Islington Tribune - News: Voice power clinches Africa trip

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 14 March 2008

Winners Jean-luc Chishugi, Olasemo Abiola, David John, Gabriel Ajayi and Chom Duang-Arop

Voice power clinches Africa trip

Students will fly out to Botswana after heart-felt performance thrills judges

PUPILS from an Archway boys’ school will be heading for Botswana this summer after winning the finals of a London-wide competition.
The five Year 10 pupils from St Aloysius College took part in the Power in the Voice contest at the Criterion Theatre in the West End.
They fought off fierce competition from 14 teams, representing nine London schools. The boys won in the end with a poem about modern fatherhood. Each of the pupils read out part of the poem, which they worked on with poet Joelle Taylor.
Other Islington schools fared well, with teams from Highbury Grove finishing fourth and sixth.
The winning St Aloysius team will travel to Botswana in August to compete against teams from the host country, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
St Aloysius teacher Fazila Sogojeva, who co-ordinated the Hornsey Lane school’s involvement in the competition, said: “It was something from their hearts… that’s what I’m so proud about because I know how much it means to them.”
The British Council-run Power in the Voice project aims to encourage young people to express themselves through oral performance traditions. Performance artists, rap stars and storytellers work with schools and youth groups throughout the UK and southern Africa.
St Aloysius deputy head Danny Coyle praised the winning students. “We are overjoyed that the creative arts are now establishing themselves with the same profile as maths, English and science,” he said.
“Winning the competition is a great achievement for the boys involved and I know they are really excited about the trip to Botswana later this year.”
Lib Dem executive member for children and young people Councillor Ursula Woolley said: “This is the latest in a series of good news stories for St Aloysius and the borough as a whole.
“The school came top of Islington’s last set of GCSE results and it has recently been awarded specialist maths and computing status. Everyone who worked on the project from St Aloysius and Highbury Grove – particularly the five boys who won – should feel very proud. I wish them the best of luck in the final.”

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