Stratton Upper School, part of Meridian Trust, was delighted to open the doors to the local Biggleswade community for the grand return of the school’s annual arts festival, ‘StratFest’.
The popular StratFest has been a tradition at Stratton Upper School for many years and is well remembered by families and members of the local community as they’ve come and gone from the school. This was the first time it had been held since the Covid pandemic.
The event, on Saturday 9th July, promoted the theme ‘back together’ in recognition of how the arts supported pupil’s and staff’s mental health throughout lockdown and can continue to play a pivotal role in people’s lives.
Sponsored by Inspiring Music, The Connolly Foundation and M&J Group, the multi-stage day event included performances from Stratton Upper School, Edward Peake CofE Academy, Henlow Academy and Samuel Whitbread Academy who performed alongside Vision Arts and Emily Thornton School of Dance.
Cate Lawson, Curriculum Area Leader for Creative Arts at Stratton Upper School said: “StratFest was an opportunity to demonstrate how important the arts is in supporting our wellbeing, particularly post pandemic and to bring our school and local community ‘back together’ in a way that hasn’t been possible for a couple of years.
“It was great to get local businesses and art organisations together again to support the community, and for the community to support them and give back.
“We also loved seeing everyone getting involved in the activities, from performing in one of Trestle’s incredible masks to playing Star Wars on the pBone, whilst the Stratton Community Art Project was literally ‘buzzing’ with everyone making their bees.”
To tie in with the arts celebrations, the school also recently held its first Art and Photography Exhibition, since before the pandemic. The school welcomed Year 11 and 13 students, along with family and friends, to showcase their achievements during their time at the school.
Cate Lawson continued: “We are grateful to our Art and Photography teachers Owen Price, Stacey Gregory and Kate Cash for their tireless efforts with the students and also for giving them this opportunity to demonstrate their work.
“The high level and range of outstanding work was commented on by all who visited the exhibition, including professional artist Sarah Graham, who will be working with our new Year 11 students in September and Biggleswade Mayor and Councillor, Grant Fage.
“The event was a great success with students work remaining on display in Stratton’s dramatic Exhibition Hall to inspire others. We would also like to congratulate Phillip Samson in Year 13 who was the winner of our People’s Choice award for his fantastic artwork.”
Roz Hodges, Principal at Stratton Upper School, who will be retiring at the end of the school year, thanked her colleagues for making the event such a special occasion: “After two long years, it has been an absolute pleasure to bring back our beloved StratFest. I would like to extend my gratitude to our staff, students and the local community for all their efforts in making this event a success, from organising the activities and decorations to working hard to ensure everyone had a brilliant time.
“The excitement and enjoyment of the day was a truly memorable experience for myself and our students – the event encapsulated everything I love about the school, and whilst I will sorely miss working here, it truly was a fitting end to my time at the school and couldn’t be prouder for what we have achieved together over the years.”
Sam Farmer has been appointed as the new Principal at Stratton Upper School who will be taking over from Roz Hodges in September 2022.