Student creativity on show

The end of the academic year brings with it the culmination of a large number of student projects that form central components of the International Baccalaureate and the Arts curriculum. Last week two events that showcased some of these projects were the Year 12 Visual Arts students' bodies of work exhibition and the Year 10 Personal Project Showcase. At each event, the striking feature was the boys' ability to think creatively, to solve problems and design innovative solutions, products and techniques.

All students have the capacity to think creatively, to identify needs and problems before generating novel, innovative and practical solutions - but only if this capacity is developed. It is the focus on the design process within the Visual Arts curriculum and International Baccalaureate's Personal Project that aims to explicitly develop each boy's creative capacity.

Creative people take responsible risks and challenge themselves. They are intrinsically motivated and are open to criticism. Each boy who shared their work in last week's exhibitions demonstrated all of these elements in a public forum where others may judge. I left both exhibitions admiring not only the boys' work, but also their courage and creativity. They each revealed a little about their personal interests and motivations. Well done to all the boys involved!

Dr Rob McEwan

Head of Senior School