EDGE Day
On Tuesday 28 October, EDGE Day students participated in an immersive, full-day experience that integrated Theatre Games and Artificial Intelligence titled “AI Drama Queens.”
The girls engaged in hands-on theatre and AI challenges that focused on creative and critical solutions to real world scenarios. Students deepened their understanding through theatre games and challenges with the ethical application of AI.
‘Perplexity’ and ‘Copilot’, existing AI tools already accessed by the School, supported script creation, theatre sports coaching, and performance evaluation. This was a highly collaborative process in mixed age groups requiring self-management and communication.
The day was facilitated by myself, Dr Alan D. Thompson (global AI expert), Shane Davidson, and Kirsty Battersby (local drama expert). Zoe Lloyd, Becca Burton-Howard, and Aleasha Francis also assisted on the day. Please enjoy students’ thoughts on the day:
Sophie Lim (Reception) – “Today I learned a new app on the iPad. You have to write on the iPad and the picture will come up.”
Clara Overton (Reception) – “Today I learned to be brave and give it a go.”
Keira Bartlett (Year 3) – “What went well overall today was almost everything, especially the drama scenes and props. The best thing that went well was working together.”
Hope Zhang (Year 3) – “I loved making the scenes with props today. It was so funny and fun to make up random things and scenes.”
Zoe Zhang (Year 7) – “Today I learned about the usage of AI and some skills and theatre games. While learning about AI, I liked how the presentation was slow paced and interactive, while also incorporating creativity and leadership with younger peers. The theatre games helped develop some skills, allowed creativity, and helped students think outside the box.”
Mathilda Begg (Year 8) – “Today I learned that communication goes beyond the words we speak. It’s our ability to connect with people, be empathetic, use body language and get a point across. Charades helped me utilise body language and space jump helped me develop situational adaptability. Being “smart” or having “good grades” won’t get you anywhere unless you develop the skills to relate and connect with others. AI is a useful tool with its expansive knowledge and large database. However, it lacks the ability to empathise. The things that make us human are VITAL for success in the real world. So, get up, get out, and live out your dreams. Today I loved having the opportunity to build confidence, learn from others, and showcase my acting skills. I hope for more opportunities like this to learn and grow outside of the traditional classroom setting.”
Antra Docherty (Year 8) – “Today I learned how to push myself out of my comfort zone. I learned some fun activities integrating artificial intelligences into theatre sports. Space jump was fun! Today I loved playing space jump as it forced me out of my comfort zone as I was forced to squeeze into a position I was not familiar with. I also enjoyed building cross-year relationships with peers older and younger than me.”
Bonnie Hu (Year 8) – “Today I learned how Artificial Intelligence works. I also learnt about different ways to perform. In order to have a good performance, I developed my teamwork sills and creative thinking skills. I have also developed my communication skills, something I believe is super important in life. In Middle School, there aren’t many opportunities to meet people in the Junior School. EDGE Day offered an unforgettable chance to create connections and learn from others. Today I loved building relationships. I’ve connected with people in older and younger years. My Year 4 buddy was a very sweet person who had plenty of ideas to share with me! I have also enjoyed the workshops with Mr Davidson. He is very funny and always pushes us out of our comfort zones, encouraging us no matter what. I felt that I volunteered my ideas a lot more than usual, as there was a very safe learning environment.
Irryssa Loh (Year 9) – “Today I learned that anyone can learn how to improve, and that acting and drama can be very fun and entertaining.”
Reception to Year 10 EDGE Day Winners:
Leadership:
- Rania Gao
- Matilda Farhan
- Aurora Chen
- Chelsea Francis
Creativity:
- Aileen Zhou
- Charlee Geyer
- Chen Chen Han
- Chloe Sturt
Risk-Taking:
- Georgina Mittiga
- Scarlett Zhao
- Grace Yang
- Samaira Soodan
Teamwork:
- Beatrice Binette
- Suri Zhu
- Cate McDonald
- Bonnie Qu
- Mathilda Begg
Student Drawing Examples:
Shown in image below: Sophie Lim, Mathilda Begg, Antra Docherty and Irryssa Loh
The girls all did an exceptional job in providing drawing examples to support their work. It was wonderful to see their initial ideas come together on paper.
Rebecca Napier
EDGE Key Teacher, Reception to Year 12
Dreamtime Discoveries with the Year 3 Cohort
On Friday, we worked with the Year 3 cohort to teach them the Dreamtime story, The Rainbow Serpent, to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal culture and stories. We began by watching a video that tells the story of protecting the totems and keeping peace, and then did a colouring activity, which allowed the children to colour in snakes of their own. Upon reflection, we are so thankful for this insightful opportunity, which also taught us more leadership skills aimed at a younger community. We were so thrilled by the comments some of the students made:
“I loved learning about the dreamtime story of The Rainbow Serpent. The story taught us about the importance of respect.” – Mackenzie Marsden
“I enjoyed colouring in my own rainbow snake.’” – Emily Du
Anvika Singh, Piper Lawes and Ashley Lau
RAP Team
Kickstart for Kids, our House Charity
Throughout the year, the girls have been volunteering at Allenby Gardens Primary School and decided to help the charity by collecting and donating jams to their Breakfast Program. The Breakfast Program is aimed at helping students engage at school to the best they can by providing breakfast for students when they arrive at school. Jam is one of the major expenses for Kick Start for Kids, and by collecting and donating jam, we can help those who are in need.
There will be collection bins placed around the Junior School areas for donations to be placed in. The areas are: the Year 6 breakout area, outside the Junior School Art Room, the Junior School corridor breakout space and outside the Junior School Library.
Please bring in donations from 10 to 14 November to help support this worthy cause.
Charlotte Catchpole
Year 10 Kennion Student
