Schools around our district celebrated Lunar New Year last month with a variety of special activities.
The Nishuane community celebrated Lunar New Year by wearing red to bring in the Year of the Ox. Students created hand drums, lanterns, and mandarin signs to bring good luck for the new year. Nishuane’s PTA hosted a Virtual Lunar New Year Celebration that featured students and families teaching the community about various customs for the Lunar New Year.
Students learned Kung-Fu, read zodiac animal stories, sang a Mandarin song, "Lanterns Bright,” taught by music teacher Tamam Pereira and Principal Jill McLaughlin and Assistant Principal Jazmyn Allen taught families how to write the Chinese characters for Spring (chun) and Luck (fu).
“We are so grateful for the support from the community (over 80 students, families and staff members joined the event,” said Nishuane Mandarin teacher Vicky Chang. Highlights can be found
here.
Hillside’s Cultural Infusion Committee created several activities for its Lunar New Year celebration. Students learned general information such as who celebrates Lunar New Year around the world, how long people celebrate Lunar New Year, what are the traditions and customs of Lunar New Year as well as a video showing how families celebrate. An after school program presented a deep dive look into the Lunar New year including Chinese New Year traditions and customs; the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals and related personality traits; Chinese New Year greetings and Chinese New Year rhythms/songs. Students volunteer presented the Chinese New Year rhythms/songs; and how to write “luck” in Chinese character.
In Mandarin classrooms, students were exposed to Lunar New Year cultural practices and cultural products and learned Chinese New Year rhythms/songs: “The New Year is Here” and “Lantern Festival”; the story of Chinese Zodiac animals; the Legends of Lunar New Year; Chinese New Year greetings and traditions; and Chinese Character writing.
Fifth grader David Jasper Lee and his mom Linda Kow
shared their celebration with classmates including a map, a few family traditions with photos and how to say Happy New Year in three Chinese dialects.
Students at Montclair High School engaged in a project to promote cultural knowledge in celebrating Chinese New Year. Students were given three options to commemorate the holiday: Create a photo essay to record how they celebrate Chinese New Year with their family; Perform a Chinese New Year carol based on a 1000-yr old poem. They can perform solo or form a band; Capture the joyous celebration scene portrayed in the 1000-yr poem through a painting or a series of paintings.