The pupils of the Inter-national Preparatory School (IPS) must have had a great morning at school last Wednesday… To celebrate United Nations Day, the school organized a special party-time where both children and adults – parents and teachers – dressed up in the traditional clothes of their own countries. With 17 different nationalities represented in the school, it was a really colourful and beautiful party.

Parents and children not only came with a special dish from their home-country… but also the desire to share their culture with their friends. “Children normally wear uniforms so today is really a different day for them!” Dominique Gallet, the school secretary explained.

Every week, teachers choose a theme for what they call their PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). Last week it was the UN. The pupils were provided with information about the organisation, its background, aims and some of the humanitarian work it undertakes. “The idea of ‘peace despite diversity’ and equal rights for all – so central to the UN – is reflected in our school prayer, which is said every Friday at assembly. We felt that the UN Day was an ideal opportunity for the pupils to see, feel, smell and taste what the words mean. Thus the idea of a festive celebration came up,” explains Mrs Sham, K-S 2 coordinator at IPS.

There was a festive mood throughout the school. From the nursery section to the bigger pupils, the 17 different nationalities were represented through “a wealth of colourful national and ethnic costumes, ‘the world on your plate’ and a cultural show prepared by the students in various languages. The show included poems, dances, songs and prayers and was a true display of talent and mutual respect (and even awe) from fellow students.”

Each section had to do something different. The middle age-group was in the garden tasting food they had never even heard about before. A tape placed in the middle of the garden played all styles of music from different parts of the world, which contributed to the welcoming and festive atmosphere. Some mothers were also in their traditional dresses and looked as excited as their children about the little celebration.

On the first floor, the bigger ones were all seated in one classroom looking at their… teachers dancing the sega in front of them. Children were shouting to encourage their foreign teachers to dance the sega. The pleasure made one thing clear: they were more than happy to join in the game.

“I was so moved to see those teachers from totally different parts of the world dancing all together to the Ti Marmit song,” says the manager of the school, Eda Coombes, visibly delighted with the way this festive morning ended. Her excitement was obvious during the show… She couldn’t stop laughing and encouraging the teachers.

Children from the nursery all had to say something specific on their own country. The goal of this day was to give the children an enjoyable monring and, at the same time to enable them to learn about other ways of living… They may still be very young but this was surely an excellent means of learning about the culture of others. An example that should be followed…