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Fourth-graders celebrate Chinese New Year
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Alexis Kaleda (front) and Jessica Falleti topped off their Chinese New Year meal with a sweet dessert on Jan. 27.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The St. Christine's fourth-graders of Cynthia Ricci and Karen Joseph shared their smiles after learning about a new culture and eating delicious food for their Jan. 27 Chinese New Year celebration.
By SARAH FOOR
In China on Jan. 23, the cultural and religious celebration of Chinese New Year was welcomed with food, family and fireworks. Here in the Mahoning Valley, the fourth-graders at St. Christine School celebrated the holiday in their own special way.
Throughout the month of January, the students in the classes of Cynthia Ricci and Karen Joseph learned about Chinese history, customs and language. The students studied maps of Asia, wrote numbers in Chinese characters and created paper dragons as an art project.
“We wanted to teach the students about the importance of respecting the traditions of others. Chinese New Year is a particularly important celebration because it is celebrated in many other Asian countries, as well as right here in America in many Chinatown enclaves in large cities,” explained Joseph.
The unit on Chinese history and culture was celebrated with a Jan. 27 visit to the Super Buffet 8 restaurant in Boardman.
The St. Christine fourth-graders celebrated 2012 as the year of the water dragon, according to Chinese New Year tradition. The dragon is considered one of the luckiest animals of the Chinese zodiac, being a symbol of good fortune and great power. The fourth-graders kept this message in mind as they feasted and tried new foods at the Boardman buffet.
Fourth-grader Zachary Saunders tried some new things at the event and was pleasantly surprised with the new tastes. “I tried sushi for the first time today. It was absolutely amazing. I think I’m going back for seconds, actually,” the fourth-grader said with a smile.