JACKSON TWP. ‒ A pair of Jackson High School freshmen are hosting a cultural celebration this weekend, saying they want the community to embrace the different cultures that make up Stark County.
“We wanted to showcase all culture but at the same time we want it to have meaning,” said 15-year-old Conner Barnes, who organized the event along with friend Aarit Koul.
The Jackson Cultural Celebration, which is free to attend, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. May 16 at Jackson High School, 7600 Fulton Drive NW.
Aarit and Conner were part of a community project last school year that brought a version of this year’s event to the Nash Family Amphitheater.
But the event didn’t go as planned.
“We were eighth graders,” Aarit, 15, said. “We had never undertaken a project like this. There were a lot of things that went into it.”
Their biggest obstacle last year — the weather. It rained, forcing the group to cancel the event as it was getting started.
While members of the previous committee were no longer interested in pursuing the cultural celebration, the best friends thought it was worth bringing back.
In August, they began exploring what the 2026 Jackson Cultural Celebration would look like. Their mission is to embrace, showcase, educate and celebrate all cultures within the community.
The duo wanted the event to be fun, but they wanted visitors to be enriched.
“The most important thing about the event is impact,” Conner said. “We want to take the spirit of celebration and for it to have a ripple effect and spread love.”
The first thing they did was move the event indoors.
“We had everything we needed here (at the high school),” Conner said.
While the celebration is not school-sponsored, it is school-supported.
Assistant Principal Joseph Knopick has helped the boys along the way.
“Aarit and Conner are two of the most highly motivated freshmen students I have ever worked with,” he said. “They came into Jackson High School this year and hit the ground running — organizing, planning and building support for an event that reflects both leadership and heart. Their vision was to create an event that brings people of different cultures and backgrounds together to celebrate the diversity that makes Jackson Township such a special community.
“With the generous financial support of the Jackson Township Rotary Club, they have been able to help bring keynote speakers to this celebration. As Jackson Academy for Global Studies students, Aarit and Conner are showing what it means to turn an idea into action. Their work is a powerful example of student leadership, cultural understanding and community pride.”
The Jackson Township Rotary Club funded the event with a $600 donation.
The boys enlisted the advice of organizers of local events such as the Greek Fest, Italian-American Fest and Hispanic celebrations.
The event includes a lineup of speakers and entertainment to showcase different cultures.
Visitors can enjoy the St. Haralambos Hellenic Dancers, The Okantah Brothers and EN-RICH-MENT Steelband and En-Corps on stage in the Jackson Center for Performing Arts.
Speakers include Joanna Escobar, CEO and president of nonprofit Stark, ¡Sí Se Puede! and founder of the Canton Latino Festival; Malone University’s multicultural services Director Andrea Ramsey; and Tameka Ellington, curator of Black history at the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum.
“A big part of this is (the event) is free,” Aarit said. “It’s made possible by the community, volunteers and organizations (participating). It will bring us all together and serve all community members regardless of their affiliation.”
In addition to the speakers and entertainment, guests can enjoy cultural games and learn more about different cultures through educational booths.
Besides community organizations, Jackson High School’s Spanish, French and Chinese clubs, as well as coordinating honor societies, will attend.
The Massillon Museum will be on hand with an art station.
And the high school culinary department donated biscotti and Hungarian cookies called kiffles — a tender pastry filled with nuts, fruit preserves or poppy seeds.
Food will be for sale from various food trucks lined up near the entrance of the high school.
The pair said they tried to represent as many cultures as they could. They hope to add more in coming years.
“We want all types of people from young to old and in between to enjoy the event,” Conner said.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Leadership and heart.’ Jackson High friends organize cultural celebration
Reporting by Amy L. Knapp, Massillon Independent / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
