The International Festival returned for its sixth iteration this past Thursday during a windy day on Gaffney Green. 

     Each year, the space outside Charger Commons turns into a global celebration for a day. Students, faculty, parents and volunteers become immersed in food, dance, music and education from tens of countries representing the nationalities and backgrounds of the Shorecrest community.

     The annual festival is put on by International Connection, which, according to the school’s website, acts as a social and support network to new and existing international families at Shorecrest. The event is entirely put on by parent volunteers, spearheaded by fourth grade mother Tani Masvidal.

     Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Masvidal began organizing the International Festival in 2021 following the departures of longtime parent volunteers Paula Cooper and Lisa Hahn. At the beginning of each school year, Masvidal holds a meeting for International Connection families where she discusses the International Festival. Later, she creates and sends out a sign-up form where community members can register to volunteer at different countries’ booths. There is also a WhatsApp group for International Connection parents where they frequently talk about the festival.

     “[The festival] is something that could not be done without the big, big community that we have with these different families from different backgrounds,” Masvidal said.

     Susi Bean, mother to senior Caroline Bean, is International Connection’s liaison to international Shorecrest families and has been managing the United Kingdom booth at the International Festival since 2019. She grew up in Canterbury, England, and moved to the United States after meeting her husband while teaching English in Japan. She keeps a text chain with other Shorecrest Brits to plan what is featured at the booth each year.

     “We always want to showcase a different side of England than what Americans always know about,” Susi Bean said. “We’ve always avoided doing the royal family or anything like that because everybody knows that stuff.”

     Instead, she has recently taught students about British slang, differences in education, sports like rugby and cricket and, of course, food. For several years, the booth has featured Marmite, a popular British spread, as well as a tally for students to mark “love it” or “hate it.”

     “We always joke that the high schoolers eat a lot … and it became sort of the front and center for so many people. It’s so much of the culture, and it’s what the students enjoy so much,” Susi Bean said.

     Senior Charlie Cowan agreed, saying that the food is one of his favorite parts of the event.

     “I always look forward to the India booth, the China booth and all the food that the parents prepare,” he said.

     Cowan moved to St. Pete from Sydney, Australia, in 2015. His father, Geoff Cowan, is in charge of the Australia booth at the International Festival, and his mother, Dr. Sara Cowan, oversees Cuba.

     “I love the festival. It’s without a doubt the number one day of the year for the parents because it gives us a chance to be on campus, see the kids from kindergarten all the way through to year twelve, and also to really show off how multicultural Shorecrest is,” Geoff Cowan said while proudly holding a poster of a koala.

     In terms of preparation, many volunteers spend hours making food, games and prizes for their booths.

     “I actually put a huge amount of time and effort into my booth,” Geoff Cowan said. “I created what I like to call Vegemite delights, a delicacy from Australia … I also did another party favor for kids known as fairy bread.”

     Charlie Cowan pointed out how his dad lays out loaves of bread, Vegemite and butter and forms an assembly line with his family to make the Australian snack on the night before the International Festival every year.

     With many countries and cultures gathering in one place, there are bound to be mentions of global conflict. However, the International Festival works to show that, within the Shorecrest community, all are welcome.

     In 2022, just two months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two nations’ booths were intentionally placed next to each other. During the festival, while a Ukrainian mom sang her national anthem, the Russian volunteers stood by her side.

     “They very intentionally wanted to present a very united, friendly front,” Susi Bean said. “It was an opportunity to be able to show that we, in our local community, can cross those divides.”

     Charlie Cowan agreed. “When the community gets together, it’s not really about the countries’ politics … that tension isn’t really present,” he said.

     In addition to the booths themselves, volunteers can submit songs to a DJ that will be played throughout the day. When the music is on, many countries put on performances showcasing their cultures in the Weiss Family Pavilion. This year, representatives from India and Israel took the time to teach guests a traditional dance from their countries.

     For the first time, Upper School extracurricular groups were represented at the International Festival. Shorecrest’s Black Student Union, Global Scholars Initiative and Harmony Across Borders — a multicultural affinity group —  all had booths at the event.

     Susi Bean expressed her love for the International Festival in what will be her last year participating in the event, as her daughter will graduate in 2026.

     “Kids who grow up with a different culture at home sometimes maybe feel a little awkward about that at school, but that’s the day that you get to celebrate being different,” she said. “I love it when you see the children of the parents who are running the booths coming by and being so proud of what their parents are doing and proud of the culture that their parents are exhibiting. That, to me, is what makes it so special.”

    On Feb. 5th, students, teachers and families from all divisions came together to celebrate their heritages at the annual International Festival. Different booths, representing 29 countries and 3 Upper School extracurricular groups, displayed various games, foods, personal stories and performances to guests. The festival, which is coordinated by International Connections, Shorecrest’s multicultural community group, is entirely put on by volunteers, who register for booths on a SignUpGenius months before the event. Check out some of The Chronicle’s photos from the festival.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Braden Stone

Volunteers at the Brazil booth give brigadeiros, a traditional Brazilian chocolate dessert, to Lower School students. Their booth also served coxinha and pão de queijo.