Despite the rainy night outside, Silicon Valley International (INTL) parents, teachers, students, and alumni arrived in droves on Cohn Campus on Saturday, December 3rd, filling the hallways in excitement for this year’s Arts Night!
For those who are unfamiliar with the annual Arts Night, it is a yearly event where the entrance, hallways, Bean-O’Sullivan Media Hub, and the entire first floor of classrooms on the Cohn Campus are completely covered with colorful and creative works of art. Each of the art pieces were created by INTL Preschool to 10th grade students. The theme for this year’s Arts Night was “Let’s Play” which certainly lived up to expectations as the displays were entertaining and educational, while some were interactive installations for countless students to take part in.
In addition to the theme, the significance of Arts Night is multifaceted as its positive influence and purpose affects students, parents, and alumni in different ways. For parents, it is a night to celebrate the creativity of their children. Numerous parents were in awe at the artistic skill level of the students and how they were able to construct such elegant pieces at such a young age.
“It’s a wonderful display of all the art from all the different classes of elementary school. We really are enjoying it and surprised by the quality. It really is advanced for a kindergarten level. We have two twins in kindergarten and their teacher was talking about their project and I asked if there was any assistance and she said they did it all by themselves. So, very impressive,” Kate, an INTL parent said.
One of the many beauties of Arts Night is that it consistently brings in both first time parents as well as veteran parents who have attended the event for many years. It is fascinating to see the connections parents make with one another as they become deeper entwined in the INTL community. On top of that, as these connections become more tightly knit, special events such as Arts Night increase in significance and evolve into an opportunity to update friends on everything that is happening in their world.
When asked about what their favorite part of Arts Night was, veteran alumni parent Steven listed off a few things such as “Seeing other parents, seeing the students and seeing how they grow. But, also seeing the art and how it really demonstrates the environment that [the students are] learning in. It’s always fascinating, there’s always things that stand out.”
As for the students, attending Arts Night is about going on an artistic journey through the campus and immersing themselves in a wide array of majestic yet educational displays that their peers created. Along with all of the art came descriptions written by the different classes to provide a deeper understanding of what each work or art meant to the students who made them.
In addition, Arts Night is a great way for students to showcase their hard work to parents and classmates. Creating these masterpieces is a long and meticulous process but the payoff is worth it. Arts Night is a special occasion where the spotlight is placed solely on the students. It showcases their efforts and provides a platform for them to demonstrate what they have learned, the different mediums of expressive art such, and how it has shaped their experience at school during the process.
One student commented on their experience viewing the multitude of art galleries by saying “I thought that the world presentation was pretty cool. Like all of the different sculptures of different monuments around the world.”
The whole experience of Arts Night would not be complete without the entire INTL community coming together, including the alumni who return. For our school’s graduates, the evening is a time to reignite friendships, catch up with classmates from the past, and learn about all of their milestones and accomplishments post INTL have flourished.
Talinn, alumni who graduated in 2021 from the 8th grade, commented on Arts Night and noted that “ever since we’ve graduated it’s a really nice time to reunite with our classmates and see them all and catch up with how they’re doing.”
“It’s a really great way to get together with people you haven’t seen in a couple years,” Tori, an 8th grade INTL alumni from 2019 stated.
Furthermore, many INTL alumni also mentioned how Arts Night was a way to reminisce and look back to when they walked the same halls and sat in the same classrooms. Throughout the night, many of the alumni spoke of the nostalgia they felt thinking back to the time when they were the artists showcasing their masterpieces to the rest of the school.
“I think while we were still attending the school we were always really excited to show our parents our art that we spent so much time working on. And, also besides art, it was just really fun to hangout,” said Meenal, another 8th grade INTL alumni from 2021.
Arts Night 2022 was a huge success as it blew spectators away with the abundance of magnificent pieces and entertaining galleries. With over 100 INTL alums in attendance for the evening, it was clear that Arts Night is an incredibly special and sentimental evening for all who have been a part of INTL and we are grateful for each and every one of them who came to show their support. We cannot wait to see many more alumni and attendees at next year’s Arts Night!