14 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 16, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM St. Francis Prep Celebrates 25th Annual International Night On Friday, March 10th, the St. Francis Prep community will gather at the school to celebrate the myriad heritages and cultures that make up the student body. Th is event will mark the 25th Anniversary of the school’s annual International Night, an evening of traditional food, dance, song, costume, and culture. Prep’s President, Brother Leonard Conway, O.S.F., was Principal for the fi rst one. He remembers, “Ken Sanchez class of 1995 started it. It came about because in one of my random groups he suggested we do something to educate everyone about the diff erent cultures. First, he suggested the fl ags in the library representing every country Prep kids come from, then he suggested International Night....food, dance, and a show all in the cafeteria. As we spoke, I told him by his senior year he would be student body president, and it did happen.” Th e event originally started as an activity sponsored by the Foreign Language department, then student activities, all with help from Prep’s Fathers’ Guild. Brother Leonard’s favorite part is, “showcasing the talents and life of all our nationalities all over the world, highlighted by our great ethnic diversity and how we are all one Franciscan family.” Year in, and year out, students show, “they all are one happy family living in harmony and would do anything for each other.” “As the event grew, we stopped the general dance part and moved the show to the auditorium and food in the hallways. We had to do it because the cafeteria could not hold the crowds. It’s the annual event that has the largest turnout of anything we do.” Brother Leonard also added that many grandparents and extended family members will fl y to New York to see the students perform. When asked how St. Francis of Assisi, the school’s patron saint and namesake would feel about International Night, Brother Leonard off ered, “He would be right in the middle of this and be proud of what our students are doing, promoting joy and hope, being instruments of peace and so many of his qualities are exemplifi ed in this activity.” “It is the most popular event because our students want to share their culture with others and they want to learn about other’s cultures. Ken Sanchez had the idea. We believed in him and gave him a chance to help us teach each other about our cultures, a remarkable success from a simple idea, a true example of love thy neighbor.” Brother Leonard concluded, “in light of recent current events, this highlights the peace and unity of the Prep Community and the desire to be instruments of peace.” Kenneth Sanchez, a 1995 graduate of Prep, and now a Business Development Manager with the Entertainment & Media Industry Group at Reed Smith LLP, remembers, “It started as International Week. I wanted an entire week devoted to celebrating the diversity of the Prep that would culminate in highlighting our great commonality as Americans and our bond as members of the human race. International Night was a way to celebrate all the cultures together, through their art, music and food. Aft er all, everyone loves a great party and every great party has great food! It was particularly striking to see the pride in our diff erent heritages being celebrated by the future of this great Nation we call home.” He remembers, “we planned it through the Student Council. I was the Sophomore Class President and we formed a committee and with the support of the administration and others were able to really kick it off .” When asked about the fl ags that still line Prep’s library, he remembered “Th e fl ags were a critical part of the process, I wanted something permanent that would serve as a monument to our amazing diversity. We ran a school wide survey, the old fashion way with paper and we polled every home room class and got the information.” He remembers aft er the fi rst event, “It was pretty epic and then we just started planning one aft er another.” When asked about Prep’s ethnic clubs, he remembered that, “we had a number of them prior to the event, however, a few of them also Kenneth Sanchez, SFP Class of 1995, and founder of Prep’s International Night were founded aft erwards for sure. Th e fi rst International Night was very very well received. Everyone was joyous to share their culture and really excited to learn about everyone else’s.” “In refl ecting on the inaugural event 25 years later, Sanchez said, “ I’m overwhelmed that this tradition has been going strong. Th at we have the silver anniversary of this incredible event happening at a time in our nation when we’re so deeply divided serves as a glimmering light of hope, that America is indeed incredibly strong because of it’s rich diversity. Th at she belongs to no one group but instead to all of us, because regardless of your color, creed, national heritage, etc., we are all bound to each other as Americans. We need to get back to remembering that all that matters is being an American and that we put each other fi rst above anything else.” When asked about his feelings leading up to the 25th anniversary, and having his mother and stepfather there, he off ered, “I’m simply excited and looking forward to a big reunion. I think it will bring back a lot of great memories for them too. He’s also, ‘hopeful that this tradition will continue to enrich us and strengthen us.” St. Francis Prep’s 25th Annual International Night is scheduled for Friday, March 10th, at 6PM at the school. Food will be served from 6PM-7PM, and performances will begin at 7PM. St. Francis Prep is located at 6100 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Fresh Meadows, NY. For more information about St. Francis Prep’s International Night, please contact: Mr. David Ganci, Director of Student Activities at (718) 423-8810, x224, or dganci@sfponline. org, Or Prep’s General Offi ce, (718) 423-8810 St. Francis Prep President, Brother Leonard Conway, O.S.F.
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