Parents band together to celebrate Lunar New Year

A group of parents and volunteers came together to help several schools in the Poway Unified School District celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The parents, who are members of the PUSD Parents Group, an organization that aims to strengthen the voice of the community, brought the Lunar New Year celebration to seven elementary schools and two high schools in the district for a week starting Monday, Feb. 8.

“It’s been amazing this year,” said Cathy Hou, who led organizing the Lunar New Year event and also leads the PUSD Parents Group’s library team. “Parents have been supportive (of the event).”

Jessica Xu, another member of the PUSD Parents Group who worked on organizing and implementing the Lunar New Year celebrations, said the group put on the event for two reasons.

The first was for cultural awareness. “Asian is the second largest racial group in PUSD. The media seems to have no idea of this fact. The overwhelming support from the parent community has demonstrated a strong desire to change such invisibility,” said Xu in an email.

The second reason was to raise support for a potential Mandarin immersion program at Adobe Bluffs Elementary.

The seven elementary schools that held Lunar New Year events were Stone Ranch, Park Village, Deer Canyon, Adobe Bluffs, Monterey Ridge, Canyon View and Design 39 Campus.

Westview High and Rancho Bernardo High schools also held Lunar New Year celebrations.

Parents donated decorations that were displayed in the school libraries, focusing on Chinese culture, and made informational posters about the Lunar New Year that were displayed to help educate students about the holiday.

Some schools took things further, with musical performances, talent shows and craft projects.

Stone Ranch Elementary’s celebration included musical performances and a talent show. The Hope Junior Orchestra performed the song “Jasmine Flower,” a traditional Chinese song, and the Grace School Choir sang “Happy New Year.”

At Park Village Elementary, parents put on a craft helping students to celebrate the Year of the Monkey. “The parents did a lot of work,” said Hou. “They put up a craft table after school for two days and provided all the materials.”

Hou said the event drew great feedback from parents, teachers, administrators and students, many of whom were unfamiliar with Lunar New Year and its traditions beforehand.

“Through this event, we saw a lot of parents volunteering, and a lot of non-Asian students learning and appreciating Lunar New Year and Chinese culture,” said Hou. “We’ve heard feedback that parents want it back next year.”

Hou said that the PUSD Parents Group would like to continue to celebrate Lunar New Year in the district. “We’re so happy to do this for our kids,” she said. “I think it’s very good for our kids to learn about and respect different cultures.”

A slideshow of pictures from Lunar New Year events at the nine participating schools can be seen at pusdparents.org/cultural-education/.