INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AT BRITISH SCHOOL OF SOFIA

Students of 43 nationalities from 4 continents study at BSS. On June 8, 2024, the school is organizing an International Festival on its campus, where representatives of all nationalities are invited to share their characteristic food, customs, souvenirs, songs, dances and whatever else they want to celebrate with other members of the international community in Sofia.

The International Festival of the British School of Sofia is an attempt to bring together the different cultures and communities in Bulgaria and abroad and is a forum where people express themselves and celebrate unity and friendship.

Last year, the first BSS International Festival was a successful multicultural celebration with representatives from over 35 countries on 4 continents. Engaging performances entertained the audience of over 500 participants and guests who joined in this extraordinary festival.

The festival is organized by the team of the British School of Sofis with the support of the students and their parents, as well as with the special assistance and participation of foreign embassies in Bulgaria who wish to get involved.

The festival begins with a Parade of Nations, in which students and their families participate dressed in national costumes and proudly carrying the flags of the countries they represent.

All around the BSS courtyard are pavilions of the participating nations, offering traditional food and drinks, characteristic items or souvenirs from the respective countries. Students, families, representatives of the embassies in Sofia, and anyone who wants to join is welcome. Last year's festival took us on an incredible culinary journey around the world through Great Britain, China, Russia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Iraq, India, Syria, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and many other places.

Various games and demonstrations prepared by the exhibitors entertained the audience and attracted more visitors to their stands.

The stage is the focus of the BSS International Festival. Songs and dances from near and far are performed there. The participants are dressed in beautiful costumes and demonstrate inspiring performances in different languages. During the 2023 festival, students and other participants found many original ways to express their identity through language, typical dances, songs, and playing traditional instruments.

The British School of Sofia (BSS) is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, offering three from the four IB Programmes. Its students are always curious, fully engaged citizens, who both embrace their own culture and are open and responsive to other cultures and views. BSS commitment to international education starts with a belief that the only way to appreciate someone else's culture is first to be confident in your own. The school's International Festival is one way we celebrate intercultural diversity and pride in one's own cultural identity.

The British School of Sofia is a representative of British education in Bulgaria that has a robust worldwide reputation. British education is focused on processes and outcomes – what should a child know and be able to do at any given age – as opposed to emphasising the acquisition of specific knowledge. Certain key principles, starting from the early years, run through the whole of the education system: the notion that each child is unique and that this is important; an emphasis on developing positive relationships (with teachers, parents, peers); a focus on enabling environments (learning does not happen exclusively in the classroom); and finally, learning and development – looking at outcomes and results, but only as one facet of a child's education. It covers everything including Social, Moral, Cultural and Spiritual – an element sometimes lacking in other curriculums.

Choosing a British International school not only gives students the benefit of British education, but it is also eminently transferrable for families that may need to relocate.

The British School in Sofia has been the first and only school in Bulgaria to follow the British educational model for 15 years. It educates students from 2 to 18 years of age and covers the entire course of study from kindergarten to high school. Students graduate with an IB DIPLOMA.

www.bssofia.bg