The World Comes Back Around: The Revival of Worldfest
Centennial’s community is ready to welcome the return of Worldfest on April 6 and transform the school into an epicenter of diverse traditions, delicious foods, and interactive workshops. The date is approaching quickly, and clubs and honors societies are already preparing for the big event. Rooms will soon be animated with booths and presentations, and students will have the opportunity to learn all about different cultures and ideologies. Attendance is not limited to students–anyone is welcome!
“We are very fortunate to live in a community that has so many diverse communities around the world represented,” Ellen Landrum, president of Centennial’s National Honors Society, mentioned. “I think Worldfest is a way that we celebrate and appreciate that.”
Worldfest has been an annual tradition for the Centennial student body; it’s a way to actively explore everyone’s intricate backgrounds and take the time to meet new faces. Although some of that Worldfest magic was lost in the virtual setting as students were unable to taste the food, watch the dances, and listen to the music firsthand, the event’s festive nature has never faltered.
“Honestly, last year I was pleasantly surprised,” NHS advisor, Danielle Holzman, said. “I think that NHS did a wonderful job of keeping the spirit alive.”
“We were still able to do presentations, Powerpoints, and Kahoots, which are different segments of breakout rooms,” Teddy Jorgensen, secretary of NHS, remembered. “We still had dignitaries come in, like Liz Walsh. Superintendent Martirano was still able to come, and we were still able to have speeches given at the beginning.”
Workshops ranged from mad libs to acai bowl recipes. Virtual Worldfest enabled the NHS board to discover what topics particularly resonated with students; “We’re getting to expand some things as well into workshops that usually wouldn’t have been a workshop last year,” Landrum stated. “So something like steel drums–they usually just do the opening music, but their workshop was so cool last year that this year, they’re going to have an entire workshop in the band room where people can come and see the steel drums, but also learn about them.” With the reintroduction of an in-person Worldfest, students and staff are more than excited to welcome new memories and begin new traditions.
“I think this is the first Worldfest where everybody, except seniors, will have had the opportunity to go to,” Jorgensen pointed out, “and for those people, this will be their first one. This will be new, so it will be novel, so it’ll be a huge turnout. They won’t have seen anything else like it.”
However, the road to a successful Worldfest isn’t necessarily smooth sailing–it will take the entire student community to really kick things into gear. There are some concerns regarding the fact that a majority of the student body has never experienced Worldfest. While some may find the unfamiliarity intriguing, others may not be inclined to sign up because they don’t know anything about it. Marketing for Worldfest has never been more crucial.
“We are going to do our best to get the word out there,” mentioned Holzman. “We really just want the student body to trust us, that this is an excellent event to see their peers and get to know some of their cultural backgrounds that they want to share.” To get the most students engaged, NHS has already released videos where the CHS community can hear about student experiences and, for the first time ever, there will be pre-sale tickets available.
Whether one is running a workshop or simply supporting friends and peers, Worldfest is a universal experience that’s open to everyone who may want to learn something brand new. Make sure to mark your calendars!
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