Celebrating Chinese New Year

Students at University School of Milwaukee celebrated the Chinese New Year, which began on Tuesday, Feb. 17, through a variety of events and visits. This is the year of the fire horse, which only occurs once every 60 years, making it especially rare.

On Monday, Feb. 9, Upper School teachers Yongyan Liu (Mandarin) and Anthony Padovano (history), recited a Chinese poem followed by a lion dance performed by Marcus ’26 and Nicholas ’29 Hoyt. On Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, Liu visited 5th grade students in Hannah Reimer’s World Cultural Geography class to introduce them to Chinese New Year and teach them how to make dumplings. Liu and her Upper School Mandarin students made “Fu” (fortune) characters for Upper School teachers who requested them. Her students also did paper cutting for decoration and drew new year posters to show how people celebrate Chinese New Year.

On Friday, Feb. 20, Upper School students led the annual dragon parade through the Middle School and Lower School, which is a cherished tradition. New this year, a few select 5th grade students were invited to join the parade and dance alongside the dragon as baby lions, with one 5th grade student serving as a drummer. The dragon and drummers were greeted in the hallways by younger students eager to take in the colorful procession and music.

Finally, on Friday, Feb. 27, Liu traveled with her Mandarin students to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to continue Chinese New Year celebrations there.