By Julia Raziel
The Half Hollow Hills Unity Fair that took place at High School West on Sunday, February 28th was another great success. This is a free, annual event that celebrates the diverse cultures of the Half Hollow Hills community. Families had the opportunity to explore a variety of food, play games, make arts and crafts projects, get their faces painted, and participate in various workshops, such as dance and yoga. There were also many different high school clubs set up to introduce future students to the many opportunities our high schools have to offer.
On behalf of National Art Honor Society (NAHS) and Future Educators of America, I attended the Unity Fair as a volunteer. NAHS is a unique service club for talented art students to join and is open to students in grades 10-12. NAHS members are brought together through their love of art, and they represent many unique cultures. Art is one of the main components of every culture around the world; it is what differentiates one culture from another. Future Educators of America is a club for students who are considering becoming educators or want to understand the role of a school teacher. Future Educators of America and NAHS collaborated with Amnesty International to create and decorate pinwheels to support refugees around the world. For each pinwheel created, two dollars will be donated by the Bezo’s Family Foundation (owners of amazon.com) in order to help these refugees. Pinwheels are a symbol of peace and offer hope to the refugees by raising awareness in the community.
In addition to the pinwheel creation booth set up at Unity Fair, there were many other events. Hills East Eastside Steppers performed on stage along with the High School West Step Team. Blake Duncanson, a performer from the HSE team said, “This event was a positive way to unify both high schools.” Hence, the Half Hollow Hills Unity Fair brought out the diversity here in the Half Hollow Hills community, while unifying our very large, very diverse district. It was a great way for students to experience the different elements that each school and our entire community have to offer.
Photo Courtesy of PTA Council Diversity Committee co-chairs, Gilit Stein and Michelle Cooke.
