International Festival

'The Parent School Association (PSA)'s fourth Annual International Festival brought the ICSB community together once again to celebrate the cultures that shape our school. The event began with a parade of nations and continued with a variety of performances, trivia, and, of course, lots and lots of delicious food from around the world.

This year’s festival featured countries from around the world, including Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, and Ukraine.

After the parade featuring the flags of the nations mentioned above, families representing four different countries shared a bit of their musical heritage, much to the audience's delight. China and Korea performed traditional dances, while Ms. Évi Dobner sang a Hungarian folk song, as Hungarian students performed a folk dance. Mira T. and her mom, Ms. Ani T., led a Bulgarian dance that invited others to join in. 

Food remained central to the celebration. Students, parents, and staff shared homemade dishes and treats from many countries, including coffee from both Ethiopia and Colombia, which perked up the already vivacious crowd. After the opening ceremony, participants could walk around and taste traditional dishes from the participating nations. 

Each represented country had a table full of food and decorations manned by a family or multiple families from that nation, some of whom were dressed in traditional clothing. A handful of tables even featured interactive experiences, like an Easter crafts table or photobooths, that offered opportunities to try on traditional clothing and capture the moment with a picture.

The afternoon offered a meaningful glimpse of what it looks like to gather as one body composed of many nations, a little taste of what heaven will be like. Families expressed appreciation for the event, noting that it continues to grow and improve each year. One or two staff members shared that this was their favorite event of the year. Thank you to each country group for the hard work, care, creativity, and effort invested in representing their cultures so thoughtfully. Thank you also to Ms. Henrietta Bagdi and Ms. Kelly Sanderford, who both helped with the overall festival logistics, Mr. Peter Bagdi, and Mr. Gary Rickard for helping with set-up, tear-down, and everything in between. And a huge thank you, of course, to Ms. Kim Rickard, our Parent Liaison, for all of her hard work over the months of organizing logistics, mobilizing volunteers, and facilitating the event! All of your contributions made the afternoon both meaningful and memorable for the entire ICSB community.

It’s wonderful to see so many different nationalities come together at our school. I love watching each country share the unique aspects of its culture. It gives our ICSB community a glimpse of the amazing traditions and experiences that make every culture special.

Ms. Kim Rickard