By Shamil Issayev ‘28
On October 15th, 2025, PoWER hosted their annual stand during the Bonfire with the intention to spread interest in the club, to fundraise by selling desserts and beverages, and to promote general cultural and geographic knowledge to different guests.
PoWER is a club founded by CV in January of the 2019-2020 school year. It stands for “People Welcoming and Empowering Races.” The club focuses on promoting global diversity, inclusion, and honoring different cultures through informational projects and discussions.
The club hosts annual cultural events at the school, such as the recent Hispanic Heritage Month. The members worked hard on creating posters, filling out informational documents, and presenting school announcements about Hispanic cultural, historical, and geographic elements, embracing the significance it has for American identity. These posters were used as decorations at their Bonfire stand.
“The Bonfire was such a fun experience and allowed me to talk to different people I have never talked to before,” said member Vanelia Tapia (12). “I worked at 2 stands, and both stands really left a good impression on me!”
The desserts and beverages sold at Bonfire were based on Hispanic, French, and Basque cuisines. Options included churros, flan, Basque cheesecakes, and tres leches cakes for $3 each. The members prepared the food diligently, made sure there would be enough for every guest, and designed it in an appealing artistic way.
“I liked how multiple people were willing to make cultural food to sell for the Bonfire,” said officer Mahider Kebede (12).
Apart from desserts, the club also sold empanadas for $4, promoting the Hispanic Heritage Month, and sold various homemade beverages for $2. Additionally, the club offered a $5 meal deal with the combination of one hot food and a drink, promoting further interest from guests and improving the sale.
“I really liked seeing the amount of diversity and how food brought everyone together, overall, making the selling and the food fun,” said member Lin Lin Toe (11).
Additionally, the fundraising included a mini game based on geographic flags, allowing any guest to participate by guessing a correct flag and winning prizes.
“This year the PoWER was divided from 2 groups to 5, and that was a big change,” said officer Acacia Pagano Green (10). “As an officer, taking on the role of running and creating social media posts is challenging but so rewarding.”
Numerous people were interested in the activities and the consumables the club members provided, leading to a successful conclusion and a positive impact on the community.