A video of St Philip's Christian College Waratah students singing When You Believe has gone viral, which principal Pam O'Dea attributes to it telling "the story of COVID" and spreading hope.
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The school's video of 110 students singing the song from the film The Prince of Egypt has been viewed more than 30,000 times, received more than 170 comments and been shared more than 330 times.
"People are looking for hope and something positive after the year we've had at Christmas time and I think it brings that to people," Mrs O'Dea said.
"When you see young people singing with their heart and expressing that hope, I think it inspires people."
COVID-19 restrictions created challenges for the school's choir, led by director Lindy Connett.
Wanting to create an item for the school's six end-of-year presentation ceremonies, the school engaged audio engineer Luke O'Dea to record each of the 110 students singing.
They recorded their parts at individual microphones in groups of five at a time.
Videographer Caleb Smith then filmed the students singing, while socially distanced, in settings across the school and soloists Monique Walker and Noah Wooding at the beach.
"I feel like it is the story of COVID," Mrs O'Dea said. "It's really captured this, it's a song but it's a story as well... I look around those students and I know different ones individually have had such a challenging year and to see them singing and smiling, it moved me to tears.
"It's been a year where everything has seemed so difficult but with hope and with belief, the waters can part and we walk through to a wonderful future."