Students immersed themselves in Indonesian culture at the concert. (Image credit: Pru Pole)
In short:
For the first time since the 2002 Bali bombings, students from Lefevre High School visited their sister school in Indonesia.
Students participated in a concert titled Raja Ampat to celebrate cultural awareness.
What’s next?
The school hopes that the exchange program can continue.
After 22 years of a “pause” on South Australian schools visiting Indonesia, 13 students from an Adelaide high school have ended up having a cultural experience they will never forget.
Students from Lefevre High School hosted a similar number of Indonesian students in South Africa last year, and this year they spent 12 days with their sister school, Sekolah Pilar Indonesia, located on the outskirts of Jakarta.
“I was surprised at how easy they were to speak English, especially the little kids there,” said 11th grader Alyssa Van Staveren.
“We visited some of the lower grades where there were five-year-olds who were almost fluent.
“And everyone is always so nice to everyone else.”
Le Fevre High School students greeted at Jakarta Airport. (Photo credit: Pru Pole)
Year 10 student Aislin Weir said another “amazing” difference was the traditional greetings teachers gave each student as they entered the school in the morning.
Local students will shake hands with their teachers, or place the back of the teacher’s hand on their forehead and then touch their heart to show respect for their elders.
“The way we welcome teachers here is completely different,” Aisling said, adding that she would never see the Indonesian approach in Australia.
Students participate in ‘massive’ concert
The students also went on a two-night trip to Yogyakarta.
But for most, the highlight was their participation in the Sekolah Pilar concert called Raja Ampat, which celebrated cultural awareness.
Ruby Taylor, Alyssa van Staveren, Angelique Clarkson-Hendrickson and Aisling Weir prepare for the concert. (Photo: Pru Pole)
Pru Pole, Lefebvre’s language and intercultural relations coordinator, was awarded the National Intercultural Excellence Award this week by the nonprofit Together for Humanity. She said the biennial event is “bigger than Broadway”.
“It’s pretty huge,” she said.
“Our expectation was to attend their cultural week and then their concerts on the weekends.
“We didn’t realize it was going to be this big.”
In front of a large audience including international ambassadors and Australian Embassy staff, two students sang a duet, another performed a beatbox solo and two others (whose native languages are Afrikaans and French) recited the lyrics in Indonesian during the concert.
First trip in 22 years
Until the Bali bombings in 2002, the Indonesian Lycée Pilar and Lefebvre regularly participated in an exchange program.
Eve Raeburn and Aslin Weir play traditional games with their host siblings. (Image: Pru Pole)
Indonesian students have since been able to travel to South Australia on exchange, but this is the first time the South Australian Department of Education has allowed schools to go there.
Department chief executive Professor Martin Westwell said: “I carefully considered Lefevre College’s application for a 12-day cultural exchange with our sister school, following a 22-year moratorium on visits to Indonesia by South Australian schools.
“We considered a range of factors, including how well the school is prepared for this important cultural opportunity and the readiness of students and parents.
“Ultimately, this was a well-planned, parent-supported cultural exchange that gave these 13 young people the opportunity to learn about the diverse cultures of our neighboring countries.”
Billeted with students
Ms. Boll said all students were placed with host families, each of whom had a sibling who attended Pilar High School.
Prue Pole and Pak Iwan in Indonesia. (Photo: Prue Pole)
At the request of the school, two Aboriginal students gave presentations on Aboriginal art, others gave presentations on “Australian slang”, and one group introduced Australian rules football to Indonesian students, with footballs donated by the Port Adelaide Football Club.
“They (Indonesian students) learn very quickly,” Ms Pol said.
“They did some handball and kickball and got the rules right, although it was probably more like the original (traditional Aboriginal game) Marngrook than AFL.”
School principal Kirri Minnican called it an “amazing cultural experience” for students.
“The lovely thing about Indonesia is .. it accepts any religion, any person into the country, and I think our young people have absolutely embraced that,” she said.
“Another thing I like is their celebration of learning and achievement, in Indonesia the ability to step out of your comfort zone is greatly celebrated.
“So when they come to a gathering and they’re there to talk or they’re there to learn something, they feel celebrated.”
The school hopes that the exchange program for students to visit the two countries will continue in the future.
