On June 18 was the last day of class Course 2007/2008 for the students at the IES La Dehesilla. This day teachers and students organized activities to present the work done throughout the year. It is a good way to finish the course!
|
On May 15th our ninth graders in Palokka had a special day. All students came to school dressed up, wearing evening dresses and suits. In the morning they had lectures on etiquette at a formal dinner party. This was followed by a prom where the ninth graders danced a few formal dances. In the afternoon the students were taken to a restaurant called Hoivakka in which formal lunch took place.
This event has been in our programme for years, and it has achieved a huge success among our students. We hope to continue the festivity for many years to come!
|
Band Happening offered an opportunity to perform
Palokka High School’s and Palokka Junior High’s common Band Happening has been organised twice before. It seems that the happening has now established its place as the students’ favourite since the number of artists willing to perform was now record-breaking. Due to that the event had to be divided into two parts: the morning and the afternoon concerts. Altogether the length of the two concerts was some four hours: twice more than in the two previous years. But that didn’t seem to bother neither the performers nor the audience. The happening was held on Thursday the 9th November and it was organised by the student bodies of both schools.
Heavy morning
The long waited fun begun at 9.30 am in the school’s sports hall. The organisers were prepared for heavy music: earplugs were given to the audience at the front doors. The first ones to conquer the platform were bands called Deafen and Läppävara. Both bands played heavy metal and consisted of Junior High pupils.
Mustat munkit (probably Black Doughnuts in English) had probably one of the most peculiar band names in the happening. The band members Jan-Peter ”Janski” Gustafsson (7th grade), Mårten Gustafsson, Antti Jörgensen and Teemu Rauhala (all three from the High School) thought their performance was fine.
“I was a bit excited first but that was soon over”, said Janski to whom this was the first appearance to big audience.
“This one was a basic heavy piece”, told Teemu about the piece they played, The King.
“Heavyrock is a sort of music that everybody wants to play and everybody wants to listen to”, Mårten gave reasons for the choice of their genre.
The boys praised the band happening volubly.
“Everyone who wants gets an opportunity to perform”, commended Antti.
Before lunch time several more bands performed, such as Suojatie (Zebra Crossing in English) with some gospel music, a punk rock band Home Junior and The Ballet Orchestra, which presented funk music.
It was now time for the last band of the heavier morning concert. The band had quite a strange name: MC Röökikyttä & Palokan Peltonatsit (a free translation: MC Smoking Cop & Palokka’s Field Nazis). Their soloist, a surprise performer, history teacher Kai Harinen, captivated the audience with a heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s piece The Evil That Men Do.
Afternoon with soloists and music groups
After a break of an hour and a half the performers and the audience assembled in the hall again. There was about to be shows of the school’s music groups and solo singers.
The first performers were from the 8th grade: two music groups and a pupils’ band. After their performances it was time for solo singers from the Junior High: Sara and Merita with a piece called Wonderwall, Naomi Mwanakayaya with JoJo’s Leave – Get Out, Laura Koivuranta and Lotta Akselin with their own pieces and Milla Pienimäki with Everytime We Touch. Several lighters were lighted and waved in the air during these emotional shows. Lastly Sini Kautto played music from the Pearl Harbor Soundtrack by piano.
Next a group from the High School’s first music course performed Coldplay’s The Hardest Part, a tall boy with a deep voice, Tommi Tihtarinen, as their soloist. The last performers of the Band Happening were the school’s choir, which sang a song called Jäätelöauto (Ice-cream Van), and a High School student Nora Vikki with a piece called Desperado.
Palokka High School’s and Junior High’s Band Happening 2006 was a great experience for many students to show their skills, being members of bands as well as solo singers. Who knows, maybe some of these young artists will become pop stars in the future?
Juho Takkunen
The writer is a first year student in Palokka High School.
|
