Arts Spectacular 2026: Creativity, Courage and Hard Work on Show

Arts Spectacular 2026 brought together students, families, staff and friends of Catherine McAuley College Bendigo to celebrate the works of our young artists and performers. The evening showcased a wide range of artwork, performances and creative projects, reflecting the talent, effort and commitment of our students under the direction of our passionate staff.

A special thank you to our Year 10 Hospitality students for preparing refreshments for guests, which were well received.

The evening also marked the launch of the Hector Miller Memorial Creative Industries Prize. Hector was a highly respected teacher whose passion for creativity, innovation, and learning had a lasting impact on many students. The new annual award will recognise a Year 10 student who demonstrates creativity, initiative and dedication in the creative industries. This award will be further promoted within the College in the coming week, with Arts staff encouraging all our creative students to apply.

The visual arts exhibition featured works from students in Years 7 to 11, while our Winter Concert featured performances from some of our co-curricular Instrumental Music students as well as our Junior and Senior Concert Bands and other ensembles. This was the perfect opportunity for our Junior and Senior Bands to prepare for their competition at the Victorian Music Schools Festival the following week.

Thank you to all students, staff, families and community partners who continue to support the arts at Catherine McAuley College Bendigo. Congratulations to every student who shared their work and helped make the evening a success.

We look forward to 2027 and already have plans for ways to improve the event so that more students may contribute. We hope to include outstanding work from our growing range of arts opportunities at the College, including Year 9 Introduction to Creative Industries, the Year 9 Arts Development Program, Year 9 Dance, and VCE VET Visual Arts pathways.

Please look out for information related to the CMCB annual Music Camp in December.

Awards and Prizes
We also acknowledged the College's key arts awards, including the Musician of the Year (27 August), the JRS Award, and the College Art Acquisition Prize, which recognises exceptional work by graduating students. These later awards will be presented at the College Laureate assembly early in 2027.

Thank you to the following staff – Mrs Nicole Villani (Arts and Technology Technician), Mrs Kaye Crapper, Mr Noah Rawlings, Ms Deb Ross and Ms Penny Ingwersen.