The deep-rooted tradition of the AAT Day in GZAAT is finally back, after 3-year-long hiatus.
As everyone knows, because of the covid regulations, along with many beloved activities that served as traditions for years in our school, the AAT Day also had to be shut down for a while. However, this year, the current circumstances allow us to restore these activities, including arguably the most popular custom: the AAT Day. But, it must be noted that nobody knows what to expect, since neither of the grades have ever participated in this festivity. Well, except for twelfth graders who’ve seen it once.
To shed light on the concept behind it, Mr. Cruz explained in an interview the name: “AAT Day” was actually invented by students. The day that the whole school celebrates is actually called Founders Day and it is characterised by two parts. The first part is the morning when the whole school gathers to project the film of the American Academy and give testimonies about how the school was founded. This time is dedicated to the remembrance of the history of the school and the founders: Guivy Zaldastanishvili and Donald Thomas. The seniors also get the opportunity to visit Guivy Zaldastanishvili’s grave to pay their respects. And only towards the afternoon is what the students call AAT Day, which is when different grade levels present some sort of performance, for the other students and for their families.
When asked about the importance of this day, Mr. Cruz responded that it held a huge significance for him, especially this year: “All the students need to know the history of our school. Now, because of the Covid pandemic and also because we didn’t have the auditorium until now, we have not been able to communicate this to you, as we used to a few years ago”. Mr. Cruz also talked about the importance of the fact that this activity gives the students an opportunity to do something celebratory. But he made a confession that he never enjoys it as much: “But hopefully this year I’m going to finally like it because this year it is not going to be a competition”.
Finally, Mr. Cruz gave us one suggestion that could help the students prepare for the performances. He said that the most important part is that whatever we do is authentic. As he explained, in some previous cases, the obsession the students got about the AAT Day was not to participate. It was to win. Spending insane amounts of money on professional choreographers and absurd equipment, doesn’t result in something created by the students. It is created by somebody else. What is truly interesting to see is what the students have to offer with their teamwork and creativity: “Of course, there have been some cases in the past when the students decided to do everything on their own. Yes, it was more primitive than other performances, but for me, it was so much more enjoyable. And by the way, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a dance. It can be a pantomime, a theatre play, a concert, or anything we can think of”.
But for now, we wish everyone luck and see you all tomorrow!
Edited by: Natashka Nakaidze