Jump Jam tutor Nicola Spence with the Year 7-8 performers of the ‘Magik 2.0’ routine. They are Anja Kuhn, Eden Rumble, Grace O’Flynn, Hannah Ashwell, Lucy McMonagle, Nellie Muckle, Holly Ryan-Gaylor, Ava Eriksen, Lara Donaldson, and Sophia Donaldson. Photo: supplied
Pirongia School is enjoying a rocking run of success across its arts sphere.
Nicola Spence with the ‘Freak’ routine performers from Year 5-7. They are Arabella Hasse, Iona McLeod, Iris Beattie, Maci Thomas, McKenna Smith, Zoey Blake, Hana-Kahlea Hohepa-Te-Huia, Mia Taukiri, Sophie Roxburgh and Keirra Woodward. Photo: supplied
Two of their Jump Jam teams scooped the top prize in their categories in last month’s regional competition, and as a result, the school will now enter a composite team in next month’s nationals.
On top of that, a lead singer in a band in the recent Waikato Band Slam – Nellie Muckle – was named the top female vocalist of the night. Nellie also performed with one of the Jump Jam teams.
“We’re absolutely thrilled… it’s great news for the school,” principal Kelly Bicknell said. “The arts are truly alive and thriving here.”
Pirongia School’s Nellie Muckle won best female vocalist in the recent Waikato Band Slam. Photo: supplied
The students were steered to their Jump Jam success by one of the school’s teachers and ‘jump jam coach’, Nicola Spence. While she has led teams through jump jam before at her previous school, it’s new for Pirongia and seems to have taken off like wildfire.
The school put in two teams – the blue-shirted Pirongia Pulse Team, performing ‘Freaks’, and the orange-topped Pirongia Bewitching Team, performing ‘Magik 2.0’.
‘Freaks’ was entered in the Strictly Freshman Year 5-7 category, and ‘Magik 2.0’ in the Year 7-8/Open category.
Each team won their category, so the school was invited to put a combination team into the Open category of the Jump Jam Nationals, to be held in Hamilton on November 9. That combination team has been dubbed Bewitching Pirongia.
The students’ tickled pink coach, who reckons she can’t dance a step herself, is massively proud of her charges.
“We’re all thrilled,” she said. “The students have shown amazing energy throughout… keen to enter and happy to train every lunchtime for most of this year. The whole jump jam movement is gaining momentum here. More and more students want to give it a try.”
