Dreaming for a better future

Attendees watch a speaker at the 2016 DreamFest. The third annual DreamFest will be hosted by the Clarke Central High School Interact Club at Nuci’s Space from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 29. The event will feature performances from Canopy Studio students, student speakers and local Athens bands. Photo by Julie Alpaugh.

By CONNOR MCCAGE – Staff Writer

CCHS Interact Club members are collaborating with students and teachers from Cedar Shoals High School and North Oconee High School to host the third annual DreamFest to raise awareness and support for undocumented students.

DreamFest, a fundraiser that supports under-documented students and raises awareness about laws that discriminate against them, is being hosted by the CCHS Interact Club on April 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Nuci’s Space. The festival will feature many acts, such as a performance from Canopy Studio and several student bands.

“This year it’s more of a community-based thing,” Interact Club adviser Courtney Jones said. “Mostly students and teachers from Clarke Central, Cedar Shoals and North Oconee High Schools are all involved in hosting it this year.”

This is the first year that students and teachers from other schools have officially collaborated to host the event.

“It’s open to anybody and we want everybody to attend. The point of it is to educate the community. There’s going to be music, people speaking, and performances,” senior and DreamFest student organizer Jason Gaona said.

The money raised from DreamFest T-shirts and coloring books sold at the event will go directly to U-Lead Athens, which, according to Jones, helps undocumented students get tutoring, SAT prep and scholarship opportunities.

“There are a lot of social events, but I think DreamFest is the biggest every year and it’s all students. It’s immigrants speaking directly to the community,” Gaona said. “It’s a more powerful way to express ourselves and inform the community.”

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