Amid a festive assembly full of colorful lions, drums, and yo-yos, Chinese New Year was celebrated in Upper School last week. Leading up to the Chinese New Year assembly, red lanterns and banners with Chinese calligraphy could be found throughout the halls of Upper School. Last Friday, students gathered in Brauer Auditorium for the annual Chinese New Year celebration per tradition.
The assembly, orchestrated by Lily Childs, Upper School Mandarin Teacher, included a moving lion dance accompanied by the beat of student drumming. Six students participated in the lion dance. They learned from instructor Xing Xue who runs St. Louis Shaolin Kungfu School. They completed nine, one-hour practices since mid-November to get ready for the special assembly.
The following students were part of the lion dance and music performance which can be seen in the video below:
- Carson James ’22
- Noah Kleinlehrer ’22
- Camden Miller ’24
- Jeremiah Clay ’24
- Jada Greer ’24
- Ellie Ilko-Stiehr ’25
- Frank Ragone ’22 (drummer)
- Louis Niemeyer ’24 (drummer)
“The lion dance performance has become one highlight during the school assembly since 2015 to celebrate the Chinese New Year with our community,” Childs shared. “In addition to the lion dance, ASA (Asian Students Association) had a presentation during assembly, hosted a scavenger hunt for the red envelope (for good luck), and put up decorations on campus. Also, Chinese students made the new year posters displayed in the cafeteria.”
At the end of the dance, Head of School Jay Rainey presented a red envelope to the lion dancers, symbolizing good luck for the new year. Then, students enjoyed a special performance by YoWU, Washington University’s yo-yo club. MICDS students were in awe of both performances!
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2022 is the year of the tiger. The official new year in Chinese culture began on February 1, 2022. Most celebrate the special occasion that marks a fresh beginning by being together as a family. How fun it was to celebrate the year of the tiger with our MICDS family!