See how this Staten Island school instills a ‘sense of belonging’ through an annual celebration

Editors Note: The author of this article is a Staten Island Academy student who participates in the Advance/SILive.com High School Journalism Immersion program. She did the writing and research for this piece. She also handled the photos, along with staff reporter Priya Shahi. The High School Journalism Immersion is designed to help young people explore the world of community journalism.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island Academy recently hosted its annual school-wide Chinese Lunar New Year celebration on its Todt Hill campus, featuring traditional Chinese food, a lion dance performance and more.

“I think celebrating the Chinese New Year is a very meaningful thing. It helps everyone better understand Chinese culture, and it makes me feel warm in experiencing traditions from home in a foreign environment,” said En Cheng (Harry) Ning, a sophomore international student.

In Chinese culture, there are 12 zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Many celebrations and traditions of Chinese Lunar New Year have rich symbolic meanings. In Chinese mythology, at the beginning of every new year, a monster named Nian would attack villagers. After learning that Nian feared the color red, bright lights and loud noises, the villagers would light bright red lanterns, hang red scrolls and launch fireworks.

Having a large international student population from China, Staten Island Academy students from Pre-K3 to 12th grade all celebrated Chinese Lunar New Year this year. The theme of Staten Island Academy’s annual fundraising gala, hosted earlier this month, was also “Year of the Dragon.”

As part of the school-wide observance, high school Mandarin learners read books about the origin story of the zodiacs to the younger grades, and many bulletin boards around the school featured Chinese Lunar New Year-related work.