Paterson’s International High School hosted a Lunar New Year family and community event on Feb. 27 that showcased Asian music, dance, fashion, arts, crafts, and featured the students’ Dragon Dance Troupe. This year is the year of the dragon, and the community was excited to learn more about lunar new year and Asian culture.
There were eight culture stations in the atrium of the school where participants could engage in different cultural activities.
“In addition to traditional and modern Chinese dances and music, we also included other countries and clubs, including Japanese drums, Bengali and South American fashion show, Middle Eastern students’ speeches, poem reading, Spanish traditional dance, Black history collages, and much more,” said Tracy Chuan-chu Hong Syz, an International Baccalaureate World Language teacher and the International Club advisor, who organized the event.
The PEA sponsored a Chinese food buffet, paid for thanks to a Pride in Public Education grant from NJEA.
Chuan-chu Hong Syz also applied for – and won – an NJEA Frederick L. Hipp Grant for Excellence in Education that is funding activities to recognize the diversity of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and their contributions to society. The goal is to build self-esteem for AAPI students, address harassment and hate directed toward the community, and create a bias-free school climate.
Learn more about Hipp grants at njea.org/hipp.
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