Cloyna SS students are off and racing!
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128, 25 August 2023, page no.26
Each year, the QTU encourages its members to engage their students with the QTU Peace and Equity Awards, and each year we see entries flow in from across the state.
Interestingly, it is often schools in regional areas who jump at the opportunity presented by this statewide competition for budding artists. That got me thinking about why.
A conversation with Paula Nunan, QTU State Council Representative for Wide Bay Area Council, shed some light on what might be contributing to the regional enthusiasm for the annual awards.
Paula describes the awards as an opportunity for her students at Cloyna State School near Murgon to experience the arts in the real world. This is a chance to create artworks for a specific purpose and audience, with the added bonus of a potential prize for the winners and runners-up in each category. It also provides an excellent opportunity to integrate cross curriculum priorities in an authentic and enjoyable way with multi-age classes.
When her students have questions about the competition, Paula sometimes calls QTAD so that they can ask, another chance to engage in the real world beyond what is familiar. Recently Paula phoned with student Kye to ask about the prizes and to query the possibility of including a category for a collaborative art entry.
Beyond the real-world arts experience, as a teacher living and working in Wide Bay, Paula says this also about necessity. After all, she points out, if there is no music or arts specialist, then classroom teachers like her must fill the shortfall created by the ongoing teacher shortage. This is an impost on workload, as anyone can see, particularly for those of us not so highly skilled in teaching the arts.
Using the Peace and Equity Awards helps with the planning workload because, while the theme changes each year, the purpose remains the same: create an artwork that is influenced by the United Nations’ theme for entry and judgement in a statewide art competition. This year’s theme, “Let’s put peace at the heart of our words and our actions”, is bound to elicit some awesome responses.
Cloyna State School students displayed their artworks at the Wondai Art Gallery in August (pictured) as part of an initiative that welcomes local schools to exhibit each month in the gallery, another opportunity for students to see their art in the real world.
The QTU encourages students in all Queensland State Schools to submit their artwork in the 2023 QTU Peace and Equity Awards.
Entries should be submitted in the following categories:
Prep to Year 1
Years 2 - 3
Years 4 - 6
Years 7 - 9
Years 10 - 12
Special education junior (P- Year 4)
Special education middle (Years 5-9)
Special education senior (Years 10-12)
Prizes: The winner of each category will receive a $100 gift card. The runner up with receive a $50 gift card. Winners will be notified by the end of November.
For details, visit https://www.qtu.asn.au/peaceawards