Gifted Kids discover what is behind the mask

21 May 2019 09:08
Published by: Kian French

Gifted and talented children examined the gulf between appearance and reality when they spent a day making traditional African tribal masks at Greenbank Preparatory School.

The region's brightest young minds came to Greenbank in Cheadle Hulme for a special workshop designed to challenge their creative, analytical and team-working skills.

The children spent the day making their own tribal African mask using cardboard, string, saw, sand, beads and rings to create an individual persona to hide their faces.

The process allowed Greenbank's Art Teacher Gaye Chorlton and Learning Support Coordinator Philippa Artha to discuss the purpose of the mask, how they were used to identify different tribal members and their rank and scare off rivals and how some of us still wear masks today to disguise our true selves.

Molly Walker, 10, said: "They were used as identification and to scare off people."

Amity Johnson, 10, added: "I don't think we are that scary so a mask could be very useful for Molly and me."

Aarya Arthanayake concluded: "We all really enjoyed making our masks and then finding out just how important they were in some societies."

As members of North-West Gifted and Talented Association, Greenbank Preparatory School in Cheadle Hulme, holds regular workshops to engage and enthuse minds that might easily tire of the day to day curriculum.

Twice a year over 60 children from 35 schools across the region use their Saturdays to come to Greenbank to learn about topics standard primary education cannot reach.

Greenbank School Headmistress Janet Lowe said: "If not encouraged, motivated and challenged, gifted and talented children can be become frustrated and distracted in class.

"Designing and delivering this workshop allows our teachers to develop further best practice and spend a hugely enjoyable and rewarding day with the some of the region's sharpest young minds."

You may be interested in