Lunar New Year at Post Oak

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon! Post Oak experienced a morning of festivities to mark the beginning of the new lunar year. Students arrived at school to find red envelopes awaiting them. The traditional envelopes, typically with gifts of money, were stuffed with sweets for them to enjoy throughout the day. The student-led Celebrations Committee strung lanterns and decor across the campus to adorn the school in red and gold, the lucky colors of Lunar New Year. 

Competitive spirit filled the air as students joined their advisories for the annual chopstick race. The basketball court had been prepared for the race with tables covered in snacks and boxes.

Salem Advisory Celebrating! (Photo: Max Frankel)

Advisories competed with one another to see who could grab, pass, and place particular food items into designated boxes. Students ran across the court with snacks, ranging from shrimp chips to rice crackers, clenched between chopsticks. The snack was passed through a chain of students from the same advisory until it ended up in the right box. As the race carried on, advisories were either eliminated or advanced, until Dr. Tony Salem’s advisory was victorious, breaking the streak of former winning advisories!

Students from the Zhou and Cobos advisories passing snacks in the chopstick race. (Photo: Max Frankel)

Students who take Mandarin class know what an auspicious and significant holiday this is for several Asian cultures. Their knowledge of the Lunar Calendar and familiarity with aspects of Chinese culture gave them further appreciation for the Lunar New Year. While the celebration was not traditional, it gave students a taste of the joyous emotions that this time of year brings in many countries and households. This celebration continues Post Oak’s commitment to embracing cultural diversity and teaching its students to respect traditions outside their own culture.