Year 10 JAGS girls have made a really important contribution to an after-school Drama club, supporting the teaching of one of our colleagues there.

For the past two years some friends, Maisie Richardson- Sellers and Emily Shackleton, and I have been helping Mrs Macfarlane teach drama to a class of around 20 Year 5s and 6s. It has been an amazingly rewarding experience and we have learned just as much, if not more, than the children have. Working with children can be a challenge: some are hyperactive and some are too scared to speak but never have we let that deter us! The children benefit tremendously from the club; they grow as actors and as people as their confidence grows and their skills as performers develop. We learn a lot about acting, dealing with children and a lot about ourselves and our strengths and weaknesses while at the club. We also learned about the privileges we take for granted; - at JAGS drama clubs are commonplace but at Heber Primary School it is a treat for only a few of them and we make the club available for as many children as possible. It is an amazing feeling walking into a room “where everybody knows your name” as the song goes! And knowing that you are making a big difference in someone’s life and making someone and yourself feel happier and more confident- ready to face the world! Who knew Community Action could be so productive and fun! I would recommend the experience to everyone!

Leonie Rae Gasson 10D