Pittwater High School student wows BTS at School Spectacular
Report by Alyssa Terese and Duyen Nguyen, photos supplied
December 12, 2025
Over the weekend of Friday, 28 and Saturday, 29 November, a whopping 6,000 public school students dazzled tens of thousands of people at the world’s largest amateur variety show, School Spectacular at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
Showtime saw hundreds of students put on amazing dance numbers, singing performances and acrobatic feats.
Working off stage and behind the scenes were over 150 vocational education and training (VET) students who managed camera operations, audio engineering, lighting, production, styling and costumes, event and stage management and operated the Tiny Café.
Among the students was George from Pittwater High School who is studying a Certificate III in Live Production and Technical Services and worked as a comms specialist at this year's School Spectacular.
George said:
“My role in School Spectacular was to maintain the comms network, which lets everyone in the everyone in the arena communicate and keep the show running on time.
“I really enjoyed meeting people and learning, which I wouldn't get if I was just emailing people or calling them.
“I want to be in live production, work in arenas, stadiums and tours and really explore my options.
“It is an amazing place to learn so much. I'm doing comms, but I've learned about vision, lighting, audio, and all other aspects that make up School Spectacular.
“The experience can really further your education and jobs and development.”
George (right) with his classmate Matthew (left).
The console George was working on
The Years 11 and 12 VET students travelled from across NSW and were supported by VET teachers and industry mentors so they could invaluable career development and training experiences.
Public school students are gaining real-world experience at SpecFest, the outdoor entertainment festival held alongside Schools Spectacular and almost entirely run by VET learners.
More Local Talent
George wasn't the only local student involved. The group of 36 featured vocalists, six featured instrumentalists, nine backing vocalists and two SpecArena Co-Hosts who took to the stage at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, included Felix from Pittwater High School as a Backing Vocalist, Galileo from Davidson High School as a Featured Instrumentalist (Bass), Remington from Northern Beaches Secondary College at the Cromer Campus as a Featured Vocalist and Teagan from the Northern Beaches Secondary College at the Mackellar Girls Campus as a Featured Vocalist.
BTS of rehearsals
Dazzling pyrotechnics, circus acts and costumes by Academy Award–winning designer Tim Chappel were some of the highlights of the 42nd Schools Spectacular.
Known to be the world’s largest amateur variety show, the Schools Spectacular arena show featured more than 5,500 Kindergarten to Year 12 students from almost 400 schools.
They travelled up to 800 kilometres to come together over four spectacular performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Wangal land.
Marking an impressive six years each with Schools Spectacular, featured vocalists Isabella Laga’ai from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts; and Jazmin Castle from Wagga Wagga High School combined with featured dancer Abigail Flaherty from Elizabeth Macarthur High School,to showcase their ongoing commitment and passion to the annual variety show.
Songs in ‘Remarkable’ included a wide range of genres from Steve’s Lava Chicken from A Minecraft Movie to We're in the Money from the Broadway Musical 42nd Street, Jai Ho from the 2008 hit movie Slumdog Millionaire, Blackbird by The Beatles and Defying Gravity from Wicked the Musical.
Just outside Qudos Bank Arena, the entertainment and activity hub, SpecFest, witnessed a flashmob of more than 500 students dance to Isabella Laga’aia’s original song ‘Remarkable', a track she wrote, composed and performed for this special occasion.
Also on offer were performances by the NSW Public Schools Millennium Marching Band, and solo and ensemble performances; Film By SpecFest viewings in the SpecFest gallery, and rural and remote band competition Surround Sound.
It was an exciting year for the Burton family with Year 5, St Ives North Public School student Xavier Burton, son of Human Nature band member Phil Burton, making his Schools Spectacular debut in the 1146-member Moving Choir.
Known originally as ‘4 Trax’, Human Nature started their careers in the Schools Spectacular in the early 90s. Years before he joined the musical foursome, Phil set the stage for the very first ‘Spec’ with his primary school choir in 1983, making this a full-circle moment.
“Being part of the show does teach you a lot about the discipline of being part of a show … backing off and being quiet and letting other people have their turn when it’s their go … (but) when it’s your moment, it is your moment to shine, so grab it,” Phil said.
Spectacularly original
Original music was another key component of the 2025 production with Triple J Unearthed Indigenous Artist of the Year and Gomeroi featured vocalist Kyla-Belle Roberts from Moree Secondary College performing her song ‘Scars’ for the first time with backing vocals and an orchestral accompaniment.
The 16-year-old expressed her pride in performing her song at Schools Spectacular sharing that it was “more than she could have ever expected and more”.
The arena show’s closing number ‘Remarkable’ was written and composed by featured vocalist and Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School Year 12 graduate Ocean Lim.
The song was performed by all 5,500 students. Ocean is no stranger to creating music for the show, performing another original ‘Follow your Dreams’ at the 2023 show and for King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their visit to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt in October 2024.
As mentioned above, Isabella Laga’aia’s original song 'Remarkable', was a feature at SpecFest, but it also served as the soundtrack to the arena show’s opening video.
Schools Spectacular Creative Director Sonja Sjolander said this year’s show was focused on student voice more than ever before.
“The 2025 show theme ‘Remarkable’ explored what it means to stand out, speak up, and shine – a fitting motif for the trailblazing students who led the show,” she said.
“Whether it’s a heartfelt solo, a dazzling instrumental, or a choreographed group number, these students blow you away”.
Group photo of all the VET students working in production this year
The 2025 Schools Spectacular was proudly supported by sponsors: Telstra, the NSW Teachers Federation, School Bytes, Smart, Teachers Health, Supporters: Woolworths, Hertz and Steinway Australia and Event Partners: Qudos Bank Arena, Seven Network, Gravity Media and Ticketek.
SpecFest 2025 was proudly supported by the NSW Teachers Federation, ACCO Brands Australia, Teachers Health, A Start in Life, AlphaTheta / Jands, ASI Solutions, Back to the Future: The Musical, Big Red Group, Booktopia, BounceInc, Cancer Council NSW, Eclipse Lighting and Sound, GIANTS Netball, Global Dance Tours, Golf Cart World, GSP Print/JC Decaux, Hertz, Life Education NSW, Monster Skatepark, NRL, NSW Swifts, Office for Youth, Office of Sport - Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia (NSW), Pan Macmillan Australia, Seven Network, Smart, Spriggy, Spriggy Schools, TeenBreathe, Telstra, Tennis Australia, The School Magazine, Sydney Conservatorium, Taronga Zoo, Unison Designs, URBNSURF and Woolworths.
Surround Sound 2025 was proudly supported by Eclipse Lighting and Sound and Turramurra Music.
Remarkable - SpecFest 2025 Flash Mob