A group of year 13 students from Rye Studio School accompanied by principal Jo Townshend and some of her staff have recently returned from a study tour to New York which included discussing retail business models at Macy’s department store, exploring art in the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, and attending a theatre workshop on Broadway. At the same time exchange visits to partner schools in Denmark and France have expanded the school’s other international connections.
Students recently welcomed back conductor Alisdair Kitchen and Icelandic soprano Rannveig Karadottir (who appeared in La Traviata in last year’s Rye Arts Festival) to put on a performance of Act One of Puccini’s La Bohème. This involved many different aspects of the curriculum – production arts, creative media, textiles, graphics, music, business, computer technology, maths, English and photography – and demonstrated the wide range of academic qualifications and experience being pursued by the students.
“Embracing opportunity is the key to the whole enterprise,” said Townshend. “Through meeting inspirational achievers, such as Garth Crooks OBE, the retired professional footballer, they are inspired to meet and overcome personal obstacles and career challenges.” She added: “Through successful work placement schemes with employers both local and further afield – such as Pinewood Studios and internships with the Brighton Festival – they gain vital employment and life skills.”
Ann Cockerham, executive principal of the Rye Academy Trust which includes the school, said: “As our studio school grows in popularity, places for 2015-16 are becoming sought after. If you know anyone who is thinking of applying for a place for next year, encourage them to do so as soon as possible.” More information is available here.
