Twenty Senior Drama Club pupils of St. Lawrence College paid homage on Friday 19th February to the great Bard of Avon who died in 1616. The stage became their world as they enacted “The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”. A difficult play in Shakespearean English, the Drama club pupils worked hard to bring this production together. With Nathan Marks as Romeo Montague and Rosie Vorri as Juliet Capulet, the stage was set for the magic of Shakespeare’s play to emerge.

Casting plays is not always easy and yet each and every one of the cast rose to the occasion and gave their best, at the performance that evening. From the excellent piano accompaniment courtesy of Theodora Gyftaki, to the make-up application backstage by Ema Rankovic, each member of the cast discovered their potential both on stage and backstage, making the production a success. Lord Capulet, played by Rebecca Jackson and Lord Montague played by Nicholas Demenopoulos joined hands at the end of the play, leaving the audience to ponder on the wisdom they gained through tragedy. Lady Capulet played by Tess Poulimenakos looked sadly up at her husband and held onto his arm. Benvolio played by Rea Karkabi looked down at the tragic body of Paris, played by Nefeli Vitoraki and Kostas Vitalis, Isabella Allen, Akim Valetov, the Hagis brothers Nicholas and Andreas, and Artem Shtefan were left to ponder on the tragedies that had befallen them all.

All in all, the performance was a great success, giving pupils the opportunity to explore their inner potential, share their talents with us and enhance their self-esteem.  The delightful nurse played by Christina Grammatikopoulos and the wise monk played by Yannis Apostolakopoulos, left us with a smile throughout the performance and the beautiful voice of Angela Frangos singing the theme song from Romeo and Juliet, carried with it, the image and hope for ‘a new world – a world of shining hope.. for you and me.’

Director Lindy McMullin was supported by Panagiotis Spiroudis on lighting and audio help, Virginia Poulimenakou’s wonderful scenery, Yiannis Kotsomitis’ technical support and Dimitris Zafiris’ stage development.

On Wednesday 28th October, the Greek national day was celebrated with pride in St Lawrence College. The day commemorates the rejection, during the Second World War of an ultimatum made by Benito Mussolini to allow Axis forces to enter Greece. The day was celebrated with a play presented by pupils of Years 7 & 9. The play was a dramatized adaptation of a part of the Alki Zei’s novel Petros’ War on the topic of the beginning of the war and the changes in people’s lives. Sixth Form pupils read texts narrating these first days of the war and letters by soldiers. Finally, songs were performed by the school Greek Choir.

The celebrations proved a memorable reminder of the sacrifices made by others to ensure freedom in Greece. Congratulations to all students who took part.

On Monday 22nd May 2017, Year 3 were given a lesson in Living History as they learned about life in the second world war from a lady who lived through that difficult time. Mrs Mary Fais came along to teach the children all about her personal experiences of living as a teenager through the conflict that tore this country and so many others to pieces. 

Their subject of study in History this term is 'Children in World War Two', so hearing first-hand from a ninety-one year old lady who experienced the daily challenges of that era when she was a teenage girl was a bonus for them. She shared her story - of how she and her family helped to shelter a Jewish family from the invading forces, and how she went on later to marry the son of the family she'd helped. Soft-spoken and quiet, she nevertheless held the children spellbound with her words. 

Hardship, hunger, cold and cruelty are thankfully not a part of our children's lives these days. Let's hope they understand and appreciate the safety and comfort they live in today. Thank you so much to Mrs Fais for her time