High School Holds International Fair After Delayed Start

Despite a two-hour delay, on Friday March 8, Scarsdale High School held its annual international fair. The event took place in two parts -- an assembly featuring professional as well as high school performances followed by an international lunch prepared and served by students -- and was considered by students to be a success.

Looming over the fair this past week was the possibility of cancellation due to the winter storm that hit on Thursday and Friday. Originally the plan was to send half the student body to the first assembly and the other half to the second. However, because school began at 10, the administration only managed to fit in the assembly by eliminating the second performance and thus only half the school was able to attend. Because fifth period was not seriously shortened, all students were able to participate in the lunch.

The show featured acts from nations around the world including Korea, France, Ireland, China and India. Event hosts Chris D'Silva and Kunal Sahai began by introducing the fashion show, which featured students wearing the traditional attire from their nations and cultures. The next performance was by the French Club joined by French students from all different grades. The performance, organized annually by French Club advisor Laura Bell, was more serious this year than in past performances and featured a song celebrating children coming together from throughout the world. The next two performances continued the musical theme, with an Irish fiddle performance by Finbar Kantor and a clever Mandarin song performed by several students, titled "My Chinese is Not Good."

The following three performances featured dancing, beginning with a traditional Indian dance choreographed by Sayeef Alam and performed with three other classmates. A professional Chinese "mask changer" then took the stage, switching her mask four times, seemingly without touching her face during the course of her dance. The final performance, a humorous rendition of the wildly popular Korean song, "Gangnam Style" was widely considered the "fan favorite" of the day.

Following the assembly, students flocked to the cafeteria throughout fifth period for what many call their favorite lunch of the year. Dozens of flags from around the world adorned the cafeteria walls while tables were moved to the fringes of the rooms, each featuring a different cuisine. Among the options were tacos, Japanese sticky rice, Korean glass noodles, French crepes, Caribbean dishes and Chinese dumplings.

Check out a video of the performances here:

Written by Brian Solender with photos by Vicki Presser