V.S. District 24 students honor Chinese Lunar New Year

On Tuesday, February 1, Valley Stream School District 24 celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year, also commonly referred to as the Spring Festival. Each of the schools in the district incorporated lessons and activities emphasizing the rich Chinese culture and traditions of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations.

“It’s awesome to see all three schools in the district acknowledge Lunar New Year,” said Dr. Don Sturz, Superintendent of Valley Stream School District 24. “Diversity is one of the many strengths in our district and engaging our students in different cultural holidays is one of the many ways we endeavor to teach respect, understanding, and inclusiveness.”

Students in William L. Buck Elementary School celebrated the Lunar New Year by creating folded paper lanterns, tigers, and dragons in their art class. Students also participated in a Lunar New Year parade featuring the dragon masks that they created. The lanterns are said to symbolize people letting go of their past selves and creating new ones in the new year.

Robert W. Carbonaro School students celebrated by participating in a Family Heritage Project. Students interviewed family members at home to gather information about their heritage and shared this information with their classmates, including the languages spoken, climate, family traditions, native recipes, and other interesting facts about their family’s cultural background.

The Brooklyn Avenue School students enjoyed creating decorations as they celebrated the Year of the Tiger. They learned about the traditional music and symbols of the Lunar New Year and that the Year of the Tiger represents courage, strength, and resilience. 

While most often referred to as the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Lunar New Year is also celebrated in countries throughout East and Southeast Asia, including Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia, North, and South Korea. Each of the respective countries celebrates the Lunar New Year with its own traditions