International Festival Held by The Stony Brook School

This winter, The Stony Brook School held its 20th annual International Festival. It was a week focused on the cultures of students at The Stony Brook School. The week-long Festival continued with an international menu prepared by SAGE Food Services in the Johnston Hall Dining Room.

The week began with an International Chapel service on Sunday, January 22. The service included students reading a Bible verse in 23 languages, representing nearly half the present world population. Pastor Rich Collingridge, who has served four decades as a missionary in Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon, and taught in a growing ministerial seminary in Argentina, was the guest speaker. He now serves as the Pastor of Missions and Evangelism at the Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle in Smithtown, NY. Pastor Collingridge’s sermon was entitled “Abram Goes International,” based on the book of Genesis 11:31, 32; 12:1-9.

On January 27, the school held an International Assembly, which included students wearing ethnic costumes and sharing interesting facts or videos about their cultures.

 On January 28, students transformed Gaebelein Library into an international bazaar of ethnic cuisine, filled with display tables manned by students in colorful traditional costumes from various countries or regions of the world. The Festival program included native performances in music, theatre, dance, and literature by students representing 19 countries around the world. 

The SBS community thoroughly enjoyed International week, with International Chapel, the ethnic menus, the International Assembly, and the Saturday night Festival display tables, ethnic food, and cultural performances.