The Bright School celebrated the cultural heritage of all its families with a special week of activities. Bright families represent more than 20 countries, and the flag of each country is on display at our Guerry International Plaza flag court.

During Bright World week, students learned games from various countries in P.E. and had international foods in the cafeteria for lunch. The week culminated in Bright World Night on April 7, an evening of food tasting, entertainment and activities. 

Bright World was created to make tangible the school’s mission: "The Bright School builds a foundation upon which students become wise and compassionate citizens of the world. Its century of progress fosters the intellectual, artistic, physical, and moral growth of young boys and girls."

The event, formerly known as International Night, is held every other year and organized by the Parents’ Association. The parents who oversaw this year’s event were Jill Ryan, Tahnika Rodriguez and Nour Rifai.

Throughout the week, parents volunteered to teach games from Syria, India, Iraq, Mexico and Pakistan during P.E. classes. The week of lunch menus featured foods from Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Middle East and England.

Bright World night featured foods from many countries including Portugal, Egypt, Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, England, France, Switzerland and Japan – all prepared by Bright families. The Bright School choir sang folk songs from several countries, and students could get henna tattoos and learn how to use chopsticks. The evening ended with an international parade around the gym.

“To see the joy on the children’s faces and the fun they had running from table to table was priceless,” Rodriguez said about Bright World Night.  “The food was awesome, but the fellowship was second to none.”

Students earned tickets during the week that were put into a drawing for prizes. Tickets were earned for trying new foods, learning a word or phrase in a different language or attending a cultural event. Parents could earn tickets for their students by attending a P.E. class or eating lunch with them.