As one researcher noted, the goal is to help girls “boldly thrive in the face of societal pressures and perceptions.”

Across subjects and year levels, several high-impact strategies emerged. Teachers used growth-mindset practices to normalise struggle and create safe spaces for risk-taking. Many invited student voice and co-design, allowing girls to shape units of work and become active partners in their learning. Collaboration and peer learning proved particularly effective, helping students develop confidence, practise problem-solving together and value diverse approaches. The inclusion of mentoring and strong female role models further strengthened students’ sense of possibility and belonging.

The outcomes were significant. Teachers reported increased confidence, higher engagement, deeper conceptual understanding and a noticeable shift toward self-directed learning—girls becoming drivers of their own progress rather than passive recipients. Leadership skills also emerged naturally as students practised public speaking, teamwork, adaptability and social awareness.

This research affirms what we see and cultivate each day and across the learning journey at  PLC Armidale: when girls are given voice, responsibility and room to grow, from little things, big things truly do grow. 

Signature Summer Fair

We look forward to hosting our PLC Armidale families and friends at the upcoming Whole School Signature Summer Fair on Saturday, 29 November. With stalls and participation from every year group of our College, our girls appreciate your support at what promises to be a wonderful day in our glorious Junior School gardens.

Staff News

Mrs Grace Baker (nee Welch) has been named a recipient of the New England Education Cooperative Alan Kerr Memorial Award for Early Career Service teachers. We congratulate Grace on this significant recognition.

We also congratulate Mr Matthew Minter, Director of Music, for the successful debut of his original composition 'Solidarity' for oboe, violin and strings featuring Li Ling Chen (oboe) and India Smith (violin). Matthew was also invited to conduct the Armidale Symphony Orchestra as they performed a Mozart repertoire along with Matthew's composition in a recent concert at Lazenby Hall.

Mr Aaron Creamer has indicated his intention to resign from his position at PLC Armidale, effective at the end of this year in order to take up a leadership opportunity within the Discovery Team at UNE next year. Aaron has been keen to explore leadership as the next step in his career progression and is looking forward to continued connection with the PLC Armidale community through his new role. We congratulate Aaron on his appointment to this position.

Jaime Brazier has also indicated her intention to resign from her position as House Mother within the Boarding House at the conclusion of her current period of Maternity Leave, Jaime and her family have settled in Wingham. We are thankful for Jaime's contribution to the Boarding House and wish her well for the future.

The Stage is Set: What is Guild Drama at PLCA?

By Georgina Arundale-Fuller - Year 7

Guild Drama is a solely student-led tradition held every year at PLC Armidale. Each of the four Guilds, Dixon, Hamlin, Lovell and Wilkie, produce a performance based on a given theme. This tradition involves all students from Kindergarten to Year 11. Guild Drama involves script writing, choreographing, set design, costume design, prop creation, and live music - all led and designed by the Yr 11’s. Guild Drama aligns with the school’s focus on student leadership and independence, along with a strong passion for the Creative and Performing Arts.    

Guild competitions are easy to find at PLC but none are as important or looked-forward-to as Guild Drama. It is often dubbed ‘the highlight of the year’, and brings with it a lot of excitement and suspense. Held on the final day of each year, Guild Drama is the final decider for the winner of The Guild Cup (the prize for the overall winning guild based on the highest point score accumulated from multiple guild events), therefore it brings a lot of pressure and guild spirit with it.

You might still be asking, ‘how does this all work?’ Let me break it down:                    A different theme is picked for Guild Drama each year and every guild must adhere to it as they write their scripts and design the story. In the last two weeks of term 4 (activities weeks) we learn, practice, and finalise our performances. Each student is given a role to play and must participate in the overall performance. The play is performed on the last day of term 4 and is judged by a panel of adjudicators who will mark each performance off a set marking criteria. The performances must be solely student led, making for an incredible showcase of the girl’s talents. At the conclusion of the day, the winning Guild is announced and presented with ‘The Guild Drama Cup’ (which is only based on the point score from Guild Drama). 

Overall, Guild Drama is the best day of the year, and an amazing presentation of the girls’ talent and creativity!

Guild Drama - Preparation 

By Isla Douglas - Year 7

At the start of term 3 every year Mrs Clynch, Mrs Wysel and Mrs Taylor pull out a theme out of three from a hat and present it to the school for the theme of guild drama. Year 11s lead guild drama and have to write scripts, give roles, and plan the plot of their guild guild drama play.

 At around the beginning of term 4 the guild captains will send out a form on what your talents are, and what kind of role you want. This helps them to make sure everyone is happy with their roles. In the last two weeks of term 4, (activities weeks) all the guilds meet up in periods 5&6 to plan and rehearse their play. This includes things like rehearsing lines, singing parts, instruments, and dancing as well as backstage, and learning the parts of the performance and how it will work on the actual day. This can also involve practising your lines and parts outside our school. 

