Petra Acitya Christian Junior High School conducted some fun activities for the students in a series of cultural festival called Petra Acitya Cultural Festival that was held from October 8th to 13th, 2020. During the festival, the students were enjoying some activities related to Korean, Chinese, Indonesian and English Language and Culture. The festival became more interesting as the students performed their group project which combined dancing, music and monologue about some Indonesian traditional songs. Moreover, the students were able to broaden their cultural knowledge as King Sejong Institute (KSI) and American College Testing (ACT) participated in Petra Acitya Cultural Festival as well.
Korean Day was held on the first day of Petra Acitya Cultural Festival, which was on October 8th, 2020. Charlene Elisabeth P opened the festival and Keyzia Setyawan led the prayer in Korean. After that, King Sejong Institute shared their Korean Language program and conducted a talk show with Mr Park Seung-Chan who had lived in Indonesia for several years. He presented Korean ethics and values, traditional cuisines, architectures, and festivals. Moreover, Mr Park Seung Chan also shared his experience about the conscription in South Korea. Through the talk show, the students were able to learn more about Korean cultures and identify the similarities and differences of Korean and Indonesian cultures. After that, the students participated in Kahoot! Competition to see who had the best knowledge about Korean cultures and enjoyed the performances of K-Pop Dance Cover finalists. It was a fun day as the students were really enthusiastic to join all of the activities in Korean Day.
On the following day, October 9th, 2020, the teachers and students of Petra Acitya celebrated Chinese Day. The festival started with virtual tours to some historical places in China such as Emperor Qin Shi-huang’s Mausoleum Site Museum, The Great Wall of China, and The Forbidden City. The students were amazed by the details of Terracotta Army and able to learn that they were made to accompany the first emperor of China in the afterlife. The virtual tour continued to The Great Wall where the student could enjoy its awesome view from above and understand its function in the past. Their journey ended in The Forbidden City where they could explore the beauty of Chinese imperial architecture. After enjoying the virtual tour, the students were displayed the review of some Chinese traditional snacks and learned some fun facts and stories about those snacks. The next activity was the inspiring talk show presented by lao shi Jessica Nondolesmono, B. Ed., M.TCSOL. where the students could get some insight of studying in China. The great day was ended by the performances of Mandarin Singing Contest finalists.
The next event was Indonesian Day and it was held on Monday, October 12th, 2020. It was opened by Raphaniel Mischa’s Javanese greetings and an inspiring wayang performance which was presented by Ms. Eva Zahora, S.Si., M.M. The festival continued with Javanese lettering finalists’ artwork virtual exhibition and Indonesian story telling finalist performance. The excitement of Petra Acitya Cultural Festival increased when the virtual art performances began. Some Indonesian traditional songs such as Yamko Rambe Yamko, Manuk Dadali, Kampuang Nan Jauh di Mato, Ampar-Ampar Pisang, O Ina Ni Keke, and Butet were presented with music, monologue, and traditional dance which were prepared and performed by the students. The performances were not only enjoyed by all teachers and students of Petra Acitya. Mr. Kasmuri, S.Pd. and Ms. Melia Santoso, S.Pd. from PPPK Petra Directorate of Education also watched the art performance and gave the students some advice and encouragement.
English Day, which was held on October 13th, 2020, was the last day of Petra Acitya Cultural Festival. The festival started with a talk show presented by Mr. Agustinus Dias S., S.Pd., M.S. and Mr. Albertus Ronny R., S.Pd., with Mr. Keith Tang, ACT Regional Academic Manager, as the keynote speaker. The discussion was about the role of ACT in providing the skills that are needed in 21st century and the role of English in order to be a global citizen for Petra Acitya students. Mr Keith emphasized the importance of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking in order to be successful in this era. After the talk show, the students enjoyed the presentations about unique cultures around the world by the finalists of Public Speaking Competition. At the end, Petra Acitya Cultural Festival were closed by students’ virtual performing arts online voting from the audience.
Through this event, Petra Acitya could expand students’ knowledge through fun learning and activities. As there are four major skills that are needed in order to be successful in the 21st century, Petra Acitya could provide such opportunity for the students. They were able to develop their communicative and collaborative skills by doing multidisciplinary teamwork in the preparation and finishing their virtual art performance. The students were also encouraged to be creative and confident in showing their talents to their friends, teachers and relatives in their performances during Petra Acitya Cultural Festival.
