Students in all grades at Grass Lake School District 36 recently celebrated the 15-day Lunar New Year festival. They witnessed their library transform into a red dining hall adorned with red lanterns, battery-operated tealights, books about Chinese New Year, and a large dragon protecting it all in the center of the room. School Librarian, Tracy Porch, in collaboration with Reading Specialist, Epiphany Lowe, designed an immersive experience for all ages to engage in for the first time at Grass Lake School.
January 29 marked the start of The Year of the Snake. Students learned about the Legend of the Great Race, a story from Chinese mythology that explains the order of the animal representatives in the 12-year cycle of the Lunar Calendar. They identified their own animal and compared personality traits associated with their Chinese Zodiac. There was much discussion when the students learned about the traits of their teachers!
Traditional Chinese music filled the air as golden plates of fried rice were handed out for everybody to enjoy. The catch? Chopsticks only! Quickly, the students got to work and learned tips from their elders (teachers) on how to use them. Additionally, students sampled customary oolong and chrysanthemum teas and marveled at Mrs. Lowe’s authentic Chinese tea tray that held an exquisite tea pot and beautiful color-changing marble tea pets – animal statues that change color when hot water is poured over them.
Our younger students danced with a dragon that breathed….bubbles! A roaring dragon head that looked fierce softened in the presence of our smallest but mightiest scholars! They defeated the dragon with their laughter and bubbles flew from its mouth and filled the air.
All students received red envelopes with a raised golden snake, a token of good fortune and happiness. Inside, they found special edition Brave Bucks that were of double value and designed specifically for our 2025 Lunar New Year celebration. Dancing Dragon Kits were also created and sent home with every student in the school so that they could continue the celebration with their loved ones.
Grass Lake School District 36 looks forward to continuing the celebration this year and ongoing, and reminds the community of the Multicultural Night we are having soon (keep an eye on our website for updates: gls36.org). Please join us in learning about and hosting world cultures under our GLS roof!
