Creativity Day at Hope Academy: arts can inspire, educate, and unite people

“Creativity Day was reassuring proof to me that the arts can inspire, educate, and unite people no matter what differences they have or challenges they may be facing,” Katie M. Thompson

traditional dance

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day is organized every semester to provide students an opportunity to explore talents and build skills outside of the classroom. Students work on semester-long projects in any field of interest: painting, music, dance, crafts, essay writing, research, poetry, community service project, etc. The article below is written by a URF volunteer, Katie Thompson from USA.

“Hope Integrated Academy October 2, 2010 Excitement filled the air as students, parents, and honored guests arrived to Hope Integrated Academy the morning of October 2, 2010 for Creativity Day, an artistic show case for Hope students to present their talents in music, dance & drama, as well as painting, bead making, poetry & composition writing.

To start the day, refreshments were served in the Exhibition Room where the paintings and other crafts were displayed. The sounds of drums beating, children singing and practicing made a lovely soundtrack as proud parents smiled and admired the impressive work done by the students.

After wards, the crowd moved outside to a large tent that was built for the event and the Music, Dance and Drama section began. The school was divided into three “houses” or teams: North America, South America and Europe and each house had 7 categories to perform in that were judged by a professional judge.

painting and beads

After a compelling and joyful competition that even the rain could not stop, South America emerged victorious! The prize – a goat! Being a westerner, it was rather shocking to see a group of kids grab their “trophy” and hoist it above their heads in celebration, but even I could appreciate their hard work and pride.

Many of the students said their favorite part of the show was the “traditional dance” section, and as a audience member I would have to agree. Their costumes were vibrant as they danced with all out intensity, and as I watched I was overcome with gratitude to be witnessing this special piece of Ugandan culture and tradition. Strange as it may be, a line from one of my favorite Miley Cyrus songs came to mind, “Everybody needs inspiration. Everybody needs a song…”

Creativity Day was reassuring proof to me that the arts can inspire, educate, and unite people no matter what differences they have or challenges they may be facing. Looking out over the smiling crowd, I felt honored to be a small part of this talented and loving community. Overall, it was a fantastic day and one that I will keep in my heart for years to come.”

the choir

traditional healer play

parents

student acting