One of Verdala International School’s great strengths is that each child is treated as an individual and encouraged to grow and discover their many talents.

This was shown in abundance at the 2011 Arts Festival held recently. Students of different ages and nationalities came together to produce a wonderful evening of art, music, song and dance.

Myths, superstitions and legends were brought back to life as more than 250 guests made their way through the old drawbridge at Fort Pembroke, transformed with hanging sculptures, glittering plants and deep sea creatures.

Guests were then greeted with a walkway of living statues featuring mythical beasts. The collaborative nature of this festival was made clear with each statue being created by pairs and trios of different student grades. A colourful procession then guided guests to the central stage.

Teamwork continued to play a central role throughout the evening.

Older grades partnered the younger children to act out scenes and stories from a variety of myths such as Beowolf, the legend of King Arthur and Pandora’s Box. An acrobatic display from middle school was inspired by superstitions about ladders, and students from elementary broke free from their puppet masters. A dance by Kindergarten and Grade 11 inspired by rainbows ended with a box of matching balloons being released, delighting all onlookers.

From the old battlements came the banging of hand-made drums and the strong performances were wrapped up with a grand finale delivered with gusto by all students. But the evening wasn’t over yet. Guests were then invited to take part in decoding math myths and science busters in various classrooms, whilethe computer labs became the Oracle of Delphi where guests could discover what they had in common with famous personalities such as Shakespeare, Einstein and Lady Gaga.

At the end of the event guests left inspired by the enthusiasm and creative output displayed by students and staff.