Events involving schools at St Michael & All Angels
See also: Schools at St Michael & All Angels
1. Chiswick Schools' Mural - Bedford Park Festival 2013
The Idea
As part of this year’s Bedford Park Festival, we invited some of the local schools to contribute to a mural project. The idea was that each school should complete a panel on the theme of Green Days and that together these would
hang in the church throughout the Bedford Park Summer Exhibition. Several local schools were approached and were enthusiastic about taking part.
How it worked
Each school was provided with a large panel (610x1290) primed and blocked in with grass, trees and sky. Themes were suggested for each
school and supported with photographic references but there was no restriction on what the children could draw. The children drew and painted images ready to be cut out and stuck onto the background.
Themes (see pictures, right)
St Michael and All Angels Children's Church:
St Michael and the Dragon procession
Chiswick and Bedford Park
Preparatory School:
Food stalls and visitors
Belmont Primary School:
Football tournament and visitors
Orchard House – the Den:
Fairground and visitors
Finishing
When all the images were stuck down, the school's name was added to each board and the children were invited to sign their names at the bottom. The panels were hung in St Michael’s and were admired by the visitors to the Bedford Park Summer Exhibition. The final result looked great. Each panel had its own identity and reflected the different age groups involved. Combined, they created a really lively and recognisable illustration of Green Days as we know it.
Sara Gronmark
2. Young People's Poetry Competition - Chiswick Book Festival 2011-13
From ChiswickW4.com, September 22nd 2013:
http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=evchisbookfestival034.htm
Last Saturday, the Chiswick Book Festival was buzzing not only with book enthusiasts, but lots of very excited young poets: it was the prize-giving for the Young People’s Poetry Competition 2013 (picture of winners, right).
The competition, for children aged 8-13 years, has gone from strength to strength since starting in 2011. This year 186 entries were received from 13 local primary and secondary schools. Alongside regulars including Orchard House School, Chiswick and Bedford Park Preparatory School, Southfield School and St Augustine’s Priory, the competition welcomed entries from West London Free School, Cavendish Primary School and St Mary’s R.C. school. (click link above for more)
Nicola Kelly
3. BPF Shorts - film competition - Bedford Park Festival 2011-13
BPF 'Shorts' is an annual short film competition for 11-18 year old students in West London. Several schools submit entries and the event's founder, Kelvin Murray, visits schools to talk about film and encourage students to enter. The judges in the past three years have included Colin Firth, Kevin McNally,
Jack and Finn Harries (the JacksGap twins, right),
Phil Brown, Eddy Marshall and Richard Broke. You can see some of the winning films on the website:
http://www.bpfshorts.co.uk/
4. Abundance Fruit Day at St Michael & All Angels - 2010-13
On Saturday October 5th 2013, the day before our Harvest Thanksgiving, we hosted the third
Abundance Fruit Day at St Michael & All Angels (poster right, plus Mary Macleod MP at the first Fruit Day in 2010). Abundance London in Chiswick work closely with local primary schools to collect fruit and improve children’s awareness of their local environment, the seasons, tree species, food-growing possibilities and healthy eating.
They currently work with Belmont, William Hogarth, Cavendish, Grove Park, Strand on the Green and St Peters C of E schools. Abundance organiser Sarah Cruz said:
"The schools and their teachers, children and parents did a magnificent job of picking and processing much of the fruit."
Fr Kevin Morris, the vicar of St Michael's, said: "There was a wonderful atmosphere and a real sense of 'village' in this large city. I think it is such a significant thing to do, a celebration of local produce which is a real lesson in what can be done and what can be harvested."
5. St Nicholas comes to Chiswick - 2011
St Nicholas was born in modern-day Turkey and our Western tradition of Father Christmas and Santa Claus originates with him. His Feast Day in 2011 was marked at St Michael & All Angels by a series of celebrations with local schools. St Nicholas arrived by horse and carriage and was welcomed by the Vicar, Headteachers, and the local Mayors (right). The children heard the story of St Nicholas and received chocolate coins.