Happy (Chinese) New Year!

Hoover students celebrated their first Chinese New Year on Thursday with an Spring Festival assembly and dance performance. Hoover Chinese exchange Teacher Joanna Wang shared customs, traditions, and photos of Chinese New Year celebrations with Hoover and Meredith students enrolled in Chinese.

The Chinese New Year observes the turn of the lunar calendar. This year celebrates the “year of the horse.” The West Des Moines Valley High School Lion Dance Team made a special appearance at the celebration and performed dances in ornate dragon costumes. Students also received small red envelopes filled with “lucky money” – a Chinese gifting tradition at the New Year.

Hoover and Meredith students enrolled in Chinese are learning more about the significance of Chinese New Year traditions and language related to the holiday. This is the first year that Chinese has been offered at Hoover, the only DMPS comprehensive high school to do so.