NCHS creates traditional lunar new year decorations

BY ALYSSA WANG

“We wanted to try something else, and we thought that making decorations is much more of a learning opportunity and more hands on,” junior and NCHS officer Vivian Chen said. “It was nice that more people could actually participate rather than just come for food.”

Students wrote a variety of wishes, including 福 (fú), meaning good fortune; 壽 (shòu), meaning longevity; and 健康 (jiànkāng), meaning health.

Dear Vikings,

Welcome to our first centerspread of the year surrounding patriotism! From sports diplomacy to the evolution in cultural cuisines, we’ve got it all covered. On pages 8 and 9, delve into the American education system and the American Dream from immigrants’ perspective.

Don’t forget about our usual coverage, either! Explore Lunar New Year traditions in News; uncover the implications of ChatGPT in Opinion; meet budding filmmakers and artists in Features; examine California’s climate crises In-Depth and learn about Lynbrook’s girls wrestling team in Sports. At lhsepic.com, watch a video on teacher dynamic duos.

As always, we encourage you to submit Letters to the Editors, opinions on any published stories this year, and Guest Columns, articles focusing on your individual perspective, at lhsepic.com/submissions. Selected submissions will be published on our paper and/or website.

We hope this issue incites meaningful conversations about American identity.

Saluting, Elizabeth Cheng & Amy Liu

Editors-in-Chief

NCHS for years. As a club focused on Chinese culture, celebrating the new year and its traditions is integral. Last year, the club hosted a Chinese New Year potluck where members shared traditional dishes and treats. This year, officers instead taught members how to make traditional decorations and crafts in club meetings leading up to the special day.

On Jan. 13, members practiced brush calligraphy and made 春聯 ), a traditional decoration of rectangular or diamond-shaped red paper with lucky Chinese idioms written in brush calligraphy. They are typically hung on doors or around door frames as a way to scare away the dangerous mythical dragon, 年獸

NCHS members fold and cut red paper as a symbol of good luck. GRAPHIC

“Being able to make the 春 聯 (chūnlián) was fun and a new experience for me,” sophomore and NCHS member Alexis Luo said. “It was very interesting and informative, and I was able to keep mine and hang it up at home for the New Year.”

In a continuation of the festivities on Jan. 20, members cut red paper in intricate designs and assembled them into ornaments that represent vitality. This craft is called 剪紙 (jiǎnzhǐ), which directly translates to “cutting paper” and is popularly used to decorate homes. Club members traced 春 (chūn), a character meaning spring, as the design for their ornaments to symbolize the beginning of spring and the new opportunities that come with it.

“All the members had fun, and it was a great chance for NCHS members to do some traditional Chinese activities,” sophomore and NCHS