20/06/2024
A tradition of the St. Mary's staff, back in the day, was to put on a performance for the students at Christmas time.
The timetable would be collapsed for exams, and in every nook and cranny of this school building you would find groups of staff practicing a dance routine. Some took it very seriously, and the competition to be the best was great, in fact too much for some!!
Performance day was a hive of activity and anticipation, the students never knew quite what they were going to get!! We had The Blues Brothers, The Spice Girls, Sonny and Cher, Nuns singing Tina Turner.... the list goes on.
It was the best day of the school year, without a doubt!
In 2009 Peter Kay released (Is this the way to) Amarillo as a fundraising campaign for Comic Relief and raised millions.
This gave Mrs Kearney an idea! Our school show should go digital!! The filming was done in secret afterschool and with the help of Mr Tim Brown, (Mrs Brown's husband) who did all the editing, we brought the Amarillo to our students!
Unlike Peter Kay this was kept solely for the entertainment of our students at the time (and under lock and key until now!!). They loved it!!
Many of the staff are now enjoying their well earned retirement, while a few are still working in St. Mary's (and some up in St. Patrick's) as well as other schools! We had so much fun filming and taking part in this.
How these members of staff didn't find fame and fortune is anyone's guess!
We remember in particular Ms Carson, who appeared as a 'Pink Lady' in the video. She was always so full of fun and enthusiasm for any activity, especially if it meant the students would get enjoyment from it. We remember her dearly.
We hope you enjoy it as must as we do.
Who can you recognise!?
Follow the link to our school website to watch the video!
https://www.stmarysdownpatrick.org.uk/news/st-marys-and--is-this-the-way-to-amarillo-/
