A total of 13 schools will be traveling across to the Solent to Portsmouth next week to take part in the 2017 Rock Challenge and J Rock competition, entitled the ‘Education through Creation’ tour.
Rock Challenge was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1996 by Hampshire Constabulary with the aim to help young people enjoy school and live pro-active and positive lifestyles free of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. Schools from across the Isle of Wight entered the competition in September and next week’s events are the culmination of their hard work.
Monday will see Ryde School and Christ the King College battle it out against 8 other schools to take a podium place in Day 1 of the Rock Challenge event. They are followed by Sandown Bay Academy (Showing Premier Team) and Medina College on Tuesday, and Ryde Academy (Showing Premier Team) on Wednesday.
In the J Rock event, Newchurch Primary School and Nine Acres Primary School go up against schools from across Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey on Thursday. On Friday, Nettlestone Primary, Haylands Primary and the Federation of St Mary’s and St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primaries will also perform ahead of Stenbury Federation, Medina House School and The Bay Primary taking to the stage on Saturday.
2016 was a successful year for Isle of Wight premier teams with both teams retaining their premier status for 2017. Sandown Bay Academy performed ‘The Power of Imagination’ exploring adventures through the magical land of Terabithia. This creative and visually stunning piece received national recognition winning the National Rock Challenge Premier Award for Costuming Character and the National Rock Challenge Premier Award for Drama, competing against schools from across the North and South of England and Scotland.
Ryde Academy also returned to compete in 2016 with their performance ‘All that glitters is not gold’ an imaginative take on the back story of Jafar. This original piece performed with whole hearted conviction led to Ryde winning seven awards of excellence.
Christ the King College will be competing in 2017 and will be looking to retain their title after winning their 2017 heat with their piece ‘So very hideous an idea’ looking at the stories of John Polidori and Mary Shelly. They went on to place 3rd in the Southern Open Finals and will be hoping to make it through again in 2017.
Stenbury Federation won their heat in 2016 with their piece ‘You’ve got to b’in it to win it’, an inventive piece which used pieces of rubbish to create innovative make-up designs. They will be looking to emulate this success in 2017.
Supervising Event Manager for the UK Rock Challenge, Sophia Campbell comments:
“Every year I am so impressed by the effort put into Rock Challenge® by all the schools involved in the competitions. The range of performances and ideas is always so diverse and I can’t wait to see what everyone has come up with this year! Entering rock challenge can have such a positive impact on a young person’s life, as we strive to promote a drug free high and healthy lifestyle; attitudes which I believe to be incredibly important.”
