family – ӣƵ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:02:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 /wp-content/uploads/2023/04/faviconV2.png family – ӣƵ 32 32 International Week at AISCT /international-week-at-aisct/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 19:08:36 +0000 https://www.websterstudio.co.za/?p=11678
As a diverse school community with 59 nationalities to date and numerous racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, International Week at ӣƵis one of the most important and enjoyed celebrations of the year. Students, staff, and PATA (Parents and Teachers Association) do an amazing job to honor the spirit of internationalism in our community through various activities and especially through the event at the end of the week: International Day.

Parade of Nations

There is a powerful sense of pride when our learners and teachers adorn their traditional dress and showcase their heritage and culture to the school community. Equally, the amazing array of colors, outfits, and flags create a powerful sense of how unified our global community at ӣƵactually is. The Parade of Nations, which sees our learners, staff, and parents marching around our field in their country group with the youngest and oldest students from each country leading the way, fosters this unity while celebrating diversity.

Many of our learners call many places home. It is common that their parents come from different countries or cultures or that they have lived in many different countries already. This phenomenon, known in the research community as a Third Culture Kid (TCK), describes a child who has spent a significant amount of time in a culture or cultures outside of their own. In the Parade of Nations, many students choose to walk with the country they were born in, some the country of their passport, and still others the country in which they have lived the longest, all showing us what it means to be global citizens.

TCKs form one important sub-cultural with our community, joining expatriates who have definitive ties to their home country and local South Africans who have always lived here. Often in these situations, the term “melting pot” is used to describe a community, meaning where people of diverse origins fuse to make a new environment. As shared by Dr. Daniel Jubert, ӣƵHead of School, “I prefer to use the term ‘cultural mosaic’ where our various groups maintain their distinctiveness while functioning as part of the whole.” This was on full display during the Parade of Nations.

International Day

Food and cuisine are an integral part of any country’s culture. On International Day at AISCT, food from over 40 different countries is available. Parents dedicate their time to preparing food unique to their home country which they share with the entire community.

International Day at ӣƵis a PATA-sponsored event that aims at honoring AISCT’s diversity and that draws close to 1000 people onto our campus. The event is for the entire family with games, activities, and live performances from students and professional groups for all ages to enjoy.

Parent and Teacher Association

The ӣƵParent and Teacher Association (PATA) is made up of parent volunteers. They aim to bring together our diverse school community and create opportunities for parents to connect with each other and the school. International Day is one of their largest endeavors.

Reunited

This year, being reunited for International Day, felt more important than ever. With the pandemic having limited the opportunities to come together as a community, the chance to be able to do so in 2022 made the day that more meaningful. It was a day that showcased internationalism, diversity, collaboration, partnership, and sharing and one that left many in the community especially grateful.

“I want to thank everyone for coming together to represent your countries and cultures with such vibrancy in food and decorations. Together we created a beautiful community for all of us,” ӣƵcommunity member.

“Thank you all for helping bring international day back! It was an awesome day!” ӣƵcommunity member.

“Can’t thank you all enough for the hard work we all know goes into making this happen. The happiness everyone had today with the wonderful food and experience was just incredible. Thanks to all you wonderful parents!” ӣƵcommunity member.

“Thanks very much to ӣƵand to each and every organizer. The day was really amazing and we had a wonderful time,” ӣƵcommunity member.

Special thanks go to all the event sponsors!
You can see more photographs from this event in our gallery.

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