Miss America to appear at Stevenson’s World’s Fair
Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri — the first Indian-American woman to wear the national crown — will be an honored guest and speaker at the Stevenson High School World’s Fair Saturday, Jan. 25.
World’s Fair, an annual event hosted by the student club Diversity Council, is Stevenson’s celebration of countries, cultures, and cuisines. World’s Fair 2014 will take place Jan. 25 and 26 in the commons areas of the SHS West Building. Visitors should park in Lot B and enter at the “Point” entrance. Stevenson High School is at 1 Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire.
Student-led booths featuring cultures and cuisines will be open both days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event then culminates both days with a 3 p.m. student cultural performance showcase in the Performing Arts Center.
Admission to World’s Fair is free and open to the public, except for the Saturday performance, which includes the Miss America presentation.
Tickets to the Saturday 3 p.m. performance are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased in advance at tinyurl.com/WorldsFair2014 and at the door if available (check the website for availability). The Sunday 3 p.m. student cultural performance is free.
Throughout the day on Jan. 25, Davuluri will help students raise funds for the global women’s education charity Circle of Women by taking photographs with visitors and signing autographs. At the end of the student cultural performance that afternoon, Davuluri will speak about cultural diversity and answer questions.
Diversity Council co-sponsor Greg Diethrich explained that “the students and teachers involved in World’s Fair felt that bringing Nina to Stevenson would strongly enhance the event’s message of diversity and cultural understanding and respect.”
In fact, during the Miss America competition, Davuluri’s platform was “Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency.” For the talent portion of the competition, she performed classic Indian dances fused with popular Bollywood styles.
The Stevenson High School World’s Fair is a two-day celebration with the goal of increasing understanding and appreciation of countries and cultures from around the world. In particular, the event promotes diversity and celebrates the many cultures that make up the Stevenson community.
World’s Fair also offers a chance for Stevenson students to showcase the country of their heritage or a culture in which they have an interest. Students use their creativity to produce elaborate booths representing the countries they have selected.
These exhibits include art, artifacts, videos, clothes, food and more from the various countries. Food is a special attraction of World’s Fair, with students and their families cooking and selling delicacies from around the globe.
Visitors can buy tickets for 50 cents each to purchase food at the booths. Each day closes with student groups performing music and dance from their cultures to a packed Performing Arts Center.
The event also serves as an important charity fundraiser. Any proceeds raised are donated each year to a charity researched and selected by Diversity Council students. This year’s beneficiary will be Circle of Women, an organization whose mission is to mobilize students to provide access to education for girls without it. Visit circleofwomen.org.
For more information on World’s Fair, contact Diversity Council sponsor Greg Diethrich at gdiethrich@d125.org or (847) 415-4465.