An anthem composed by one of Australia’s leading contemporary musicians that salutes the values of the past but speaks to the future, will have its international premiere at two concerts in Armidale on 13 and 14 October. Paul Jarman’s piece ‘Soldier On’ was commissioned to capture the essence of the spirit The Armidale School, which he said is embodied in the themes of service, friendship, compassion and unity. The work has been created over the past several months, following a week-long residency at the school February. From the first Old Boy to die in the Boer War to the last in Afghanistan, Mr Jarman said he was “overwhelmed” by the number of names on the school’s honour boards, the stories behind... View Article
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Thomas is State champion in National History Competition
Posted 18th September 2017
He is fascinated by Stalin, doesn’t underestimate the power of the potato famine, and favours evolution over revolution. So strong is Thomas Price’s passion for history, the Year 10 student has just been named the NSW champion in this year’s Australian History Competition. “History intrigues me – the facts, statistics and perspectives; sometimes I can’t believe how different events are influenced by each other,” he said. In the nationwide competition, held by the History Teachers Association of Australia and undertaken by more than 30,000 Year 8 and Year 10 students from more than 400 schools in every state and territory, Thomas achieved 98 per cent and was placed second to the overall winner from across the country. The questions are mainly... View Article
Cadets prepare students for the real world
Posted 15th September 2017
YOUNG people today are better prepared for the world they will enter than thirty years ago despite it’s complexities, the NSW Cross Border Commissioner told cadets at The Armidale School’s annual Passing Out Parade on Friday (8 September). Retired Lieutenant General James McTavish, who was also in Armidale for his 30 year school reunion, reflected on how things had changed since his own passing out parade at TAS. “No doubt there will be discussion from my peers about the good old days and how we were stronger, fitter, tougher and better than the young people of today, but the reality is, that is wrong. “The world is now more complex, connected and difficult; the emerging world order, and the rapid pace... View Article
PYP group research projects on show
Posted 14th September 2017
What do the threat of Varroa mites on bees, the pros and cons of coal energy, and a bowl of rice have in common? For Year 5 students at The Armidale School, they are all avenues of inquiry that help understand what it means to share the planet. Energy, food, water, insects and deforestation were the big ideas that groups of students explored in research projects that made up the school’s inaugural PYP Exhibition, which last week showcased an investigative unit work Year 5 students have undertaken as part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. Under the overarching theme Sharing the Planet, groups used a transdisciplinary approach to investigate a particular topic, chose a senior staff member to mentor... View Article
Make Languages Matter, NAIDOC Assembly told
Posted 2nd September 2017
If an Aboriginal language was taught in every Australian classroom, not only would the languages survive, but break down barriers between cultures, generations and communities, students at The Armidale School were told. At the school’s annual NAIDOC assembly on Thursday morning (31 August), Anaiwan man Brad Widders said language was more than just a verbal form of communication. “Language and dialects describe country, custom and family relationships, it is how they maintain connection with their ancestors, land and the law. If every young person had to learn their local Aboriginal language, so many barriers would break down,” he said. With NAIDOC Week falling during school holidays, the assembly focused on this year’s NAIDOC theme ‘Our Languages Matter’ and was an... View Article
Sculpture may ‘trump’ art prize
Posted 26th August 2017
The night Donald Trump was elected US President, Michael Harrell’s thoughts turned to clay. What resulted is a sculpture that is one of only 46 finalists from 675 international entries in a Sydney competition feted by Australian and international artists. The 15 year old student at The Armidale School said he was “surprised and delighted” to learn last week that his sculpture of the President will be exhibited alongside those of professional artists in the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, and is up for a share of $24,000 in prizemoney. “I was doing pottery on the night he was elected and my teacher Rick Hatch suggested he could be my next project. So I gave it some thought, and it went from... View Article
Global peace pursuits engage students
Posted 20th August 2017
What does peace look like, and how do you measure it? Not with rulers or scales, but a combination of facts and figures, Year 7 students at The Armidale School were told. As part of a week-long study of internationalism – the ‘I’ in the acronym IDEALS of the global school organisation Round Square – boys and girls were told that overall there are some surprising positive trends amidst an increasingly complex world. Jose Luengo-Cabrera, a research fellow at the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), gave a presentation on the results and methodology of the institute’s flagship product: the Global Peace Index (GPI). He explained how IEP compiles different quantitative and qualitative indicators to generate the GPI, which scores... View Article
da Vinci offers northern students unique academic challenge
Posted 18th August 2017
‘IMAGINATION’ will be both the theme and the tool of trade for hundreds of bright young minds when they attend a prestigious academic inter-school competition at The Armidale School next week. More than 550 gifted and talented students from state and independent schools will be challenged by a suite of activities at the Northern NSW da Vinci Decathlon, to be hosted by TAS for the fifth year. The Decathlon was developed by Knox Grammar School and is now held in regional venues across Australia, with students competing in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Mathematics and Chess; English; Science; Code Breaking; Engineering Challenge; Philosophy; Creative Producer; Art and Poetry; Cartography; General Knowledge. Year 7 and 8 teams will take part... View Article
Team TAS set the pace at City to Surf
Posted 16th August 2017
The largest TAS team to ever compete in the iconic City to Surf footrace descended on Sydney for Sunday’s (16 August) 14km event, with runners stepping out in the fight against Muscular Dystrophy. Comprising 135 students and around a dozen staff and parents, the TAS team took to the pavement for the Stand Tall for a Cure foundation has been established by TAS Old Boy Drew Schofield from Nundle who was diagnosed with the condition when he was 12 years old. In ideal conditions, The first TAS runner to cross the line was Sam Jones in 60 minutes and 30 seconds, closely followed by Emerson Browning (1:01:59), Nicholas Barnier (1:05:23) and Nicholas Farrar (1:05:53). “There was more of a build up... View Article
Win caps off TAS’ GPS rugby campaign
Posted 15th August 2017
The Armidale School’s First XV has finished in second place on the AAGPS Third Grade competition, following a close 11-10 win over The King’s School on Saturday (12 August). Coach Alan Jones said the team showed enormous character in their final outing of the GPS season and was a deserved win to the defending premiers which suffered just one defeat, to St Joseph’s College 24-12 the week before. “Just as the score of the Joeys game belies how close that match really was, the TAS boys were significantly stronger on Saturday than the King’s points would attest. We couldn’t finish off certain phases of play and there were some uncharacteristic lapses in ball handling, but that can also be put down... View Article
