On February 4th, The 1A Chinese 1 class went on a trip to Theodore Schor Middle School to celebrate the Chinese New Year with the 8th graders. They also brought along some members of the PHS Band and a Dance Team for Instrumental and Dance performances for the 8th graders.

The trip started in the morning when the class, the Instrumental and Dance performers met in PHS Chinese teacher Zhèng Lǎoshī’s room to grab all materials needed and head down to the bus to arrive at Theodore Schor middle school. The bus arrived at Schor and everyone headed to the Gymnasium to set up the activities stations and short practice rehearsals for the band and dance team.

The purpose of this trip to Schor Middle School was to celebrate Chinese New Year with 8th graders and to share Chinese culture and traditions with students through fun, hands-on activities and beautiful performances. It helps students learn about Chinese customs in an engaging and meaningful way.

There were four different stations around the Gym with activities to do. Those activities stations were Chinese Calligraphy, Shuttlecock, Origami, and Chopsticks.

• Chinese Calligraphy: to explore Chinese characters and brush writing.
• Shuttlecock: a traditional Chinese game that shows how people played and exercised in the past.
• Origami: to experience traditional paper art and creativity.
• Chopsticks: to practice using chopsticks.

Each activity allowed students to learn by doing, not just by watching.

After some time of final rehearsals, The celebration started and the 8th graders came into the gym. The first thing that started was the MC opening up the event and introducing the Dragon Dance. In Chinese culture, the Dragon represents strength, power, good luck, and prosperity. The Dragon Dance is performed during important celebrations, especially Chinese New Year, to bring good fortune, drive away bad luck, and welcome a new beginning. It is one of the most important and recognizable symbols of Chinese culture.

Next up the MC talked about what the event was about, the activities they would soon be doing, and about what Chinese Zodiac this year is and the significance of the Chinese Zodiac.

The Chinese Zodiac is a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by an animal. Each animal symbolizes certain personality traits and values. This year is the Year of the Horse.

The Horse represents energy, confidence, independence, and hard work. In Chinese culture, the zodiac is often used to talk about personality, relationships, and luck for the year.

Then came the Instrumental and Dance performances, and they performed exceptionally.

After that, the 8th graders started going to the activity stations and to spend time there. There were at least 2 mentors in each station and their job was to explain what the activity was and how to play the activity. 

After a while the event was over and the 8th graders were sent back to their classes. Everyone packed up and they left the building back to Pway. 

The purpose of celebrating with the 8th graders is to introduce 8th graders to Chinese culture and to give them exposure to the high school Chinese program. By making the experience fun and interactive, we hope to encourage students to consider taking Chinese in high school next year.