North Balga Year 5 students displayed their multicultural backgrounds last week by performing traditional music, dance and drama for Year 5 students who attend the all-boy college in Swanbourne.
Balga principal Grant Kennedy said the performance was part of a working relationships the schools have formed to enrich students’ learning experiences and encourage new friendships.
‘It’s great to see the students interact with one another,’ he said.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW‘The Scotch College boys are able to experience the multicultural aspect of our school.
‘Of the 240 students who attend North Balga, 49 per cent speak English as their second language with 39 different languages spoken.’
College community and service director Bill Cordner initiated the relationship to broaden his students’ life experiences.
‘It’s about introducing the boys to a diverse group of people, a very different group to the one that the boys would normally meet,’ he said.
‘It’s all about demonstrating to our boys that NBPS kids are very similar in many ways in terms of likes and dislikes and what they aspire to ” they want to be doctors and lawyers as much as our boys do.’
North Balga student Devanya Strickland, who was born in New Zealand, said having the relationship with the Scotch College students encouraged her to talk about her home country.
‘We’re quite different from their school because we are very multicultural,’ she added.
Scotch student Will Lewis said he was amazed there were so many different cultures and different languages spoken at North Balga.
‘It’s great to experience those cultures represented in dance and song,’ he said.
‘It makes me want to travel to those countries.’