A New Year at West
By Kenneth Perkins
The Lunar New Year is quite a festive celebration around the world , one that involves a cascade of light and sound , bell ringing , lighting firecrackers , and watching traditional lion dances .
There were no firecrackers set off at West Elementary for its Second Annual Lunar New Year Celebration - couldn ’ t do that , of course – but the celebration certainly had its share of bells and whistles .
And the lion dances were a sight to behold .
Just like last year , West staged an elaborate celebration that attracted hundreds of family members who watched the West Singers perform on stage and then enjoyed the climactic lion dances courtesy of Phap Quang Temple .
As the dancers left the stage and headed into the audience , they were presented with red packets filled with money . Having a lion grace your presence is said to bring you luck for the rest of the year .
For West parent Teresa Nguyen , who has two children at West , the celebration is more than just coming to the school and having fun .
“ It just shows how they respect our culture and they want to celebrate it with us and everybody us who might not know a lot about it ,” Nguyen said .
Nguyen said the administration came to her last year and asked if she could sit on a committee to help plan an event . It was so successful they decided to make it an annual undertaking .
“ The families were so appreciative of their culture being represented so we really wanted to continue to do it ,” said Crystal Simnacher , West ’ s family engagement representative and a third-grade teacher .
Upon entering , attendees could go through a food line of Asian cuisine before heading into the cafeteria to watch the performances and also participate in crafts and other educational games in the rear of the cafeteria .
“ This is one of those events where everyone comes together to make it happen ,” West Assistant Principal Stacey Lambott said . “ I can ’ t tell you how much people enjoy this . What a great educational experience .”
32 Arlington School & Family