Yes, that's right! Mayor Ali Jarman came to visit The Hub Support School at Reece High School last Wednesday to check out what happens in a Drum Collective Health Beat session. I have to say ... we had ourselves loads of fun! For Mayor Ali she was back visiting her old high school!
We were all very excited to meet Mayor Ali at front reception. The students and Petrina (epic teacher!) guided Mayor Ali down into the safe space known as The Hub. Can I just say right here that the students were .... AHHHHHMAZING! Introducing themselves conversation began and we were off and running!
As is usual practice, each week we begin by warming up and jumping into some fun games. Mayor Ali didn't hesitate to join us. The students, Petrina and I were thrilled! I heard the usual from Mayor Ali which was 'I can't play' .... the most wonderful thing about the hand drum is that you do not need any experience at all. Mayor Ali soon learnt that this was indeed the case.
We enjoyed the games that we played together, and we created some two part harmonies. I absolutely loved witnessing the smiles on the faces around our circle. I was able to explain to Mayor Ali the topics that we had covered throughout the 10 weeks ranging from healthy relationships, identity, character, peer pressure, teamwork and resilience, to name but a few.
Mayor Ali provided some words of wisdom .... BE LIKE A GOLDFISH! Now, who out there has watched Ted Lasso? It was a nil, zero, zilch from all of us, BUT I am definitely tuning in now. We were all curious. Mayor Ali explained that goldfish have a 10 second memory. So the message here is to move on from mistakes rather than lingering on them. The students really liked this. Ella jumped up and wrote it on the board for us all. Thanks for the message Mayor Ali, it was golden (see what I did there?!).
Petrina was able to show Mayor Ali around The HUB and explain how important this safe space is for the students who attend there. As soon as you step into The HUB you identify that what has been created by Petrina here is in fact very special, and most definitely required. Petrina leads with kindness and compassion and this is clearly demonstrated with every student who occupies the space. The students have ownership of their patch. It's usually a quiet space (except when we are drumming of course!), a space where students get to be. I really like it.
I am sending out a super large THANK YOU to Mayor Ali for being so generous with her time. The students had invited Mayor Ali to our 'Sharing Rhythms' event where, this Wednesday, they get to show some special VIP guests just what they have been up to. We are all excited! As Mayor Ali is hosting the Local Government of Tasmania conference right here in Devonport (it's the first time the conference has ever been held outside of Launceston or Hobart so it's a big deal) she was not able to attend so decided to stop by a week early.
One of the random highlights was Mayor Ali and Petrina doing a little tap dance routine, as they were dance partners not too long ago! Yes, they still have it! Tom (principal), myself and students were totally impressed. So if you see Mayor Ali or Petrina out and about ask them to show you. They were extremely polished!
Yours in Harmony
Jodhi Gough
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