WILMINGTON — The Wilmington City Schools (WCS) district will present a celebration of cultural diversity, and the evening event on Thursday, Sept. 20 is free and open to the public.
The WCS Diversity Committee is hosting the event.
There will be international booths with food, Japanese calligraphy and origami, Native American heritage, and Latin American heritage.
Students, staff, and community members will provide performances through song, music and puppets.
In addition, Scott Fortune of Fortune International Seminars will be the keynote speaker. Reared in Wilmington, Fortune has served in the U.S. Army for more than 28 years and continues to serve on active-duty status today as a senior Army non-commissioned officer.
WCS Superintendent Melinda “Mindy” McCarty-Stewart said, “The event’s theme is ‘I Am Wilmington’ — to promote the unity of our school and community, and to celebrate our cultural backgrounds. We see diversity as a strength.”
A post on the WCS website states, “A core belief of the Wilmington City Schools district is that all students should be prepared to work in a diverse world. We hope you’ll join us as we begin the school year with a celebration of cultural diversity in our schools and our community.”
The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 20 in the Wilmington High School auditeria, 300 Richardson Place in Wilmington.
Katelyn Wolary designed the event logo. She graduated from Wilmington in 2013. She also graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 2017.
The WCS website’s Diversity Committee page states, “The district recognizes and values the interconnectedness of humanity and looks to the staff to lead this initiative. Our vision is as follows: All people will be treated with equality, dignity, and respect; all students will be educated to understand, accept and value all members of the world community; and the community at large will join with us in support of this mission.”
Members of the Diversity Committee include business owners, school board members, parents, teachers, a pastor, a youth worker, a medical professional, a supervision officer with the local drug court, and concerned community members, according to the website.
Members listed on the website are Abbie Beam, Marty Beaugard Sr., Art Brooks, Eric Guindon, Eleanor Harris, Karen Jones, Marque Jones, Dr. William Kennedy, Claudia Martini-Garlo, Byron McGee, Chip Murdock, KáShira Myburgh, Stephanie Nelson, Ron Sexton, Tammy Sexton, Kevin Snarr, Sigrid Solomon, Digna Taveras and Milt Thompson.
