Every year activities at Garin College go on hold while everyone gets involved in Te Wairua o Nga Mahi Toi, a two day celebration of the arts. During 21-22 June the students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of workshops, visual art exhibitions and performing arts. For those with a more oratory bend, there was Scripture Reading and Original Speeches and Foodies could create Celebration Cakes and Food Art. In addition to the solo and group events, the entire school got involved with house competitions in singing, theatresports and dance. The RAW (Recycled and Wearable Art) competition and fashion parade, always a crowd favourite, was a highlight with over 30 students participating.
It is always a joy to see how much talent our young people have outside of the classroom and to experience the respect and support they show each other while performing. Mahi Toi is an opportunity to explore the arts be it singing for the first time in front of an audience or creating a piece of visual art, photography or design. It is all about participation and having a go at something arty.
On the evenings of 4-5 July parents enjoyed the Mahi Toi Showcase concert held at the Hope Community Church. The Showcase featured performance highlights from the two day festival at Garin as well as visual art. Everyone enjoyed watching our talented students sing, dance, act and play instruments to a Thursday night sold out crowd.
