Students from Halls Creek District High School recently traded red dirt for city lights during an unforgettable cultural trip with Girls from Oz.
Joined by peers from Bidyadanga, Lockhart River and Kowanyama, the students spent a week in Sydney showcasing their talents and embracing new opportunities on the national stage.
Halls Creek District High School principle Daniel Pollard said the school had a long history working with the Girls from Oz, a not-for-profit organisation delivering high-quality performing arts education to improve academic outcomes, employment pathways and overall wellbeing for girls in remote Australia.
“It has been over 15 years that the relationship has allowed students from Sydney and Halls Creek to share their worlds , swapping bright lights of the city for the red dirt of the Kimberley,” he said.
“For our young Halls Creek students it is an unforgettable experience, the opportunity to sing at the Opera House is amazing, but it is not only that, it shows our girls that they can achieve anything they want, that they can overcome obstacles, like stage fright and homesickness and have success.”
Trip highlights included workshops at the prestigious NAISDA Dance College, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Google Sydney headquarters, and an incredible finale at Sydney Opera House alongside the Australian Girls Choir.
Since 2009, Girls from Oz has partnered with the school to help students find their voices through the performing arts, creating pathways for confidence, leadership and future success.
Halls Creek shire president Brenda Garstone said the whole shire was proud of the the students’ achievements.
“The children of our shire deserve the same opportunities and bright futures that kids in the city have,” she said.
“Our young people are clever, strong and endlessly curious, and this trip showed just how far their talent can take them.
“We’re incredibly proud of the way our girls represented Halls Creek on the national stage.”
https://thewest.com.au/news/the-kimberley-echo/halls-creek-takes-sydney–c-21624326
