Montclair Art Museum hosted AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Montclair's third annual Lunar New Year event on Saturday, January 27. At the celebration of the Year of Dragon, Montclair Public Schools’ students, along with their Mandarin teachers, participated in the event attended by MPS families, staff and administrators. The family-oriented celebration included Dragon parade with community participation, The New York Choy Lay Fut Lion Dance Team, Korean Traditional Dance of Choomnori, a Vietnamese cultural performance, local Asian food, kid-friendly crafts and activities, and unique retail vendors in a night market atmosphere.
In celebration of Lunar New Year, Mandarin Teacher Pei-Chin Liu, her Mandarin students, and the World Language Department brought the Dragon Dance to Glenfield to usher in the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon, accompanied by staff and students, danced around the building to bring good luck, prosperity, and fortune to the community for the upcoming year. The lively and dynamic movements of the Dragon are believed to dispel negative energy, bringing a harmonious start to the year. Mrs. Cohen’s first semester Drawing classes worked with Liu to create a celebratory display of Chinese Zodiac-style dragons, drawn on red paper to represent prosperity and good fortune.
Bradford’s 4th and 5th grades made two types of delicious dumplings with Nancy Loo from Dumpling Diplomacy, in honor of Lunar New Year. One was mochi with fudge and the other vegan dumplings. They made enough to share with the entire school.
Nishuane students learned about Lunar New Year and celebrated the Year of the Dragon with a dragon parade, lanterns and artwork.
Watchung had dancers from the New York Chinese Cultural Center perform the "Lion Dance Plus" assembly. The assembly was an introduction to Chinese culture featuring a diverse and authentic selection of dance, costumes, music, artifacts and historical information to immerse students in the ancient and vibrant cultures of China. Students had the opportunity to see and experience a variety of cultural dances, including the lion dance and folk dances, as well as martial arts.
