With the Year of the Dragon beginning Saturday, Feb. 10, students and school staff throughout Orange County welcomed the holiday with special assemblies, games and performances in honor of Lunar New Year.
KTLA reported that Roosevelt Elementary School transitional kindergartners performed a Lunar New Year-themed showcase for peers and their families Friday morning. Throughout the 20-minute play, students from the Mandarin Dual Language Immersion program recited traditional songs and dances.
Lunar New Year starts with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and is recognized by many countries in East and Southeast Asia including China, Vietnam and Korea. The holiday can be observed for three to 15 days while families gather to gift each other money, play games and eat traditional foods while commemorating the Year of the Dragon, symbolizing power, nobility and good luck.
Following the production, about 600 students from the Anaheim Elementary School District campus were treated to a special lion dance performance and received red envelopes for good luck. Elsewhere in the district, Korean Dual Language Immersion program students played popular Korean games and enjoyed traditional dishes with class activities led by parents and staff at Jefferson Elementary.
Ocean View School District also helped bring in the Lunar New Year earlier this week with dance performances from members of the Vietnamese American Culture Club at Westminster High School.
“We’re so proud of our young scholars,” said Roosevelt Elementary Principal Dr. Anna Bae Kim in a statement. “The presentation was not only a way to underscore the students’ proficiency in Mandarin, but it also showcases the importance of educating the greater student body about the many cultures and customs in our area.”
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- As OCDE moves ahead with the development of the Southeast Asian Model Curriculum Project, the department is inviting local communities to participate in public engagement sessions aimed at ensuring the curriculum aligns with Orange County’s diverse student needs.
- Golden View Elementary School students displayed their dedication to civic engagement by caring for their campus farm and its animals during the annual Environmental Showcase, held in partnership with organizations like OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors program.
- To assist people with visual disabilities, three seniors from Westminster High School developed an artificial intelligence-powered robotic service animal to serve as an affordable alternative to a traditional guide dog. OCDE Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ramon Miramontes recently spoke with the trio for the “College and Career Ready” video series.
- On Feb. 3, more than 30 high school teams demonstrated their academic prowess through high-intensity contests and challenges at the annual Orange County Academic Decathlon. The OCDE Newsroom captured video highlights of the popular Super Quiz Relay event.
- Through collaboration with Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee, students from Gilbert High School in the Anaheim Union High School District helped to adjust the schedule of bus route 46 in order to better suit their peers’ school and work schedules.
- Earlier this week, communities and school districts in Southern California took precaution amid heavy rainfall and wind gusts that swept across the region from Sunday through Tuesday.
- Eleven local high schoolers developed mobile platforms for social good and earned honors in the annual Congressional App Challenge — a series of regional app-development competitions hosted by U.S. Congress members.
- Students and staff from the Anaheim Elementary and Anaheim Union High school districts walked alongside community organizations and distinguished guests in the 44th annual Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival Feb. 3.
- Starting this March, the SAT will be offered exclusively in digital and “adaptive” formats to high school students throughout the U.S.
- California schools will be required to spend $2 billion in pandemic relief funds to tutor and help high-needs students bounce back from learning loss due to a recent legal settlement, according to EdSource.
- Maple Elementary School in the Fullerton School District is set to celebrate its 100-year anniversary this April.
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