Article by Sophia Lashmar Y10,
Do you remember the discos in Middle School’s Carter Hall? Or look back on school trips to Genève Plage fondly? Have you reminisced about the Winter Market in the Centre des Arts, filled with good food, all whilst being the perfect place to do your holiday shopping? When we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was to be expected that the school could not function as usual, and even through the tough times that were upon us, the LGB community persevered and kept strong. Now that the difficult times are behind us, many people were hoping that school life would go back to normal, but sadly the truth is quite the opposite. LGB is still missing something, the school’s sense of community spirit, which seems to have been left behind in a bygone, pre-Covid era.
After years of events being postponed, rescheduled and canceled, the fundraisers, shows, parties, trips and celebrations have slowly, one by one, dropped off the radar.
This realization comes as LGB’s Cystic Fibrosis Night of Talent had the fewest auditions ever in its seven-year history. Once a show where people vied for spots to perform and tickets sold out as soon as they were released, all to raise money for a superb cause, this year it was lacking in acts and audience members. Whether it comes down to less and less talent coming up the ranks, which is hard to believe, or to students being too embarrassed to be on stage and perform, what happened to elicit this change? The obvious answer is that where students were once happy to perform in front of their school, they now abstain from even auditioning, depicting the lackluster interest in school events, causing the school’s community and spirit to start to decay.
It is vital the Student Council, PTA and Administration make it their priority to organize and publicize school events to encourage students, teachers and parents alike to participate and attend, all before it is too late.
Furthermore, as a result of Covid, the popular Bal de Neige was, once again, canceled. While it is understandable that it is not possible to plan such a large event and book a venue at such short notice, as a school with wonderful grounds and multiple sizable venues, if the student body and the Student Council really wanted to celebrate this night together, surely they would make it happen? So, what happened to our determination and spirit? What happened to our traditions?
Moreover, the Kermesse, the annual fair that used to mark the LGB community’s strength and togetherness, all whilst celebrating the school’s diversity and multi-nationality, is now all but forgotten. As parents, students and the people of Geneva used to flock onto campus to sample food from all around the world, play games, listen to LGB’s talented musicians and clamor to go on the funfair rides, these images now only live on in our minds. The Kermesse should be happening, yet no one has gone out of their way to address its absence, and no one has proposed celebrating our school, our students, our teachers and our parents in any other way. The Kermesse, like many other beloved school events, has just been cast aside, forgotten, and named another victim of the pandemic.
Events need planning, and planning takes time, and time was in short supply when the Covid restrictions were suddenly lifted. However, that is not to say that our talented and dedicated Administration, PTA and Student Council are not able to pull something together to celebrate our community, and to remind ourselves that we are more than just a school, a timetable, one lesson after another or a legal obligation. We are a community and we should make an effort to support what school events we have left, lest they too should disappear.
