Wakefield recently hosted the annual Multi-Cultural Festival on March 6, 2015 from 6 to 9 PM.  The success of the event was made possible by its coordinators, Jessica Martz and Amber Horton. The National Achiever’s Society of Wakefield High School also played a large role in making this festival a success. The festival presented an array of cultures that provided students with information about cultures they were unfamiliar with. More importantly, the event was entertaining and enjoyable for many people in the Wakefield community.

“Wakefield High School and the community is very diverse,” said Jessica Martz, Coordinator of this year’s Multi-Cultural Festival. “We want to bring everyone out to the festival to educate them on different cultures.”

The Multi-Cultural Festival has been around for many years, but took a break for a couple years.

“The culture festival went on for a couple years back in 2009 and 2010,” said Martz. “This is the third year in a row that we have had the culture festival back.”

The decision to have a festival like this one came about because of the diverse community that Wakefield has. It is important for everyone to be educated on the different cultures that are present in our community.

“We wanted to celebrate the diversity of the community,” said McKenzie McIntosh, junior and Multi-Cultural Festival participant. “It is important because a lot of people may not be used to different cultures, different foods, and different traditions.”

This year’s festival was a definite success. Many people attended and enjoyed the fun activities, guest speakers, and foods.

“The food went out a lot faster this year compared to other years,” said McIntosh. “The entertainment this year had a lot more variety as well.”

Many cultures around the world were represented at the festival. This includes European, Asian, Latino and African cultures.

“It is great for people to be able to see the different aspects of certain cultures,” said Kaleenda Vickers, junior and Multi-Cultural Festival participant. “The festival has given me a different outlook on life and it has opened my mind to new ideas.”

Many hours of planning and preparation went into making this event possible. Groups of volunteers from the National Achievers Society, KEY Club, and other clubs at Wakefield High School set up booths and designed posters to promote different cultures. To get people to attend the festival, many hours went into advertising the event in a positive and entertaining way.

“Last year I was not a part of a club but I still attended the festival,” said Vickers. “I felt like this year’s festival had the same success, if not better than last year’s success.”

The festival has had a large impact on students in the Wakefield community. Many students have learned a lot about the different cultures they are surrounded by everyday.

“I think for the students, the festival builds unity within the community,” said Martz. “The festival also shows appreciation for all different groups of people, and students learn to respect other cultures.”