For the first time, students showcasing their cultures in the annual International Week assembly in the gym will perform in the same building in front of a paying audience the night before on Thursday, Feb. 6, event organizers said.

“We thought it was a great idea because now the parents actually have a performance that is dedicated just to them,” said Tharwa Ahmad, Parent Teacher Student Association [PTSA] president. “They get to have good seats to watch their kids perform.”

Billed as “A Taste of IFF [International Food Festival],” the 5-7:30 p.m. event will cost $5; students who want to get a preview of the show before the Friday, Feb. 7, assembly will also be charged the same price for admission, Ahmad said. The PTSA aims to raise $3,000 from this event.

However, students with an Associated Student Body [ASB] Gold Card can get in for free. The actual performances will start at 6 p.m.

Some parents whose children will be performing said they look forward to paying the cost to watch them perform even if it’s a rehearsal.

“I’m very excited because this is something different, and I’m very happy that my son is connecting to his culture,” said Sonia Tabbasam in Hindi after learning of the event from her son, Indian Student Association club member junior Syed Ayan. “I don’t mind paying $5 at all; I would even give $10 just to see him.” 

Students had mixed feelings about the PTSA-sponsored program.

“I found out through the president and co-president telling us,” Bayanihan club performer junior Natalie Ferrer said. “I’m concerned if people will actually show up.”

Korean Culture Club [KCC] president senior Micaela Kim said she feels conflicted about the event, especially since it’s a fundraiser.

“I’m not sure if a dress rehearsal is something to pay for and watch,” Kim said. “I wouldn’t have minded if they allowed parents to just watch [without paying].”

Another Bayanihan club member, president senior Micah Alagao, preferred the status quo.

“I would rather have the regular dress rehearsals,” said Alagao, who has been a part of the Bayanihan club since his freshman year. “That’s how it’s been like for the past three years.”

HOW DRESS REHEARSAL NIGHT BECAME “A TASTE OF IFF”

The genesis of “A Taste of IFF” stems from Ahmad and another parent’s idea after the PTSA’s November Black and Gold Night got canceled because of a lack of interest.

“We’ve been brainstorming since, and lots of ideas were thrown around. One of them was like, let’s do an event at Open House and let’s do a holiday event at a restaurant,” she said. “And then the idea was — my thinking was — that I’d rather do it at an event that’s kind of already established instead of making our own event. And so we thought of IFF, and we knew that we couldn’t do it on the day of IFF just because that day is very busy and hectic for PTSA, but since we run the IFF day, we were wondering if the students could do an assembly for the parents at an evening and that would be the ‘Taste of IFF.’”

The PTSA president said she then contacted assistant principal Heather Bradley, who’s in charge of overseeing school assemblies.

“We told [her] our idea and at first, they weren’t sure they could pull it off,” Ahmad said. “And then we decided that the Thursday before IFF is actually the night that the clubs do a dress rehearsal. … They wouldn’t have to do an extra assembly for us. We could use that rehearsal to actually be a preview.”

Final approval from school officials came on Friday, Jan. 17, and the first time it was announced to students, staff and parents was the following Friday in principal Craig Weinreich’s digital newsletter.

Two follow-up emails promoting the evening from Bradley were sent the week after.

“We will not be allowing any parents to watch the Friday morning student assembly this year,” the assistant principal wrote in a Friday, Jan. 31, email using Aeries Communication. “So, the only chance for parents to watch the live performance will be on Thursday.”

The ASB, which holds auditions for clubs that want to perform and organizes the Friday assembly, was also willing to help the PTSA with coordinating “A Taste of IFF.”

“PTSA is going to be able to use this to generate some money for scholarships and to help with Grad Night,” ASB adviser David Fenstermaker. “They’re going to be able to use this to promote the next day, which is the Food Fair, so that’s all a win for them.”

Fentstermaker said he gave an update about the change to the traditional rehearsal program the night before the assembly to culture club performers at their auditions on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Kim said she feels concerned about the lack of a new dress rehearsal date in preparation for the Thursday assembly, which is primarily for parents.

“It would also be easier for the culture clubs to practice without pressure since it’s the first time for some members,” she said.

On the other hand, Alagao said he is not anxious to perform.

“It’s not stressing me out in any way,” the president said. “I feel like regardless of people being there or not, we should be at full performance level.”

MORE THAN JUST CULTURAL SHOWCASES

In addition to watching performances, event-goers can buy treats and meals from three different food trucks with one selling shaved ice and coffee, another Mexican dishes and the third Asian fusion cuisines, Ahmad said.

People can also help the PTSA by participating in a silent auction; bids can be made for items originally meant for the canceled fall semester fundraiser, she said. Two of them include four sets of VIP seats for graduation and two United Airlines plane tickets to anywhere in North America.

Despite this being a new offering, the PTSA president is optimistic about its results. 

“I’m hoping when I come back in four years, I’ll find that it’s now a tradition to do ‘A Taste of IFF,’” she said.