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Twenty middle school students partic-
ipated in the 2012 Big Dance, a huge
global dance event held in Nijmeh
Square in Downtown Beirut on May
18th - the same day the Olympic
Torch arrived to the UK. Over 1,000
students from schools across Lebanon
erupted into a choreographed and
well-rehearsed dance routine inspired
by the Olympics and provided to
the schools (through a DVD) by the
British Council. Broadcast live, they
were performing simultaneously with
thousands of others around the world.
Participants were part of an attempt to
set a new world record for the largest
dance routine across multiple venues.
Big Dance was founded in 2006 by
the Mayor of London in partnership
with Arts Council England. It is part
of London’s Legacy Trust UK pro-
gram.The school dance program aims
at increasing cross-cultural relation-
ships between participating countries
while encouraging children to adopt
a healthy lifestyle. More than two
million people have taken part in the
project since it began.
The Primary Years Program Exhibition (PYPX) was held in
May and opened to parents.The exhibition marks the last PYP
project before fifth graders graduate to the middle school.Their
final project encompasses all the skills they have been learning
since preschool, which include research, inquiry, communication,
presentation, social, writing, and IT skills. Every PYPX project is
required to have a service component. Fifth graders are divided
into groups – with a mentor (teacher or parent) assigned to each.
The Big Dance
PYP Exhibition
SUMMER
2012
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