Photos by Timothy Bui
National Honor Society (NHS) hosted the annual Streetfest on Sept. 14, 2024, from 5 to 9 p.m.. Sixty seven clubs and community organizations participated in the event to promote the theme of wellness through fun activities, performances, and fireworks.
Streetfest marks the end of Stevenson Wellness Week, a week full of activities encouraging students to discuss prioritizing mental and physical wellness. During Streetfest, hundreds of students participated in activities arranged by various clubs, observed performances on the main stage, and witnessed more club performances and fireworks in the football stadium. While the entire week is calibrated to promote wellness, Streetfest has become the event that culminates the overall meaning of Wellness Week, allowing it to come to an impactful and lasting end.
“We do a number of activities with our Student Services team throughout Wellness Week on different ways to help students think about how they can promote physical and mental wellness,” NHS sponsor Jenni McBride said.“Streetfest has become that culminating event.”
To McBride, ending Wellness Week with Streetfest encourages students to not only recognize physical and mental awareness but also demonstrate awareness in their actions. In addition to promoting wellness, NHS member Enoiu ‘25 also believes that Streetfest helps students connect and interact with one another through fun games at booths set up by clubs, food, and live performances.
“Streetfest is one of the pillars that holds Stevenson together,” Enoiu said. “Streetfest is one of the most popular bonding events that Stevenson has, and, with its repetitive succession in years, we see a growing community that’s just even more vibrant than the year before.”
For Enoiu, one of the most impactful aspects of the event is how Streetfest holds more meaning especially as the event solidifies its value over time. NHS member Rithvik Velpuri ’25 is grateful for how many Streetfest activities have contributed to the exciting and friendly atmosphere.
“Streetfest is an opportunity for me and all my friends,” Velpuri said. “We get to have lots of fun with each other, we can do lots of activities like going to a booth to eat food together, and Streetfest is just a very wholesome event where we can all hang out as Stevenson students…and share this…enthusiasm and experience all together.”
In addition to hanging out with friends and interacting with the Stevenson community, some club members who ran booths also believe that club exposure is one of the prominent aspects of Streetfest. Joe Tsai ’26, Taiwanese Club executive board member, appreciates how much he has been able to promote the club while also discovering other cultural clubs like his own.
“Streetfest allows me to help with my club, and I also get to experience other cultures,” Tsai said.
In order for students like Tsai to promote their clubs at Streetfest, McBride emphasizes planning and logistics are important. All the planning that happens for Streetfest beforehand ensures a smooth execution of the event according to McBride.
“Our e-board members play a huge part in the planning and the execution of street fest,” McBride said. “As the adult sponsor, I put a lot of responsibility on them to make this event what they foresee and want it to be.”
McBride said the efforts of the NHS executive board taking charge of all communications and having a role in major decisions were key in having a successful event. This success was evident with the attendance of 2200 community members, 8 food trucks, 21 student performances, and $20,000 raised for charities such as Gift of Hope.