The Portland Public Schools Multilingual & Multicultural Center is thrilled to announce that Rock Around the World is back – for the first time since the pandemic! Tickets to this event are limited! To reserve your ticket(s) and to learn more, please visit www.portlandschools.org/rock!

Rock Around the World, which will take place from 7-11pm on Friday, April 26, will be a fabulous night of international dancing, music, and cuisine at the city of Portland’s Ocean Gateway terminal. Hosted by the Multilingual & Multicultural center, our 12th annual Rock Around the World will kick off with a silent auction featuring items and experiences generously donated by Southern Maine community members and businesses. With delicious hors d’oeuvres from around the world, dance instruction from 10 sensational performers, a 50/50 raffle, and the dynamic musical stylings of DJ Our Latin Thing, this is a unique opportunity you don’t want to miss! All proceeds raised from Rock Around the World will benefit multilingual students enrolled in our college-readiness Make It Happen Program.

The Make It Happen program, founded in 2007, serves language minority students across Portland’s public middle and high schools, providing enrichment opportunities, college admissions support, and personalized and structured academic coaching. Make It Happen is crucial to helping students raise and realize their academic aspirations – and many of the program’s graduates are the first in their families to attend an institute of higher education. In 2021, Make It Happen was the Grand Prize winner of the National School Board Association’s Magna Awards, which honor districts across the country for programs with proven results that advance equity and break down barriers for underserved students.

We hope you’ll join us in fostering equity in our schools, and ensuring that our transformative Make It Happen program remains successful!