Led by the Student Council, the 2021 celebration of December Baskets, ISY’s long-running annual tradition, took place between the 6th and the 17th of December. This time, the ISY community saw a slight change in the way the December Baskets’ celebration was held. To learn more about it, Global interviewed the leaders of the Student Council who shared some heartfelt information about December Baskets.
Would you like to explain what December Baskets is and what its purpose is to those who are new to it?
December Baskets are an annual event where the ISY community gathers to show gratitude and respect to the school staff. I remember it being a large part of the school year ever since I was in the 3rd grade (though I’m not sure when exactly the tradition started). The purpose of the event when it started was to help the local staff by providing necessities in December as a gift, but I think, at its core, it’s more about the community the school has as well as the gratitude and respect the students, parents, teachers, etc. wish to show to the staff.
It seems that the 2021 December Baskets took place a little differently from what we see traditionally. Can you share a little bit about it?
Yes, this year, the December baskets have evolved into December appreciation gifts with longyis due to the changing circumstances of local staff in Myanmar that we discussed with the school administration. In many ways, the lockdown has given us a clean slate to reassess traditions and how to best help the community.
Who was involved in organizing the 2021 December Baskets?
It was only STUCO who organized it, but many parents, teachers, and students were able to help a lot by donating!
Were there any challenges this time?
Yes, there were challenges. The main challenge was creating a smooth transition between what December Baskets used to mean and what it should mean now.
How did you distribute the gifts?
A small group of student council representatives went to school to distribute the gifts to the staff members. Student council representatives from each grade went to school to distribute the December Appreciation gifts to the staff members.
How do you feel about the significance of the December Basket?
Along with Fun Fair and International Day, December Baskets is one of the oldest traditions at ISY. We felt that maintaining this tradition was so important because it was the students’, teachers’ and parents’ way of showing their gratitude and respect to the staff members who take care of the school. The act of giving gift baskets to the people we are thankful for is also a traditional Burmese way of showing gratitude and so the December Baskets felt especially meaningful because the community is united every year to show our appreciation for our staff.
By STUCO
Published by Global
