Grades 6-12; Boarding 8-12

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Lunar New Year Brings Festive Celebrations and Events to Campus

According to the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Snake in the lunar calendar signifies a fresh start and the shedding of bad or negative energy. In keeping with that motif of transformation, the Pennington campus came alive with color this week to usher in Lunar New Year, which officially began on January 29. 

On Sunday, Parents for Pennington and other members of the community festooned the MMAC, the dining hall, and various spaces across campus with colorful couplets, lanterns, pictures, statues, fans, flags, and assorted games. All of that festive red decor in the dining hall provided a wonderful backdrop for Monday night’s Residential Community Formal Dinner, which featured braised pork, dumplings, and a boba tea station!

Teacher of Mandarin Zuyi Wang led a calligraphy lesson in honor of the Lunar New Year on Wednesday in Meckler Library. The entire community was invited to stop by to participate throughout the day, but the activity held special significance for students currently enrolled in Wang’s Chinese I, Chinese II, and Chinese III classes. According to Wang, calligraphy is part of the curriculum at some schools in China. 

As the students practiced the strokes of the special character signifying “good fortune,” Wang shared the significance of the special calligraphy ink used as well as the unique way the brushes are held in the drawing process. Once dry, students were able to take their signs home or hang them on their dorm rooms to help carry good blessings into the new year.