The rehearsals go for 2 weeks in total. The year 11s have to work hard during preparation to make sure everyone has fun, knows their parts, and all goes well on the big day. During the preparation period, PLC students and year 11 leaders have to prepare costumes to suit their characters and roles. Costumes are easy and simple and can be done by putting together random bits of fabric and old clothes. 

Even though the preparation for Guild Drama can be tricky sometimes, and has a lot of dedication and hard work. Preparation can be one of the most fun and interesting parts of guild drama. You get to dance, sing, and act as all different kinds of amazing and unique characters while spending time with your peers. It's something that everyone looks forward to at the end of the year when your family, friends, and other guild are watching you perform. It is a highlight and memorable event that happens every year that all PLC girls will never forget.    

Guild Drama Interview with Year 11

By Millie Lundie - Year 7

Navita, Rachel, and Charlotte are all involved in this year’s Guild Drama, representing Lovell and Dixon. In this interview, I asked them some questions about Guild Drama and how they view this tradition.

The first question I asked was what makes Guild Drama fun for them. Rachel and Charlotte told us that they enjoy working with the Junior school and that it’s so fun getting to lead Guild Drama in year 11. Navita shared that while some moments can be a bit embarrassing, they often turn out hilarious and memorable, with the energy making it all worthwhile.

The next question that I asked them was what challenges have they currently been having during the preparation of Guild Drama. For Rachel and Charlotte, the pressure of living up to the ideas from previous years without copying them is a stressful point. They want their Guild Drama to be original and even better, which adds a layer of tension. Navita told us that juggling schoolwork with writing the script is tough, and time management has been a major struggle.

Despite the challenges being faced, all three of the girls are buzzing with excitement. They said that Guild drama is a huge part of the year and the best way to wrap the year up. I asked them who they think will win this year. Rachel and Charlotte’s response was that they hadn’t seen the other Guilds yet so it's hard to say, but Navita proudly backed Lovell, and said that Dixon is a strong contender if she had to pick another Guild.

The last question I asked them was how far along are they in writing the script. Lovell has one scene written and the plot thanks to Charlotte and Navita’s effort. Rachel said that Dixon has had a few meetings and the plot, and is just about to start writing their script.

By looking at how these girls view such an important tradition of PLC Armidale, Guild Drama sounds so fun, and I’m sure that everyone is getting prepared and getting very excited! 

Thank you to Navita Maher, Charlotte Coventry & Rachel Mungall for participating in this interview!

So… What do our writers think of Guild Drama?

By Xaphyn Petuha and Georgie Blake, Year 8

As part of our creative development process, We spent time interviewing several Year 11 students to better understand the themes, emotions, and experiences that connect most deeply with them. Their insights have helped shape the direction of our Guild Drama article, offering genuine perspectives that inform our storytelling and character development. Through these conversations, we uncovered a range of genuine perspectives from moments of vulnerability and resilience to expressions of identity and belonging. These opinions have become the foundation of our dramatic exploration, inspiring scenes that aim to feel true with both performers and audiences. By grounding our work in lived experience, we hope to display empathy and celebrate the power of youth expression through theatre.

Jade Foster, Year 11,  Hamlin

The hardest part about creating Guild Drama? I think the hardest part about creating Guild Drama is probably getting everyone involved in either the acting or the prop making or the band and making sure everyone is having an amazing time as fun as it possibly can be.

What's the most rewarding/satisfying part of creating Guild Drama?I love watching the script finally come together after so much hard work and hearing the different ideas and views of the other girls all have a little section in the play to make it all collaborative and awesome. 

Advice for future years? My advice would definitely be to get started really early so you have a plan for roles, music, dances and just basic things like those. Going to talk to Mrs Wysel as much as possible so you can ask her for advice and get all the props and costumes for guild drama. This is a fun event for everyone, so just try to get everyone involved with the dances and plays. Just have fun and be yourself

Previous roles you have been: In previous years I have acted as a Barbie doll and Kevin Hart from Jumanji which was last year.

Charlotte Coventry, Year 11,  Lovell

The hardest part about creating Guild Drama? I think the hardest part of designing Guild Drama would be narrowing down everyone's ideas on the scripts and plots to one single drama. Also being original and something new that hasn't been done before.

What's the most rewarding/satisfying part of creating Guild Drama? Definitely the first run through and see how long it takes and all the blocking. I love seeing all the different areas we have worked on and also seeing scenes where you need to focus on and put a little bit more work into.

Advice for future years? Time management. Keeping on top of all your school work and commitments while also writing the script. Also feedback and constructive criticism each year on guild drama. Lovell has a tradition where in a notebook guild captains write down things you would improve in hindsight or what worked really well. This is a really great tradition so read everything in it and write in it at the end as well.

