As we all know, Pakūranga College spent the first week of Term 2 celebrating Arts Week, where each lunchtime had an activity dedicated to a different area of the arts — Visual Art, Photography, Dance, Drama, and Music.
Monday’s lunchtime of visual art involved a “Make One, Take One” board, where students could draw something on a sticky note, add it to the board, and take somebody else’s art in an anonymous exchange. At the end of Term 1, the Arts Council helped kick off the board by drawing on tons of sticky notes, to jazz up the board before the actual day. I myself drew a screaming Kermit. When Arts Week came around, dozens of kids rocked up to A3 to draw doodles, admire the board, and take some home.
Tuesday was a lunchtime photography hunt in the Arts Block, where numerous photos were stapled to the walls for students to find. Once you did, an Arts Council member snapped a photo of you to confirm you found the picture. You were also given a sheet of paper full of mysterious hints to help guide you through the scavenger hunt.
Wednesday brought the 2v2 dance battle in the Dowdle Gym—and I’m an absolute sucker for a dance-off, so I was insanely pumped to watch this. Yes, standing on a bench for 40 minutes straight was absolutely worth it. Eight different groups participated, each performing a 30 second dance before watching their opponent. From ballet to hip-hop, many styles of dance were there, and all were incredibly well-performed.
Thursday, being Drama Day, hosted two activities: sword fighting at morning tea, and a Commedia del L’arte performance at lunch. I ended up missing out on the sword fighting, but I was able to help set up for the performances at lunch. Commedia del L’arte is a style of improvised Italian melodrama performed with masquerade-style masks, which was performed that day by two pairs of Year 13 Drama students. The four actors were awesome, and I’m not sure I’ve laughed more in my life.
Music performances happened on Friday, and I was in love with all of them! First, six members of the jazz band performed a few songs, before handing it over to a Year 13 band, who played excellent renditions of Don’t Dream It’s Over and I Just Might. After that, we got a free concert from the school’s band, Glass, who performed original songs such as Hypocritibility and my personal favourite, Juvenile.
Massive shout out to all the people involved in Arts Week 2026, from the planners to the performers. You were all insanely awesome, and I am so grateful to have been able to experience this! Pakūranga College boasts so many talented artists, photographers, dancers, actors, and singers, and I look forward to seeing more from all of you.
Ava Hart – Year 9
