On Monday 9th March, St. Wilfrid’s opened its doors to around 250 international students and teachers to celebrate the 9th Annual International Week. It was a pleasure welcoming old friends from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine who return year on year. This year we were also fortunate enough to host new schools from France, Poland and Turkey who, having heard of our international reputation, were eager to establish partnerships.
Our first event was the Primary International Extravaganza of Talents when around 450 Year 5 pupils from 13 primary schools came to perform songs and dances in a number of languages. The pupils dazzled us with their ability to sing in such languages as Spanish, Welsh, French, Polish and various African languages. Traditional dances and amazing costumes also featured, demonstrating the amount of time and effort devoted to the event by teachers and pupils alike.
Tuesday morning saw the official launch of our international theme, One World-Many Colours. The Bruynseels Hall was awash with colourful flags and performances from our resident choir and Performing Arts group as well as a lively set from a Bollywood dancer. After lunch all students took part in an International Citizenship Afternoon when our Key Stage 3 groups were given the opportunity to view an exhibition of photography and poetry submitted by students from sixty countries. Key Stage 4 students took part in a number of cultural sessions provided by visiting international students from Leeds Metropolitan University and representing their home countries of Bangladesh, China, India, Italy, Libya, Poland, Spain and Taiwan. Inspirational business leader Randolph Victor and Asylum & Refugee Expert Olivier Nkunzimana enthused our Sixth Form students with presentations during an international conference.
On Tuesday evening we hosted our second annual International Family Evening, which offered people the chance to sample delights such as Irish dancing, Spanish tapas making, Bavarian dancing, Polish for beginners and Japanese art (both taught by students from St. Wilfrid’s). More than 500 people took part and many were keen to pursue their new-found interest!On Wednesday around 300 people, including hosts and International Committee members, descended upon the City of York to soak up the atmosphere on the cobbled streets and visit a number of museums. Perhaps the scariest part of the week was the visit to York Dungeon, where many a scream could be heard! On our return from York it was time to sample the culinary delights of pie & peas, served by our dedicated catering team and assisted by Mr Kevin Walsh. 
As people munched away they nervously awaited the beginning of the International Festival of Talents. Around 750 people packed the Cannon O’Grady Sports Hall to enjoy an evening of performances from Diablo throwing, French accordion playing, Eastern European dancing and rock bands to name a few. As usual, our resident comperes Cath Smith and Karl Reiff hosted in their faultless glitzy and glamorous way and entertained the crowd with their array of one-liners. The Choreography and Costume awards went to Ukraine and Slovakia respectively, whilst the overall trophy was won by Sweden for their rendition of Pink’s 'So What'.
On Thursday our international guests enjoyed a morning of sport with members of the PE department. Following this, they returned, looking exhausted, to work with their hosts and ambassadors, in multinational groups, on a project to design their own country. Thursday evening was the perfect opportunity for our international guests to spend a final evening with their hosts and ambassadors and reminisce about a packed week of events.
As people munched away they nervously awaited the beginning of the International Festival of Talents. Around 750 people packed the Cannon O’Grady Sports Hall to enjoy an evening of performances from Diablo throwing, French accordion playing, Eastern European dancing and rock bands to name a few. As usual, our resident comperes Cath Smith and Karl Reiff hosted in their faultless glitzy and glamorous way and entertained the crowd with their array of one-liners. The Choreography and Costume awards went to Ukraine and Slovakia respectively, whilst the overall trophy was won by Sweden for their rendition of Pink’s 'So What'.On Thursday our international guests enjoyed a morning of sport with members of the PE department. Following this, they returned, looking exhausted, to work with their hosts and ambassadors, in multinational groups, on a project to design their own country. Thursday evening was the perfect opportunity for our international guests to spend a final evening with their hosts and ambassadors and reminisce about a packed week of events.
The week would not have happened had it not been for the generosity of families from St. Wilfrid’s who were kind enough to host many of our international guests. Furthermore, our International Committee, led by Lee Dawson and Eve Bontoft (Year 11), were the organisational backbone before and during the week. Their tireless efforts, team work and professional attitude really showed our international guests what St. Wilfrid’s is all about.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the week the success that it was. Long-lasting friendships were built and many tears were shed on the final day. People are already looking forward to next year’s event when we will celebrate 10 years of the international dimension at St. Wilfrid’s!
Ian StoreyHead of the International Dimension
