Swiss International School (SIS) recently organised International Day Festival where parents, teachers, students and all school staff came together to celebrate the diversity and multiculturalism at the campus.
The event kicked off at 7:45am with the Parade of Nations. The fun-filled activities continued till 2:30pm. The parents had set up stalls offering their national cuisines and different items for the visitors.
An exhibition featuring cultures and traditions of 35 countries was also part of the event. The students visited the exhibition with a special passport that was stamped by the organisers of the each stall. In a way, students got a chance to visit 35 countries in one day.
Talking to Community, Luliana Lonita, Librarian at SIS and organiser of the event, said, “We had stalls from 32 nationalities from all the continents of the world. Families from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Algeria, Syria, Poland, France, Pakistan, New Zealand, Portugal, Iran, Brazil, India, Canada, USA, Qatar, UK, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, South Korea, Macedonia, Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon came to the event and exhibited their food and culture for the students.”
“The Parade of Nations was a success as the entire school including students and teachers were part of it. Food was diverse and delicious. There were tamales from Mexico, Kosari from Egypt, madruoba, biryani, sangria, Dulce de leche, anzac biscuits from New Zealand, bola from Portugal, and tabouleh and humus from Lebanon. Students from South Korea also performed at the event,” she said.
Luliana noted, “Though, I am working as a librarian in the school, I have found a real passion in organising colourful events for the students and parents. Organising International Day Festival was really amazing. It was great to see so many countries coming together and setting up their respective stalls. I would not have been able to put it all together if parents would not have participated. They stayed at their stalls from morning till the end, serving food to the visitors and sharing their cultural values. The students helped me a lot as well and so did the school management.”
Susan Julie Anderson, Principal of SIS Primary School, said that the event was very diverse and colourful. “There were many attractions for the young students including the parade, exhibition and food. Main hall of the school was decorated with national flags of the participating countries”, she said.
When asked about how the young students enjoyed themselves, the principal said that the students exhibited real pride in their national dresses and their traditional cultures. She said, “Children are not usually conscious about different skin colours. They are children and they just like to play with each other. They regularly come to the school in uniform. When they saw each other in different clothes, they were very happy and surprised. They realised that they all are different and still can be friends. The differences cannot change their friendship. It was an effort to build an international community.”
Philip Bradley, Head of School, said that the school has a very diverse group of students. The students learnt about each other’s cultures and cuisine at the event. He further said that it was good to educate the young minds about diverse cultures and beliefs. At the international day, the students learnt how to appreciate the diversity and how to learn from it.
He said, “It is an integral part of the school’s vision and curriculum. The school is part of International Baccalaureate, an international education organisation based in Switzerland. The students learnt a lot from the international festival. When they see a new thing, they ask questions and it educates young minds and give them the understanding for how to be a part of the diverse world.”
A RICH MIX: Main hall of the school was decorated with national flags of the participating countries.
