The school will be holding its third annual cultural fair, “Celebrate Marcus” on March 30 during first and second period.
Event organizer and Student Advisory Group Sponsor Lori Dodson says that the fair gives a voice to the different cultures represented on campus.
“It just gives them a chance to share information about their culture, whether it be music, food, the language, just things about that that students might not otherwise know,” Dodson said.
According to fellow club sponsor and event organizer Nema House, there are 29 different languages and 45 birth countries represented among the student population. The fair will give students the opportunity to share their cultures at booths.
Senior Suhani Gajera plans on sharing her culture at a booth this year after enjoying it as a sophomore.
“It was really exciting, I got to wear my cultural attire to school, which was really fun because I got to dress up,” Gajera said.
Gajera’s parents immigrated from Gujarat, a western state in India. She will be talking about the religious and cultural traditions and customs of Gujarati weddings.
“Everyone kind of knows that it’s almost like a week-long celebration but they don’t know what it comprises,” Gajera said. “There’s a lot of customs and traditions that are not only religious and serious, obviously, but also really fun.”
The event has been organized primarily by students in a committee in the Student Advisory Group.
“We just serve to support them as they are organizing this for the students,” House said.
The annual event has been canceled the past two years due to COVID. Some of the committee members are underclassmen, and most did not participate in planning Celebrate Marcus in the years before.
“We didn’t know what to do because I mean like none of us have really experienced it,” Student Advisory Group member and sophomore Jace Bardwell said. “It’s a gamble. You’re guessing and just seeing what works and what doesn’t.”
After a couple weeks went by, the group buckled down to plan an event that represents their vision.
“Diversity is definitely the biggest thing that we want to show,” Bardwell said. “Like, ‘Hey, you are who you are, and we want you to show everybody and be proud of it.'”
