Schools showcase Project 1915 at the Museum of Science and Industry

Falinge Park High School

Falinge Park High School, and five Rochdale primary schools, Healey Primary School, St Michael's C of E Primary School, All Saints C of E Primary School, Holy Trinity C of E Primary School and Shawclough Community Primary School, will be at the Museum of Science and Industry on 7 June showcasing the results of their year long creative commemoration of the First World War as part of their Creative Collaborative Initiative: Project 1915.

This invitation only event will be a fitting finale for a culmination of a year of dedication, hard work and commitment from pupils and staff alike to create performances and art work inspiration by the events of 1915.

Falinge Park High School Dance Company will be performing two live dance pieces, ‘Discovery’ and ‘You are Not Alone’. Discovery was inspired by the identification of Pluto in 1915 and ‘You are Not Alone’ looks at the complex world of Mental Health, which came to the forefront in 1915.

Two performances in drama and dance will be showcased digitally, ‘The Smile’, a drama based on the challenges and issues of soldiers in World War 1, and a Charlie Chaplin inspired dance piece, “Think too much feel too little’, which looks at the parody between 2015 and 1915.

Musically there will be soloists singing 1915 songs and some Hawaiian inspired music from the 1915 era.

Photographs and work will also be exhibited from the Soldiers to School Scheme, Life at the Barracks and the ‘Football Truce’ tournament.

All Saints C of E Community Primary will be showcasing their inspirational work from Rudyard Kipling. Elephant masks, batiks and South Asian Dance will be on display.

Healey Primary School will be exhibiting textile work and dance based on ‘Orphic Form’ from Sonia and Robert Delaunay.

Shawclough Community Primary School will be exhibiting work based on the Theory of Pangaea, a discovery made in 1915, textile work inspired by Kandinsky and dance from the 12 Degrees Dance Residency, ‘Battlefield Boy’.

St Michael's C of E Primary School, Bamford will be turning the Revolution Gallery into a music hall and providing pieces of Dance inspired by silent movies and music and song from the 1915 era.

Holy Trinity CE Primary School will be modeling the winning entry from the inter school hat competition, dancing to the rites of spring and exhibiting embroidery inspired by Delaunay.

In addition, the museum will be offering two workshops to all the parents and pupils who attend ‘The Munitionettes’ and ‘Textiles’ and Oldham Young Dance Company will be performing on site, making the event truly collaborative.

Project 1915 was set up by Falinge Park High School and lead practitioner Jenny Wystawnoha to make learning meaningful, relevant, challenging and emotional and to encourage youngsters from across the region to work together as a team using arts specialisms whilst sharing good, exciting and stimulating practice.

Mr Lonsdale, headteacher at the school, said: “Everybody gains from this, our students get the opportunity to take responsibility for younger children, primary children get to know our school, staff and students, our staff get a fuller appreciation of the ability and potential of the intakes yet to come.

"It’s easy to undervalue the impact of the arts in school, however, with the arts sector being the second largest employer in the country, and Media City on our doorstep, we would be foolish not to embrace them in school.

"We must not forget that most importantly we all have a really good time. It truly is one of the highlights of the year.”