International Day and Festival

On Friday 25th March students at Sayram and Kalandar campus took part in activities that taught them about a number of countries from around the world. Many students dressed in their national costumes or from the country their class investigated. 

Students also participated assemblies where they got to test their international mindedness in the 2022 International Day Quiz.  

On Saturday 26th March, BST celebrated their International Festival under the theme ‘Different but United’.  It certainly was an amazing display of cultures.  Classes were transformed into countries where over 800 guests could take part in a range of activities, tastings or experiences from eating delicious crepes in France, to using chopsticks in Japan, to creating indigenous Aboriginal art in Australia, to flying high in hot air balloons in Turkey, and even a Bedouin tent in Saudi Arabia.  There was a mind-blowing myriad of things to do and experience.  We would love to thank the embassies, cultural centres, restaurants and parents who helped create such wonderful experiences for everyone. 

We were then treated to international cuisine in the canteen by a variety of restaurants and raised $500 for the Research Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Tashkent. Visitors then went to the theatre where they watched performances from a range of countries, a Jiu Jitsu demonstration from Brazil, French songs, and a Kendo demonstration from Japan.  The showstopper was the Azerbaijani dance, where an all-female dance group used very fancy footwork and amazing costumes to thoroughly entertain the crowd. 

For the first time during our International Festival, we held a crowning of Mr. and Ms. BST World.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the diverse range of outfits from all parts of the globe! Mr. BST World wore a traditional Greek outfit, and Ms. BST World wore a traditional Uzbek costume.  

The experience of being called on to the stage for the best costume was quite surprising if I'm being honest, especially since I decided to get myself a costume last minute, and wasn't even intending on coming to the event at first. My Greek costume was extremely uncomfortable, my hand had to be up for like 3 hours for it not to fall apart. Yet standing there I really felt like it was worth it, and I was proud to be crowned BST Mr World 2022, receiving a fantastic prize round of applause by parents teachers and friends. Robert Gafurov, Year 12.