For junior Sahana Visarla who has moved between Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona nine times, MHS is the most diverse school she has attended.

In her experience, MHS is also the first school that prioritizes its diversity through events like the Festival of Nations.

The first annual Festival of Nations is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8 with the purpose of celebrating different cultures within the school and community. The event intends to promote inclusivity for immigrant families and community members.

“I’m looking forward to it, and I’m pretty sure a lot of other families of immigrants would be happy too,” Visarla said.

Visarla is taking part in Festival of Nations planning meetings and is organizing a booth to represent the nation of India at the event.

Along with a couple of friends, Visarla is planning to present a Bollywood dance. Her Bollywood dance, a type of North Indian dance, will incorporate different songs to represent the different states of India.

Visarla said she is also excited to see the other performances and booths.

“Learning more about specific cultures and their unique activities and stuff will be really interesting,” Visarla said.

Yana Dragnev, senior, serves as this year’s co-president of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI), which is helping to organize the festival along with other organizations.

Dragnev said the Festival of Nations will bring appreciation to the nuances and details of the cultures in the community.

“What comes with this is not only an understanding of cultures, but also gaining respect and understanding that takes away from negative stereotypes,” Dragnev said.

As a first-generation American with parents from Romania and Bulgaria, Dragnev said she felt a slight cultural disconnect. Speaking English in her household was the means of communication, which made assimilation part of her family, Dragnev said.

“Tapping into my origins is kind of a way for me to tap back into my culture, and I’m hoping that’s the way for other people,” Dragnev said.

Associate Principal Dr. Tracey Waeckerle said the festival is a result of listening to the students.

The social-emotional learning (SEL) survey results indicated that students said there weren’t a lot of opportunities to learn about the varying cultures at MHS.

“We always are looking for opportunities to grow and nurture ourselves,” Dr. Waeckerle said. “We’re never going to be a perfect environment, so that’s why we give those surveys for many reasons.”

Dr. Waeckerle said a lot of organizations are putting time and effort into making the event a success.

“You can just come and observe if that’s what you’re interested in,” Dr. Waeckerle said. “So no obligations, just have fun as participants.”