新年快乐! Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) is Saturday, February 10, 2024, and our community held celebrations across all three campuses. 

The Swain Campus celebrated the joyous spirit of the Lunar New Year on Friday, bringing the campus community together for a festive day filled with delightful food sampling and diverse traditions. From culinary delights to vibrant decorations and dragon-themed activities, all grades joined in to immerse themselves in the cultural richness of the occasion. We extend our gratitude to the many volunteers who shared their traditions, enhancing our school community with a tapestry of cultural experiences. 

• Emily Harris, parent of Titus Harris '36 and Serayah Harris '37
• Trang Phan, parent of Lana Phan '33 
• Nancy Young, parent of Matthew Young '28 and Kathryn Young '31
• Michael Cheung, parent of Ethan Cheung '33
• Yujun Lin and Tianhui Wang, parents of Luna Wang ’35
• Valerie Barber, parent of AJ Tsen '33

Special thanks to Shellen Wu and Yujun Lin, parents Stevie Wu-Chin ’35 and Luna Wang ’35, who were honored guests in the first-grade classes. They brought Lunar New Year to life by sharing family traditions, explaining the significance of decorations and dragon dances, and even taught the students how to extend warm wishes for a "Happy New Year." The experience was made memorable as they guided students in crafting Lunar New Year-themed crafts, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for this culturally significant celebration.

The Merle-Smith Campus hosted a Chinese New Year Party on Friday, February 9. Students from the Upper School Chinese classes performed Chinese dance, songs, poem readings and storytelling at the party. Thanks to Alizeh Ali '24 for documenting this community event on Instagram! 

At the Historic Downtown Campus this week, seventh-grade Mandarin students create a presentation for Kindergarten SIP students about Lunar New Year! Student leaders taught Kindergarten about the lunar calendar, how animals were selected for the zodiac calendar, and how Lunar New Year is celebrated. Seventh-graders led with quizzes, songs, and dances while sharing all they have learned about Lunar New Year! The students also showed off their Lunar New Year shirts, which they worked together to design. 

From February 12-16, Emma Shi '32 and her family have a week of Chinese New Year activities and lessons planned, including learning Chinese calligraphy, presentations on history and native Chinese wildlife (Red Pandas!), traditional stories and literature, the Lunar New Year and the Chinese zodiac, and a dumpling sampling! Be sure to follow @moravianacademy on social media to see highlights throughout the week.