On Wednesday ahead of Lunar New Year, Westridge hosted celebrations all across campus--from a Lower School-led dragon dance to activity and cultural experience booths and so much more! Read on for more about the celebration:

• DRAGON DANCE: To kick off the festivities, Lower School's Student Activities Leadership Council (SALC) performed a traditional dragon dance in front of their Middle and Upper School peers. In Chinese culture, the dance is believed to frighten away evil spirits and bad luck, instead bringing good fortune. The pearl, which is held by the performer in front, represents the wisdom the dragon chases throughout the dance. "The dragon symbolizes power, and many of us consider ourselves as descendants of the dragon which is a sign of our ethnic identity," said Middle School Mandarin Teacher Lily Shang.

• CLASS PRESENTATION: Fifth graders had the opportunity to hear from Rachel Y. ’31 and her parents about Chinese traditions! Rachel shared the origin story of Lunar New Year with the legend of the fierce beast Nian. Her dad then taught the class to write the simplified Mandarin Chinese character fu, which means good luck and fortune, using ink, calligraphy brush pens, and red paper. At the end, students were gifted red envelopes!
• CELEBRATION: During lunch, tables staffed by students and parents lined Madeline Court, inviting all to try their hand at Chinese calligraphy, Peking Opera mask painting, paper cutting, and other activities. Chinese Affinity, Dynamix in Art Club, Generations Free Club, Korean Affinity, and Taiwanese Affinity were also on hand with informative displays and treats including the ever-popular tanghulu (candied fruit skewer), boba, sponge cake, popcorn chicken, ramen, and sotteok sotteok (rice cake and sausage skewers). Special shout out to Isabel H. '26 and Kristen D. '25, Manon and Kanon I. '26, and Alicia K. '26 for their wonderful dance and kung fu performances!
• PROJECT DISPLAYS: Also on display were projects done by 7th and 8th graders in Shang's class.
  • 7th Grade—The 7th graders researched and put together posters about topics related to the new year, which were also presented in class. They also did a Zodiac plate, in which they created a spin plate to present information about the Zodiac including the animal they were assigned, the years, characteristics, and a good-luck phrase.
  • 8th Grade—The 8th graders also completed two projects: reunion dinner plates and a 3D-printed dragon! For the plates, students researched their cultural significance then used everyday items such as paper, ribbon, and clay to fashion into food to go on the reunion plates. (Reunion dinners are held on Lunar New Year Eve, providing an opportunity for loved ones to get together and wish each other good fortune.) The foods themselves have meaning; for example, students added dumplings symbolizing wealth and prosperity as well as oranges for good fortune. In the second project, students collaborated with STEAMWork Design Coordinator Mick Lorusso to study, design, and create the dragon! Individually and in groups, students designed the different parts of the dragon using taking into consideration the shape of a dragon and common colors/patterns in Chinese culture. Once the parts were printed, they worked with tools to chip away at the excess material, painted on designs, and connected the parts to create a dragon (complete with a pearl to lead it!).

"The most important aspect of this celebration is that the students created their own expression of what this celebration meant for them," said Shang. "They created every component of this celebration and this is the true embodiment of what it means to celebrate Lunar New Year--a reawakening and discovery of who we are. New Year is a time of discovery and an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our culture and our heritage while embracing who we are as citizens of our planet." Upper School Mandarin Teacher Annie Choi, who helped planned the festivities with Shang, said she was overjoyed to see that the holiday fostered a sense of belonging for heritage students and speakers, and offered a glimpse into authentic Lunar New Year celebrations for the entire community.

See photos from the day here. A big thank you to all the students, parents, and faculty/staff who made this celebration possible. To all who celebrate, we wish you a happy new year and joyful Year of the Dragon!

Listen to our Lunar New Year playlist, created by Upper School Mandarin Teacher Annie Choi: