Tarves Scots Night 2008

Once again the boys and girls from Primaries 4-7 put together a show which they could be rightly proud of. Everyone was involved and had their say in what made the show the success that it was.
This Scots Night demonstrated that the hard work throughout the year paid off dividends when such an evening was put on.
The Scottish Country Dancing lessons that were taken by Mr Jim Stott and Mrs Rachel Discombe and their attention to detail, ensured that the children taking part had a real sense of pride in what they had learned and achieved. To have girls dancing to a high standard was an achievement in itself, but to have a mixed team of boys and girls striving to be the best in the North East was quite an achievement and it showed at the school’s Scots Night.
Then you had those children who had taken up an instrument and practised for many hours at home to develop their interest into a hobby or even a potential profession in the future. We were able to sit back and marvel at their efforts and their hard work and dedication. Add to this some natural ability and these pupils had already begun to reap the rewards for their efforts.
In an evening that had a variety of different performances, there were those children who took to the stage to act in sketches and plays. Their confidence had been built up in class by being able to give talks and demonstrations and they had learned how to act and appear in front of an audience. This led them to develop the ability to recite poetry and to inject their personality or humour into their performances that gave them a unique quality, loved by the audience.
To be able to identify potential talent is a complex process, yet Tarves School prides itself on being able to expose the children to a range of experiences when putting on an evening or show. The teacher’s task is not an easy one, as they guide the children to use the skills that they have developed throughout their time at school.
They cannot all be good singers, dancers or musicians, but a Scots Night brings into play the importance of working as a team. This allowed the children to be involved in designing the tickets for the event as well as the posters and programmes. It brought all the teachers together to utilise their talents and to work hand-in-hand with classroom assistants, visiting specialists and parents.
The parents’ involvement in everything that has been done continues to be crucial to a successful school and community. They have a large part to play to support their ’stars’ by giving them encouragement and help when it is needed. They support the school by being involved in the PTA and giving their time to bake and help out in any way they can at events that the school or they as part of the school community organise.
An evening such as a Scots Night is not just an end of term event. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by everyone. For some children that effort came naturally, for others it was more difficult, but their sense of achievement was there for everyone to see at the school’s Scots Night.
What are the benefits of having an annual Scots Night? They are central to everything done at Tarves School and shows the great pride in the community, an understanding of their proud Scottish heritage, an opportunity for the children to show their talents and feel valued.
For their parents, relatives and community it was an opportunity to see their children’s education at its best. As the curtain came down on yet another show, no one was left in doubt that it had been another resounding success. Everyone had been treated to unforgettable moments this year that would be talked about for many years to come.