This week, Charlotte Latin School has been marking the Lunar New Year — which also marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Horse — with programming for all the school’s divisions, with student organizers advised by the Global Studies Department and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Anyone who wants to celebrate with us can,” said Jolin Cheng ’26.

An assembly titled “Year of the Horse: Lunar New Year Through the Arts,” presented consecutively to the Upper School and the Middle School in Thies Auditorium, was smoothly run by students, who took turns giving presentations about arts in Asian culture, including segments on calligraphy, fashion, and games. A favorite topic with the audience was dance: Cheng explained the different types of fans used in Chinese dance and demonstrated how they were used. The presenters and organizers, who displayed command and passion, also included Emily Cao ’26, Caroline Jin ’27, Sophia Oh ’26, Kathryn Wu ’27, Angelina Yang ’26, Isabel Yang ’26, and Lynn Zhao ’26. 

The assembly concluded with a fashion show, where Lower School students dressed in Lunar New Year fashion, both traditional and contemporary, walked across the stage, chaperoned by Upper School students and teachers wearing complementary outfits. After the parade, they were interviewed and the presenters provided additional context on the garments.

Earlier this morning in the Lower School, students were treated to a parade through the hallways by a Chinese lion (or more precisely, two performers wearing a red lion costume). The lion ended up on the Lower School playground, undulating and spitting out tangerines and lettuce, symbols of good fortune in the year to come.

In addition, this week featured a “Lunch and Learn” session in the Downer Lobby in the Horne Performing Arts Center, where students were given a chance to make Korean knots, paint mahjong tiles, or just snack on traditional Lunar New Year dishes. “It was really great to see people dip their toes into the culture,” said Zhao. “And everyone loves food.”