New Year Celebrations Under the Pines

February 17 marked the start of the multi-day holiday as the Hamden Hall community celebrated prior with the International Advancement Committee hosting an immersive traditional Chinese calligraphy workshop for parents. The committee also welcomed a group of local and international parents to campus for the third annual dumpling-making event. The Dining Hall was beautifully decorated with lanterns and hanging tassels as Head of School Bob Izzo and Director of Admissions Janet Izzo were present to welcome the parents to campus and thank them for sharing their time and culture.  The parents spent the morning carefully filling the dumpling dough with scrumptious fillings of chicken, pork, and vegetables. The 1,500 dumplings were enjoyed by students for lunch with other inspired dishes including fried rice, bok choy, and spring rolls. A few of the parents stayed to help serve lunch.

 

The Middle and Upper School students, faculty, and staff joined together for an assembly organized by the efforts of Mandarin teacher Margaret Wei and members of the Chinese Culture Club. Senior Lan Liu and sophomore Abella Chang served as the emcees as they introduced the performances and engaged with the audience on a trivia game. The featured student acts included a solo song titled What the World Has Given Me by senior Pureaf Ye; a piano performance of Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon by senior Kelly Du, and the traditional Dragon Dance by Mandarin III students.

 

The Lower School community enjoyed a morning assembly with a selection of musical and dance performances by Upper School students. The performances included a traditional Chinese dance titled March of the Elephant King mixed with modern elements by members of the Dance Team, a solo rendition of the song A Sunny Day by senior Tobias Liu, and an instrumental duet by freshman Kinan Harb on violin and Claire Wang on piano.

 

Other Lower School activities included PreSchool/PreKindergarten students having class discussions and reading the book I Love Lunar New Year before making red lanterns in honor of the holiday. With teachers Jenna Gabriel and Erica McNamara, the Kindergarten classroom was transformed into a festive space for students to learn about the holiday. The students participated in a Lunar New Year scavenger hunt around the classroom, dressed up in traditional Chinese clothing, practiced calligraphy with teacher Chien-ju Lin, made handmade dumplings out of model magic clay, crafted a colorful paper dragon, and more.

 

“It was a beautiful opportunity for our students to learn about and appreciate another culture in such an engaging and hands-on way,” said Mrs. Gabriel.