NET Scheme News 2024 Summer issue 46

The five amazing students from Canossa Primary school (San Po Kong) have experienced a remarkable transformation through their involvement in the art of puppetry. As they honed their puppetry skills acquired from the past year, they found themselves gaining confidence in expressing emotions through their speech and movements. This newfound confidence extended beyond their performances, positively impacting their interactions with their peers.They discovered that personal development can be an enjoyable and fulfilling journey, as they embraced the challenge of conveying complex emotions through their puppets.Through this process, they not only learned the art of puppetry but also developed crucial life skills, fostering a sense of empowerment and self-assuredness that will undoubtedly benefit them in their future education. Alex Buckley, NET, Canossa Primary School (San Po Kong) The Story to Stage Puppetry Competition provides students with valuable opportunities for creative expression and skill development. Students enhance their problem-solving, fine motor, and artistic abilities by designing, constructing, and manipulating puppets. The performance aspect of the competition also boosts students’ public speaking skills, showmanship, and confidence. Students learn to collaborate, communicate, and divide responsibilities effectively in teams.The competition exposes students to diverse puppetry styles and techniques, broadening their artistic horizons. The thrill of the competition motivates students to push their limits and take pride in their achievements.The puppetry competition offers a fun and enriching way for students to explore their creativity and teamwork, build puppetry skills, and develop important personal qualities. Mary Ligo, NET, Shak Chung Shan Memorial Catholic Primary School Puppetry has been a cherished part of our school’s extra-curricular activities for many years. We are fortunate to have all the necessary materials to create puppets and backdrops, along with a school-owned tent that allows our puppeteers to practise and perform throughout the year. Additionally, we have two special teams, each consisting of five students, who don’t compete but delight audiences at school events and local kindergartens. Our puppetry team was thrilled to perform live at this year’s Story to Stage Puppetry Competition.They marvelled at the positive-themed stories presented in imaginative ways and styles. The best part, according to the team, was working together, and they eagerly anticipate sharing a new story with a different theme next year. Veronica Naw-Sar-Htoo-Waa, NET, S.K.H.Wing Chun Primary School Creating a convivial atmosphere in which students feel comfortable and free to generate and expand upon ideas are of paramount importance to producing an intriguing, humourous and highly relatable script. Making constant references in future gatherings to students’ own ideas and anecdotes not only inculcates them to attend these gatherings with freedom and enthusiasm, but also gives them a sense of pride in their work and boosts their confidence in using English. All their ideas are written down, spread out and added to during every puppetry gathering, creating a vast mural of their work. The benefits are mindblowing! The teacher’s role is merely as a conductor - albeit a highly skilled, extremely proficient and passionate one! Happy brainstorming! Justin Sellers, NET, Po Leung Kuk Chan Yat Primary School For The Salvation Army Tin Ka Ping’s Puppetry Team, taking part in this year’s Story to Stage Puppetry Competition was challenging yet hugely rewarding. At the very least, simply finding time to rehearse when each of our schedules aligned was a task! Yet, this came to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the process; collaborating with students we hadn’t known previously was a refreshing opportunity to meet new schoolmates and gain new perspectives. Working with five students from different classes allowed us to strengthen our weaknesses. Where one of us lacked confidence in voice projection, another had brilliant volume control. Where one of us needed to refine the entrances and exits of the puppets, another manoeuvred their puppet expertly. Learning from each other and working as a team enabled us to grow together and make the most of the valuable experience provided by the Story to Stage Puppetry Competition. Rebecca Hayward, NET, Salvation Army Tin Ka Ping School 18 NET Scheme News Issue 46 The Art of Puppetry