Shelly Justin, head of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) committee at MHS, is taking a film class at Washington University and wanted to bring the film experience to MHS.

“I want kids to have the opportunity to watch films not only for entertainment, but also education and to experience diversity,” Justin said.

The first film, “Coco,” will be played in the Flex Room during Ac Lab both mods Oct. 24 and 26. Popcorn and extra educational information will be provided during the movie, and students can take a survey after to be entered into a candy bag drawing. To attend the film festival, students can sign up for Ac Lab in the flex room through Infinite Campus.

Justin said “Coco” was chosen for the month of October because the Day of the Dead (Nov. 2) is related to the movie and celebrates Mexican culture. 

“I hope students will get to experience other cultures and become more curious about different places in the world,” Justin said.

The festival will be held each month and highlight many different cultures through the movies. Specifically, Justin said she would like to feature movies in foreign languages like Spanish and French.

“Not every kid has gotten the chance to watch a foreign movie, so there is going to be an educational component there too,” Justin said.

Nailah Bonner, senior, heard about the film festival during her Black Lit class with Justin.

Being part of DEI, Bonner said she finds importance in educating peers about the different cultures present at MHS.

“I feel like it’s really important for students here at MHS not only is it a good time to see movies but it is a good time to experience and dive into other cultures through film,” Bonner said. 

As a helper of the festival, Bonner’s roles include promoting the event, and setting it up by passing out food and helping to seat people. Bonner said she has made efforts to spread the word by talking to many different people in her classes about the event and hopes to continue this idea even after high school. 

“I plan to take this with me to college if they don’t have it, and being able to not only have it here but have that sense of educating more people about other cultures in different ways,” Bonner said. 

Shawn McAteer, secondary resource teacher, learned about the festival after receiving an informational email that Justin sent to staff on Monday, Oct 17.

“I think it’s interesting and exciting that we are providing some opportunities through Ac Lab for kids to have enrichment activities where they can explore different ideas by choice,” McAteer said. 

McAteer told one of her virtual students about the festival because she said that it would provide them with a chance to get integrated back into the building in a low stress environment.

Overall, McAteer is among many teachers who are optimistic about the success of Justin’s idea, and said she thinks students will absolutely find benefits from the festival.

“Hopefully it will open up the door to some conversations that we normally don’t get to work into our curriculum to expose kids to different ideas or different ways of seeing and thinking about things,” Mcateer said.