Friday 25th October saw students, staff, parents and friends celebrate the 71st birthday of the United Nations with an international festival in the gym, some fantastic presentations from our students and families, and a first public performance from own our Orchestra of United Nations, all in the theatre during our assembly.
In the gym, our Parent Association had pulled out all the stops, organising an international festival where students could do everything from taking a trip to a night market in Taipei, to sampling traditional Egyptian delights; all whilst learning about the many nationalties that make up our school.
Alongside the food, the flags, the fancy dress and the fun of the day, there was a serious message in the assembly, as we explored the work of the United Nations around the world, preventing conflict, protecting children and raising people from poverty.
In the Senior School, older students prepared presentations about each of the Sustainable Development Goals (https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html), reasoning why their chosen Goal should take priority over another. Younger students visited each table, listened to the persuasive arguments and voted for the most convincing pair of students. It was wonderful to congratulate Ella Kwon and Isabella Monti for winning the vote with their passionate defense of why Goal Number 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy – would be the one goal to have the greatest impact.
In the Primary School and Early Years, students visited several classrooms, each decked out to represent a different country and where they experienced everything from the traditional Dutch game of Koekhappen (https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/04/29/traditional-dutch-games-for-children-sjoelbak-koekhappen-en-spijkerpoep/) to making Hummus in the Cooking Room as they learnt about Jordan.
U.N. Day is fun – as the best learning experiences are – but it is also an important day for us as it reflects the school we are: an International school that is proud of the diversity that exists within its wall, but equally as proud of the values we all share – whether it is our commitment to a better world for all; or our respect for learning about each other. The British School of Nanjing really is a model United Nations in itself!
