By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Ridgecrest Elementary students were able to celebrate Chinese New Year in a new, COVID-safe way this year. Instead of families coming together at the school for a large celebration, dual immersion students sang the traditional new year song, 小牛哞哞, which was recorded and shared with parents. They also took part in the cultural and historical parts of the celebration through paper cutting, watching videos and chopstick activities such as using them to move peas and making a chopsticks dragon. Students also learned the significance of Mandarin oranges, which are symbols of good fortune. All in-person students, about 420 kindergartners through fifth-graders, had a chance to pose in a photo booth with backgrounds of the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, make paper lanterns and watch a video about the Year of the Ox. “Making the ox lanterns went well and the students really enjoyed it,” Ridgecrest Elementary Principal Julie Winfree said. “Parents loved the song a lot. Students loved the photo booth very much, where they had the opportunities to take pictures with their best friends.” Pictured here are fourth-graders cutting heart shapes to make fish; in China, fish signify having enough food and money; and fifth-grader Brynn Sjoblom posing in front of the Great Wall of China backdrop. (Photo courtesy of Julie Winfree/Ridgecrest Elementary)