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New Providence students ask board to make Unity Day an annual, district-supported event
Summary
Students from New Providence High School described Unity Day’s growth to more than 300 attendees, presented a Senbazuru project and asked the Board of Education to support making the community fair an annual district-backed event in 2026.
Students from New Providence High School told the Board of Education that Unity Day has grown from a 2019 pilot to a community fair with more than 300 attendees and dozens of student-run booths.
"To us, unity is about breaking down the walls that separate us," one student presenter said, explaining that the event pairs club tables, food, music and hands-on cultural activities to introduce attendees to different backgrounds. Students described a Senbazuru (paper-crane) project — roughly 800 cranes to date — and said visitors were invited to help fold cranes at the Japanese club table.
Presenters credited early support from the NJ Sharing Network and partners including Key Success, the New Providence Diversity Committee, the United Methodist Church and the New Providence Unity Project. They asked the board for help promoting the event through school announcements and district channels so Unity Day can be established as a recurring, annual community event in 2026.
Board members and the superintendent thanked the students, presented certificates, and took a group photograph. The board did not take formal action at the meeting but the superintendent said she would work with students and staff to coordinate support ahead of the next school year.
The students’ request is scheduled to move through committee and reappear on the board calendar after the district’s January reorganization meeting; students asked for district help with publicity and logistics so the event can grow in 2026.
