V. The school’s yearly events

Every year, Al Falah Assalam School organizes more than 10 different events. In this section, I would like to discuss six of those events which I consider to be the biggest and most significant.

 

 1. Hari Pahlawan:

When translated into English, Hari Pahlawan means “Heroes’ Day”. Hari Pahlawan is a Remembrance Day celebrated annualy on 10 November. The day commemorates the 1945 Battle of Surabaya, in which pro-independence Indonesian soldiers and militias fought against British and Dutch troops during the Indonesian National Revolution.

Hari Pahlawan at Al Falah Assalam is celebrated in many diverse, unique ways. If you walk into school on November the 10^th without knowing the day’s significance, you’d think you are in a cosplay event. To honor the men and women who took part in the Battle of Surabaya on Hari Pahlawan, everyone in the school wears a special costume such as; Indonesian soldier/militia, doctor, or a nurse. The commemoration of Hari Pahlawan starts with the singing of the national anthem and continues with various artistic performances such as: singing, plays, and traditional music playing. The commemoration last for approximately two or three hours and ends with a photography session.

For more pictures on Hari Pahlawan, click here.

 2. Business day:

Business day is a two day event where the students are encouraged to bring any kind of goods (food, drinks, cakes, candies, books, decorative objects, office stationaries…etc.) and try to sell them to the teachers and the rest of the school personnel. To put it in another way, Business day is an event where the school yard turns into a local market; the canteen tables into selling stalls; the students into local merchants; and the teachers into potential customers.

The first day of the event is reserved for 1^st through 3^rd grade students; while the second day is for 4^th through 6^th grade students.

Business day aims to help the students become independent at a young age by raising their awareness about entrepreneurship and developing their communication skills.

For more pictures on Business day, click here.

 

 3. School outings:

Al Falah Assalam school outings vary depending on the grade. Therefore, diverse destinations are on the program, such as; Hindu and Buddhist temples, museums, and public zoos.

Personally, I highly recommended taking part in school outings, because it’s a good way to explore Indonesia.

For more pictures on school outings, click here.

 4. Students outbound:

Students outbound is a one day event organized outside the school. Students are taken outdoors for nature walks and team building activities. Student outbound aims to strengthen the friendship among the students; improve their teamwork, leadership, and communication skills; and of course break the daily routine of studying with a fun day outdoors.

For more pictures on student outbound, click here.

 

 5. Pawai Ramadhan:

In English, Pawai Ramadhan means Ramadan Parade. As the name implies, it is a parade to celebrate the advent of the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations.

The Ramadan parade is performed on the main street near the school. It aims to raise awareness about Islam in the community, mark the beginning of the month of Ramadan, and remind people to happily welcome it.

For more pictures on Pawai Ramadhan, click here.

 6. The year closing ceremony:

The end of the school year is celebrated by a large ceremony which brings together teachers, students, and the students’ parents. The ceremony is an opportunity to reward the best performers in the school, strengthen the relationship between the teachers and the students’ parents, and celebrate the school’s achievements during the school year. Moreover, a talent show is organized in which every student in the school is encouraged to show his/her talent by performing on stage.  A wide variety of talents are displayed by the students, such as; traditional dancing, modern dancing, singing, acting, martial arts, etc.

For more pictures on the year closing ceremony, click here.