The Brooker | Volume 1 Issue 4 | February 2024

The Brooker

Brookers Celebrate Lunar New Year

By Lucy Tillotson

Lunar New Year has been celebrated for about 4,000 years and continues to be to this day. It is one of the most important holidays in East and Southeast Asia, and the many traditions in both cultures have been passed down through generations.

I interviewed members of ASU and learned how the Lunar New Year is celebrated in their homes. Russell Yu described the Lunar New Year as “...a time to be with family and friends, eat dinner together, watch the Gala, and stay up until midnight.” The Gala is a public celebration of the New Year that is created and put together by the Chinese Government. It’s a variety show that includes music, comedy, dance and drama. Over the years it’s become a tradition for many families to watch The Gala on New Year’s Eve. Hanna Shi shared with me that her family “visits their deceased relatives and enjoys the fireworks performances.”

An example is not showering on New Year’s Day. Another example that Hanna shared with me was the tradition of not cutting your hair during the month of the New Year: if you do, your uncle will die.

enjoy and fully immerse herself in another culture. Her favorite part of the celebration is the talent show. There are dances, musical performances, and readings that showcase the traditions of the Lunar New Year.

The celebration of the Lunar New Year lasts for about a week, and during that time there is cleaning, cooking, and decorating. The food is luxurious, classic, and there is a variety of special dishes. A common main dish is fish. The word fish in Chinese is similar to the sound of the word “surplus” in Chinese. Fish is believed to represent a surplus of wealth and luck. In addition to fine dining and quality family time, there are red envelopes (containing money) that are handed out to the children. Hanna Shi still enjoys getting these envelopes today. You can even receive these envelopes way past childhood. For example, Hanna’s sister still gets these envelopes and she’s 25! It’s believed that you become a giver of these envelopes when you can make money on your own and have a steady income.

As well as enjoying and celebrating the New Year with festive meals, friends, family, and performances, there are a few things that you cannot do during this special time.

Even though there are many traditions at home that Hanna and Russell love, the celebration at SBS is still special. There are fireworks, traditional meals, and performances. Quinn Davey, who has attended the event for the past five years, says it is one of her favorite celebrations at SBS. She is able to

The Lunar New Year is known across the world for its traditions, beliefs, culture, and celebrations. It will continue to be observed forever, and there will always be a big celebration right here at SBS. If you didn’t attend this year, go next year and check it out!

Seniors Daniel Kim and Leo Lin perform a traditional lion dance

Photo by Gabriella Sun

Photos by Gabriella Sun

SBS’ Lunar New Year Festival was held on February 2nd

a. Eshel Kim plays the Haegeum, a traditional Korean instrument b. ASU member Jerry Zhao hands out Asian snacks

c. Sabrina Ann Hughes performs a Thai dance

A Black History Month Reflection

By Madison Dumerlin, President of BSU

In 1976, February was established as Black History Month as a time to focus on the struggles of Black Americans and the progress they have made for inclusivity. Every year since then, February has commemorated the lives of numerous historical figures who fought for equal rights. Although this was pivotal at the time, these contributions and even Black History Month as a whole are often overlooked by many today. What people fail to realize is how the past still influences us today.

One misconception about Black

history is that after slavery and segregation, America’s mistreatment of Blacks gradually died out. But this is simply not true: there were other measures used—both intentionally and unintentionally—after segregation to inhibit the advancement of Black people. An example of this is redlining. Redlining prohibited minorities, mainly Blacks, from purchasing housing in certain areas. This often left them with worse amenities and living conditions than their white peers. The effects trickled down through the generations,

What is Mock Trial?

By Zach Nasruddin

Mock Trial is an activity that is meant to imitate a real trial with the proper legal procedures. Mock Trial is aimed at students who are interested in law and teaches them about the processes and procedures that occur both inside and outside the courtroom in the American legal system. Students learn about these processes and procedures by taking up all the roles that would normally be involved in an actual trial, such as an attorney, witness, or clerk. In addition to teaching students how the court functions and the roles of everyone in the courtroom, Mock Trial also teaches students the “proper etiquette” of the courtroom, such as how to address the judge, how to dress, and how to act when they are witnesses. A fun fact is that in the state of New York, mock trials are sponsored by the New York State Bar Association.

The cases presented in Mock Trial cover crimes ranging from fraud to more serious

and as a result of that many affluent communities today are predominantly white while many poorer communities are filled with minority residents.

Another example is the War on Drugs. During Nixon and Reagan’s presidency, one of their goals was to reduce widespread drug use within the United States, which they pursued through aggressive penalties and incarceration. Despite the good intentions, this often directly targeted and harmed underprivileged minorities. An example would be the unalike treatments of Crack and Cocaine possession. Crack and Cocaine are the same drug; the only difference between them is their structure and use. But throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it was more common for wealthier whites to use cocaine while minorities tended to use crack. Although both were outlawed, the sentence for the possession of crack was significantly harsher. Paired with disproportionate surveillance in underprivileged communities, this led to the mass incarceration of Black and Latino people in America. Events such as these pushed the narrative that minorities are more prone to criminal activity and contributed to incidents of police brutality.

In spite of these injustices, Black Americans remained resilient and educated people in order to prevent further discrimination. Organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) work with officials to meet the goal of equality.

The history of Black Americans in the United States has a significant impact on how we live our lives today. And even though great strides have been made, racism and prejudice are far from being over. To keep making progress, we must have an understanding of the past and acknowledge the history and contributions of those who came before us, whether they be Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Pacific Islander.

Editors

Joshua Kim

Autumn Nichols

Photos

Autumn Nichols

crimes such as murder. Like an actual trial, there are two sides present: defense and prosecution. The job of the defense is to present evidence that supports the defendant’s innocence (the person on trial), and the prosecution’s job is to present evidence that incriminates the defendant. In addition, students also play the parts of witnesses, providing testimony to the legal teams.

Overall, Mock Trial is an excellent choice as an extracurricular activity, especially if you are interested in law and wish to pursue it as a career in the future. It not only teaches students about how the courtroom works but also about how to draft strong arguments and present them. If you are interested in working in law in the future, improving your debating skills, or just need something to do after school during the winter, then you should reach out to Mr. Trouwborst or Mr. Lensing, the two head coaches of Mock Trial, and give it a shot!

Layout

Joshua Kim

Copy Editing

Hanna Jia

Joshua Kim

Autumn Nichols

Social Media

Violet Radgowski

Writers

Zach Nasruddin

Lucy Tillotson

Advisors

Ana Arias

Brontte Hwang

Special thanks to Madison Dumerlin

The Pan-African Flag, a symbol of Black solidarity