Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday, 7 May, I attended the opening of the performing arts centre at Wanneroo Senior High School. I would like to congratulate the principal, the staff and the school community for pushing that project through to success. Whilst there, we heard from the band and the choir of Wanneroo Senior High School. The skill and the standard of the band and choir is a testament to the performing arts program that has been revived in recent years by the principal. That was done in anticipation of this new performing arts centre. The performing arts program involves drama, dance and music programs. The performing arts centre itself, which has just recently been constructed, includes a dance studio, music rooms and recording studios. The heads of the choir department, Sheila Randall and John McPherson, did very well on the day. The head of the arts department is John Foreman and the head of the dance department is Kellie Thompson. They are all doing a fabulous job at Wanneroo Senior High School.

I have been informed that Lauren Tarver, who is in year 11, is currently short listed in the national competition for songwriting and is working on a songwriting project. Again, that just goes to show the strength of the performing arts program at Wanneroo Senior High. John McPherson was telling me on the day that the choir has been performing at the local shopping centre and will perform at a big competition at Burswood in the month ahead. I wish them all the best for that event. Apart from the performing arts, the Wanneroo Senior High School also has a very strong Australian Rules football program, which has been running for four years very successfully. They are a dominant force in Australian Rules football in the northern suburbs. Justin Burt is the head of that program and they are doing very well there.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Pauline White, the principal of Wanneroo Senior High School, for her leadership, and Ros Ford and Grant Brown and all of the staff at Wanneroo Senior High for the direction that they are taking the school in. I believe it is a very positive direction and the positive influence of Wanneroo Senior High and the students from Wanneroo Senior High will be a great asset in the years ahead for the Wanneroo district.