It might not be so new anymore, but that didn’t stop these kids from ringing in the Year of the Horse!
David Boody Intermediate School finally got to celebrate the start Chinese Lunar New Year on Feb. 26 — almost two weeks after a snowstorm cancelled the originally scheduled event.
The kids showed no sign of falling behind because of the postponement, as the school’s cheerleaders and hip-hop dance team put on high-energy performances. But the headlining act was the school’s Chinese Dance Troupe, which has performed throughout the city. The troupe showed off its skill at the traditional lion, blue fan, and ribbon dances. The event featured narration in both English and Chinese.
School officials said the event was a way to create a multi-cultural community in which all traditions are treated with respect.
“We want to honor the heritage of our neighbors and share with them the joy and beauty of Lunar New Year,” said principal Dominick D’Angelo
D’Angelo, a Gravesend native, also saw the celebration as a manifestation of the area’s ongoing demographic changes. One-third of the student body at Boody is Asian-American, and the school was the first in the area to roll out a dual-language curriculum for Chinese-speaking youth.
“This is an immigrant neighborhood,” he said. “When I was young, the immigrants were Italian. Now, many of them come from China.”
