On  Wednesday, Nov. 13, Stuco will be hosting the second-ever International Festival in the Commons. The event is free to enter, and booths are set up for attendees to enjoy. The event will last from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will also help raise money for the Nahed Chapman New American Academy, which Stuco has been sponsoring.

“It’s a time for the community, not just the school, to experience and break down cultural, religion, and language barrier between students,” Salam Abouchleih, senior and one of the organizers of the festival said.  “It’s a lot harder to make fun of something if you have experienced it.”

The festival will include booths from FHN clubs such as DECA, who’ll be sponsoring an origami booth and Spanish club hosting their own booth. Youth groups of certain cultures and religions, such as Muslim and Hindu groups, will also be hosting their own booths. These booths will have activities, such as dancing and food being sold to raise money for the groups themselves.

“I’m helping set up and decorating the Arabic stand,” Rana Shaker, Sophmore and Stuco member said. “I got interested after I learned that it had my nationality, Palestinian, included.”

More information can be found out about the event on the FHN Stucco social media, or by asking a homeroom representative.

“Personally, this is very deep for me,” Abouchleih said. “When we moved here, we were so ashamed of who we were. This festival is for those students who are afraid of who they are, to embrace it and to show our school community that being different isn’t bad. You are unique, you can be something else.”