On Friday, February 23, Pythagoras Academy students and families celebrated Chinese New Year, Year of the Dog. Many students came to school dressed in beautiful, traditional Chinese costumes. There was a costume contest to determine who was the best dressed. The winners of the contest are as follows:
Best Dressed students of JK:Felicia Lun, Palladio and Frank Lai, Michelangelo
K-3 female winner: Esther Song, Grade 2B
K-3 male winner:Noah Cheng, Grade 2S
Gr. 4-7 female winner: Cici Xu, Grade 4/5
Gr. 4-7 male winner: Curtis Liu, Grade 4/5
Female parent winner:Nina Lin’s mom, KD
Male parent winner:Jeffrey Zheng’s Dad, 1C
Elementary teacher:Ms. Simone Smith Junior Kindergarten teacher:Ms. Ms. Bubbli Bajaj
Best dressed parents received a 50 dollar giftcard to a Richmond Center. Best dressed students received a 25 dollar Chapters/Indigogift card. Staff received a gift card of their choice.
Students participated in a variety of activities in their classrooms including dumpling making, Chinese origami, parent presentations about the history of Chinese New Year, dog drawing and crafts, watching educational videos and reading books about the history of Chinese New Year.
We were also very excited to have a Chinese sugar candy artist visit our school. Each class had the opportunity to watch her make amazing sugar art dragons. It was truly incredible to watch! Parents were able to purchase their own handmade sugar art as well.
Then it was time for the lion dance parade. The traditional lion dance is meant to bring good luck and riches. The parade began by the front entrance of the school. Mr. Bouchard and Mr. Austin painted the eyes of the lion to awaken the lion and bring it to life. The lions then began to dance to music and students followed the lions down the hallway.
Inside the gym, the lions ate some lettuce and then gave it to Ms. Yu and Mr. Austin. This is a symbol of good luck! The lions danced to the music and Eunice and Ella, PAPO representatives, passed out candy to the audience.
By this point, everyone was quite hungry and it was time for lunch. Students, staff, and parents all enjoyed a delicious Chinese New Year feast! The food included traditional Chinese food like fried rice, noodles, steamed vegetables, and a whole roast pig!
Thank you to PAPO, Mr. Austin, Mrs. Barry, and Mrs. Severloh for organizing such a terrific morning.Gong Xi Fa Cai!