Fourth-grader Ellie Hsieh was adding jade and a snake charm to her knotted keychain alongside her classmates at one of the activity tables set up for Ridgecrest Elementary’s Chinese New Year celebration.

Students and their families participated in various activities, from practicing calligraphy with ink and brushes to using chopsticks to pick up fortune cookies. Some even crafted colorful paper snakes to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

Ellie was also part of a 10-member fan dance group, one of the final performances of the event. The group volunteered to practice after school for several weeks.

“It was really fun hearing all the fans open at once,” Ellie said. “That was really cool.”

Principal Sara Allen emphasized how adding more dances, such as the fan dance, made the celebration even more special.

“We introduced new performances to involve more people,” Allen said. “Our New Year celebration goes beyond just red envelopes and the zodiac. We aim to bring greater cultural awareness through activities like jade knot tying and diablo yo-yos.”

Earlier in the event, students from the Chinese dual language immersion program took the stage, beginning with a traditional Lion Dance. Fifth graders then performed a song called “Spring Festival Firework Sounds” to usher in the new year, while first graders sang the “Chinese Zodiac Song,” highlighting the 12 animals and their traits.

Fourth graders performed “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,” which speaks about how family and friends guide people through difficult times. Second graders sang about how a smile is as beautiful as spring flowers, and third graders performed a song of gratitude for families, teachers and the natural world titled “Thankful Heart.”

The performances concluded with fan, dragon and ribbon dances.

Vince and Linsey Hsieh watched their daughter at the craft tables, feeling grateful they enrolled her in Canyons School District’s dual language program when she was in first grade. Their son, Evan, now in seventh grade at Butler Middle School where the event was held, is also part of the immersion program, which continues through 12th grade.

“I don’t speak Mandarin, but my parents do,” said Vince Hsieh, who grew up learning Cantonese and English. “I wanted my kids to have a relationship with my parents because their English isn’t great. This program helps them connect.”

Ellie agrees: “My brother and I can speak and understand our grandparents, which is really cool. And when we talk to each other, it feels like a secret language since my parents don’t understand.”

The Hsieh family values learning about different cultures. Linsey Hsieh will teach Ellie and her brother about her Jewish traditions, while they learn about Chinese celebrations such as the Moon Festival from their father’s side of the family, as well as customs and language at school.

“I like they get to embed themselves into part of the culture,” Vince Hsieh said. “It opens up their world up and helps them see things from other cultural perspectives.”

Ridgecrest Elementary, which began its Chinese New Year celebration in 2013, has an enrollment of nearly 500 students. Of those, principal Allen estimates about 210 first through fifth graders are enrolled in the immersion program. The school celebration drew more than 800 attendees.

“The goal of Ridgecrest’s celebration is always to go beyond the dual language group and include everyone, and I think we’ve achieved that tonight,” Allen said.

First-grader Royce Mixon attended the celebration with his mom, Tyanna, and his grandma, Jessica Howe.

“He wanted to support his classmates in the Chinese program,” Howe said. “He’s learning about what other countries celebrate and believe in.”

Royce, who has picked up a few Mandarin words despite not being in the dual language program, said he could understand some of his classmates’ songs.

“I like them singing in Chinese,” he said. “They were really good.” λ