“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things but rather their inward significance “
– Aristotle
On 16th July, The Westminster School hosted its second Annual Creative Arts Festival with the theme “Awakening Art, for a Brighter Future“ for schools across U.A.E. A team of seventeen students from middle, primary and senior school represented Modern in categories such as poetry, short story, coding, art and more.
After vigorous internal selections and the TWS committee shortlisting process, the finalists from 250+ total entries were chosen. All the finalists were determined to perfect their pitches, prepare a holistic analysis of their work, identify the various interpretations of the symbols used, understand the underlying message behind their canvas and so much more.
On the day of the competitions the aspiring students, hoping that their efforts would prove fruitful, gathered and headed to The Westminster School for the moment we all had been waiting for. After the opening ceremonies, they were guided to the waiting rooms where they anxiously awaited their turns, a multitude of topics were discussed, especially that of reading vs. sports.
When my turn came, I was asked a myriad of questions ranging from my inspiration for the poem, describing it in one word, explaining the various allusions – symbols, the correlation between society and life’s canvas, it was difficult to be put on the spot and speak under the spotlight however the entire process went without a hitch.
Then, after a short break- the results were announced and I am proud to say that our students won 14 trophies collectively with 5 being first place winners. Our students excelled in every category and their effort paid off.
Here is the list of the winners:
POETRY
- Vedanth Aggarwal 9F – Winner(Senior School)
- Ishan Chakraborty 6B – Winner(Middle School)
- Daryl Jane Bukelo 7D – 1st Runner up (Middle School)
- Gouri Krishna 5C – 1st Runner up (Junior School)
ANIMATION
- Mohnish Sai 5F – Winner ( Junior School)
- Kumjan Roy 5D – 2nd Runner up (Junior School)
- Shashank Venkatesh 8G – 2nd Runner up (Middle School)
ART
- Jiya Ghandi 5I – 1st Runner up (Junior School)
- Vanya Phulwani 7F – 1st Runner up (Middle School)
- Gauri Ragin 10B – 1st Runner up (Senior School)
- Mehak Varyani 12B – 2nd Runner up (Senior School)
CODING
- Praneshwar Eswaran 11D – Winner (Senior School) & Excellence Award
SHORT STORY
- Krishang Poojari 8J – Winner(Middle School)
- Dev Ghandi 5C – Runner up ( Junior School )
Overall, creative arts are truly Integral to our society and its foundation and the TWS competition was a great way to inspire a flame of creativity, passion, imagination, and purpose within the youth. Furthermore, it was truly amazing to meet so many aspiring artists and discuss our contrasting views on topics, classical favourites and spread the love for the creative arts as a whole.
“You can’t use up creativity; the more you use the more you have “ – Maya Angelou
– Vedanth Aggarwal (9F)
