The PCA Global Festival, which was supposed to take place on March 22, has been postponed to October 4 due to COVID-19 concerns. The Global Festival happens every four years at ASL and takes place in both gyms, the Commons, and the School Center. Its purpose is to celebrate the different languages spoken and countries represented within the community; it includes cultural performances, as well as foods from different countries. The theme for this year’s festival is “I am ASL,’ and it aims to focus on similarities while still celebrating diversity.
Co-Chair of the Global Festival Ms. Tina Madhvani said, “Celebrating our diversity is vital to our community: the more we share with each other, the more we learn from each other. The festival strengthens and builds our community, and we are honored to be part of it.”
On March 2, Head of School Mrs. Robin Appleby sent an email to ASL families about the decision to postpone the event. The email stated that this decision was made to reduce spread of the virus, thanked the people contributing to the festival, and also gave the option of a refund to anyone who bought tickets.
The email stated, “Given our commitment to reducing any potential spread of the COVID-19 virus, and our desire for Global Festival to be a joyful occasion rather than one that causes worry in our community, we have made a joint decision to postpone the event until Sunday, 4 October 2020.”
To make the decision, Mrs. Appleby, President of the PCA Ms. Laura Beal, and Global Festival Co-Chairs Ms. Madhvani and Ms. Feryial Parvez discussed the various scenarios that could take place at the festival. After discussion, they felt that it would be in the community’s best interest to postpone the event. The volunteers for the festival are composed of parents, faculty, and students; their work, as well as the work of the executive team, will not be lost due to the postponement.
