SA Celebrates Lunar New Year

During the Lower School’s morning assembly on Tuesday, January 24, the students in grades PreK through 5 were treated to a special presentation and performance from the Middle School students studying Mandarin under their teacher, Ms. Shan Callaghan. A vibrant and rhythmic performance of the Lion Dance was followed by a slide presentation and video detailing the practices, dress, food, and legend of Lunar New Year. The 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac was also explained. Next, Grade 7 Mandarin students performed a Kungfu Fan Dance, then all Middle School Mandarin students, accompanied by three Lower School students, sang a Happy New Year song in Chinese. 

On Sunday, January 15, Senior School Mandarin Teacher Ms. Jing Zhou took a group of SA students to the Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Fair and Show where they volunteered with setting up, checking in attendees, ushering during performances, and more. With more than 2,000 attendees, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CASTP) and the Carnegie Museum of Art, event co-hosts, greatly appreciated the contributions of the SA students. Additionally, the students had the opportunity to practice their Mandarin language skills as they greeted and directed guests. 

Junior Logan Carlson, who is in his third year studying Mandarin at SA, was interviewed on stage during the event to discuss his volunteer experience. Logan responded, “I've always had an interest in unique world cultures, and so when my Chinese teacher mentioned this event to us in class, I realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to become involved in a community that I wouldn't otherwise be connected to. Additionally, our school places a great emphasis on service learning, and so I felt that it would be incredibly worthwhile for me to help make an event possible that is clearly so important to so many people….Easily my favorite parts have been meeting all of these incredibly diverse types of people and seeing how excited they are for today's performance. Every ‘thank you’ has felt so humbling to receive!”

Additionally, Ms. Zhou’s Senior School Mandarin students, Ms. Callaghan’s Grade 6 Mandarin class, and members of the school’s Asian Culture Club assembled 500 red “lucky bags” containing Chinese candies, cookies, and a piece of gold chocolate to be distributed to every student in the academy. This gift represents the red envelopes of money that Chinese children traditionally receive from their elders in the New Year.

Many thanks to all of the teachers in SA’s World Languages Department who go above and beyond to not only teach their respective languages, but to help the students understand and appreciate the culture and history that accompany them.