock On Stage” period.<\/p>\n

Students use the extra time to prepare an act for their class, select music, arrange costumes and rehearse.<\/p>\n

The program is purely voluntary, but has proved so popular with St Mary’s students that participation levels are close to 100 per cent.<\/p>\n

And the rushed preparation program leaves little room for stage fright to develop, or performance exhaustion to set in.<\/p>\n

“The students love Rock On Stage and they all support it,” music teacher Jane Iszlaub said.<\/p>\n

“They know they’re not going to be criticised if their performance is less than perfect, and they’re not afraid to get up and make a goose of themselves because everyone else in school is doing that, too.<\/p>\n

“So the result is always a really fun night that all the students and parents enjoy.”<\/p>\n

Deputy Principal Sean Erwin said adults also got involved in Rock On Stage.<\/p>\n

“The concert is organised by our school’s senior students,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Teachers provide guidance but the nuts and bolts work is carried out them, while the teachers and parents prepare their own acts.”<\/p>\n

Mr Erwin said the competition between the two adult groups had grown to State Of Origin proportions, and he’d heard rumours the P&F group had been practising extra hard this year.<\/p>\n

“They haven’t had a win in six or seven years now, so they’re hungry for it,” he said.<\/p>\n

In the end, the P&F walked away with bragging rights this year.<\/p>\n

But the real winners were probably the audience, who enjoyed a fun night of light-hearted stage entertainment delivered with genuine verve and enthusiasm by every grade in the school.<\/p>\n

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