Young performers from two schools in Horsham triumph in competition

Two Horsham schools took first and third place in a performing arts competition held at The Hawth in Crawley on Monday January 29 and Tuesday January 30.
Tanbridge House came third in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151105001Tanbridge House came third in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151105001
Tanbridge House came third in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151105001

Tanbridge House came third on day one of the Be Your Best Rock Challenge® event for their ‘Behind The Bookcase’ performance, while Millais School’s ‘The Girl in the Yellow Dress’ production scooped first place on the second day.

Vice chair of West Sussex County Council, Mr Roger Oakley, presented the first place prize to the Millais girls.

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He said: “I’m not often lost for words but tonight I was! It was absolutely outstanding.

Millais came first in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151054001Millais came first in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151054001
Millais came first in the Rock Challenge SUS-180602-151054001

“The effort, the emotion, the motivation that is obviously there, it was passed from the performers to the audience, it was absolutely brilliant!”

Eight schools from across East and West Sussex competed in front of a large audience of sponsors, local authority figures and invited special guests.

The event was supported by West Sussex County Council & WSCC Think Family, Stage Coach, Ansvar Insurance, Sussex Police, Anti-Bullying Works and Securigroup.

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Head of Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help at West Sussex County Council, Hayley Connor, who presented an award said: “It was inspiring to see the commitment, creativity and joy of the young people on stage, I loved it!”

Tanbridge House’s performance centred around Anne Frank who lived behind a bookcase in fear of being murdered for her religion at a time when six million people were barbarically killed under Hitler’s discriminatory regime.

In a world of forced entertainment and amusement of the disfigured, the Millais girls explored the tale of an unlikely heroine, ‘the girl in the yellow dress’ while giving the audience a glimpse into a ‘Victorian freak show’.

The Rock Challenge® was introduced to the UK in 1996 with the aim to help young people enjoy school and live pro-active and positive lifestyles free of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

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It is universally inclusive with secondary schools, colleges, academies, schools catering for students with special needs and independent schools from all backgrounds taking part.

Due to its popularity, a junior version called J Rock was also introduced for young people aged 7-11. Visit www.rockchallenge.co.uk