Students enthusiastically repeated Gung Hay Fat Choy, which means Happy New Year in Chinese, at a special assembly at the Columbus Avenue Early Childhood Education Center. The students were celebrating the beginning of the astrological Year of the Snake on the Chinese calendar with a mid-morning parade that included a golden dragon, the symbol of strength and goodness.
Before the assembly, art teacher Susan Warren, who presided over the special assembly, worked with the students to create paper lanterns, headdresses and other craft projects to display during the festivities.
The celebration continued during lunch when the students were invited to taste a sampling of traditional Chinese-American foods ordered from a local restaurant, including flavored chicken and beef, spare ribs, fried rice, steamed broccoli, egg rolls, noodles and fortune cookies.
