By Special for Real America News
12 Feb 2024, 07:52 AM EST
The Anaheim Elementary School District (AESD), one of the largest school districts in the state, hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School on Friday.
The district’s Transitional Kindergarten students from the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program, in Mandarin, presented a Chinese play that explained the traditions of the holiday.
“We are very proud of our young students,” said Dr. Anna Bae Kim, principal of Roosevelt Elementary School.
“The presentation not only served to highlight their command of the Mandarin language, but also to show the importance of educating students in general about the many cultures and customs of our area.”
The District introduced Mandarin curriculum this school year, as families (mostly Latino) voted to add this language to their DLI program, in addition to Spanish and Korean.
The students’ presentation was accompanied by a traditional lion dance from Chinese culture. All students received a red envelope at the end of the program, a symbol of good luck for the New Year.
The Lunar New Year, a festival traditionally celebrated in China and other Asian countries, began on Saturday, February 10, 2024.
This year corresponds to the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the year of the dragon are believed to be charismatic, intelligent and lucky.
The Anaheim Elementary School District serves nearly 15,000 students at 24 campuses in the city of Anaheim, making it the largest elementary school district in the state of California.