Previous roles you have been: I have been backstage and it’s really great because I have stage fright so I get to be involved while not getting scared and it is the backstage magic which gets the play to happen, it is also super satisfying. Being backstage also means you can help out in all sections such as prop design or choreographing dances which is pretty cool. 

Rachel Mungall, Year 11, Dixon, 

The hardest part about creating Guild Drama? The hardest part of Guild Drama would be certainly choosing the characters that are iconic but are also original. Another hard part of writing Guild Drama is wanting to make it the best guild drama and original but not repeating ideas from past Guild Drama. 

What's the most rewarding/satisfying part of creating Guild Drama? I think the most rewarding part is once you’re leaving after the performance and being able to relax knowing it’s done, like a load taken off your shoulders. 

Advice for future years? Advice I would give to future years would be asking younger years what they liked and disliked about the previous Dramas so you can have a good idea on what to include. Remember to talk to the girls for feedback too, for example ‘what should we change about this dance?’ or ‘what lines can we add to this part of the script?’.

Previous roles you have been: Previously I have been a hacking instructor, a movie director, and a Greek philosopher. 

Isobel Carlon, Year 11, Wilkie

The hardest part about creating Guild Drama? I think the hardest part of guild drama is going under all the different categories such as live music and using the guild mascot and having a prop that grows while also relating it all to the theme.

What's the most rewarding/satisfying part of creating it? The most rewarding part is definitely watching it all come together. Seeing all the dancing, songs and all the different ideas flow.

Advice for future years? I think just to stay organised with writing the script and juggling school work. Don’t leave it to the last minute because it will soon catch up and also have the spirit to do it.

Previous roles you have been: I have been a Lost boy from Peter Pan and a Flight attendant and a Cheerleader.

Across all interviews, one theme stood out: Community. Students spoke of the joy of working together, the promotion of having a voice, and the thrill of creating something original. As some of the leaders put it, “We’re not just following a script - we’re creating something from scratch, and that’s pretty cool.” Guild Drama continues to be a foundation of our school’s creative life, helping students find their creative spark and design something truly unforgettable.

Guild Drama: An Interview with Mrs Donaldson

By: Bella Fittler, Grace Robertson and Charlotte Thomas in Year 10

Anyone who participates in the PLC culture and community knows what Guild Drama is. Every year, during activities week at the end of term 4, the Guild Leaders must present a script to their Guild that they all produce and eventually perform. It’s the last chance to gain guild points before the Guild Cup is announced at the end of the day, so if you’ve gained a pile of demerits, you should hope your acting is on point. Guild Drama has changed a lot, so we interviewed Mrs Lucy Donaldson, PLC old girl and current PLC teacher, to find out exactly how it changed. 

The first question we asked was: What was the difference between when you did your guild drama to last year’s Guild drama? Mrs Donaldson replied by saying the Guilds used to be much larger, and the junior school wasn’t involved as much. Now, anyone who watches Guild Drama will notice the little junior school girls having small roles in the plays, some speaking, others supporting and dancing. 

Next, we asked Mrs Donaldson how guild drama has changed over the years, not just specifically last year, and she replied by saying that back when she did hers, the guilds had less time to prepare, and that now it seems to be a bigger event. She also remarked that the topics used to be much broader, and that now they’re quite specific.

Thirdly, we wanted to know what Mrs Donaldson’s Guild Drama was about when she was in year 12. Mrs Donaldson said that Guild Drama was always a highlight of the year and that she didn’t remember specifically what hers was about, only that she remembered she always wanted to have a speaking role, despite disliking acting. With Mrs Donaldson not remembering exactly what her Guild Drama was, she said she was inspired to go and find out.

Our next question was more about the themes of Guild Drama than Mrs Donaldson’s own Guild Drama. We asked her: Do the performances all have a similar moral or narrative? Mrs Donaldson said she hasn’t necessarily noticed a pattern, but noticed that all Guild Dramas now have a specific quote, saying that when she did it, it was more a topic than a quote.

The energy in Guild Drama is always high, and we wanted to know if that had been a more recent thing or if Guild Drama used to be more of a low-key event, so we asked Mrs Donaldson if she felt like it had changed over the last few years. Mrs Donaldson replied that Guild Drama has always been very high energy and a highlight of the year that brings everyone together and shows Guild spirit, while being a big job for the Guild Leaders.

Finally, we asked Mrs Donaldson what Guild Drama meant to her, and she replied ‘Guild points if you won, and I think it was always exciting to lead it and see what you can do in such a small amount of time.”

Thank you to Mrs Donaldson for this interview!

By taking a look into the history of this famous tradition, we are very excited to be a part of this year’s Guild Drama. We are sure the new Year 12s will continue to bring that high energy we all know and love about Guild Drama. It will be interesting to see if the plays this year align with what we’ve gathered about the event.