Every February, Dover High School students in the Club for Intercultural Awareness spend hours preparing for the anticipated annual Cultural Fair hosted by the school all day on a Friday. Students in small groups work together to develop a semi-interactive presentation about a country of their choosing that occasionally features props, food, or even coloring sheets and small games. This year, the fair had a total of 27 different countries represented, which is more than the event has ever had before. The students who set up the booths for the Cultural Fair put so much work into their booths that is evident in the quality of the fair and the excitement of other students to tour the gym and learn from their classmates about different places around the world.

The Cultural Fair consists of students at Dover High sharing their knowledge on the country of their choosing. This is my (Lauren’s) third year doing the cultural fair, and I’ve really enjoyed it! I’ve done Zimbabwe, Italy, and this year I did the Dominican Republic. I chose to do the Dominican Republic with my sister this year because we traveled there recently and were able to share pictures from our trip. As a first-time participant in the Cultural Fair, Peyton Grafe claimed, “I believe that the Cultural Fair is a great opportunity for every student and staff member to learn about each country. I have enjoyed learning more about the world and being involved this year. It has been an honor to work with my sister, Lauren and learn more about the Dominican Republic.” My favorite part about this event besides getting to work with my sister, is getting to see how creative everyone’s boards are and trying the different foods that groups bring in. 

Unlike Lauren, I (Hallie) have never participated in the Cultural Fair, but I have enjoyed visiting the event every year. From my perspective, the cultural fair adds a much-needed glimpse of the world for Dover students who are stuck in school all day long. Kacy Ireland, a sophomore and participant in the Cultural Fair who presented the country of Scotland explained, “I wanted to be a part of the Cultural Fair because my friend invited me to do the project with her, and I thought it would be a great way to learn about other cultures. From the Culture Fair, I learned the impact that other cultures have had on our culture in the US. It was a nice experience to see where things we do in America everyday come from.” Many people don’t have the chance to travel the world in their lifetime, so having this chance to learn about so many unique places thanks to the hard work of our peers makes the experience all the more unique. I learned so many new things this year from the different booths of the Cultural Fair: I learned about the history of Edinburgh, Scotland, tried chai, a type of tea from India, and discovered that the colors of the Colombian flag (yellow for the abundance of gold, blue for their seas, and red for the blood shed for independence) have a deeper meaning. I also heard the second longest town name in the world, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (say that ten times fast!) from Wales, and was informed about the movie, Hotel Rwanda, that brings awareness to the events of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. And, last but not least, I was most surprised to find out that the story Dracula was based on a Romanian ruler who earned the title of “Vlad the Impaler.” These facts are only a small glimpse of all of the knowledge I gained from the fair, and I’m sure that next year will be even better than the last.  

It is so important that our school has a CIA club and continues with the Cultural Fair because all students should learn about the different cultures and traditions around the world. The Cultural Fair gives us an opportunity to get a feel for different lifestyles and experiences around the world and provides a look at cultural diversity due to our growing hispanic population.