Chinese New Year in the Jericho School District!

Get excited… Chinese New Year is almost here! This year, Chinese New Year occurs on Friday, February 16th, and is exceptionally special for those of us in the Jericho School District who celebrate this festive holiday, as 2018 is the first year we will be off from school in recognition of this special day. After years of deliberation, the school district has decided to alter the calendar for the 2017-18 school year to reflect the changing demographics at Jericho.

“We are so excited to have the day off to really celebrate our culture and spend time with family and embrace our heritage,” said Kristal W. and Celeste T., seniors at Jericho High School.

“It’s a nice feeling of being able to have Chinese New Year off this year. In previous years, students who stayed home to celebrate would always have to make up an entire day of schoolwork and homework, so it feels great that this year, we will be able to celebrate without any worries,” said David X., a junior at Jericho High School.

Many other Jericho students have the same sentiments as Kristal, Celeste, and David, and even students who do not celebrate Chinese New Year are grateful that the various cultures of their classmates are being appreciated.

“I think it is a good opportunity for people of various backgrounds to learn more about the Chinese culture,” said Wesley P., a sophomore at Jericho High School and Editor at The Daily China.

As a senior, I am ecstatic that I will be able to celebrate Chinese New Year fully with my family at home during my last year of high school! What about you? Let us know your thoughts and if you do or do not celebrate this holiday in the comments below! Until next time, and happy Chinese New Year! 🙂

There are 14 comments

  1. Michael Kim

    I think Chinese culture is very interesting and I hope to spend some time with my Chinese friends that day.

  2. Justin

    Yeah, I’m pretty excited about Chiense New Year as well. I’m glad the Chinese culture is being given a chance to spread diversity.

  3. Serene L.

    I am relieved that Chinese New Year will be on a non school day. I can relax and enjoy vacation with my family.

  4. Hitomi Honda

    Wow, I never really made the connection that we had that Friday before the weekend off because of Chinese New Year… I thought it had just been a coincidence! I’m so glad that we are off from school that day so that I can spend more time with my parents and grandparents! Thanks for sharing!

  5. Wesley Pergament

    I think it’s amazing that they are doing this in Jericho! I hope to see this in other districts too!

  6. Matthew Lecher

    This is a visionary act that Jericho has committed, to not have class on this day of celebration. I feel that as our student body gets more and more diverse, we need to encompass all of the major holidays to satisfy our worldwide families. I hope that Jericho has set a precedent for other districts around the Northeast and around the world.

  7. Jessica Chen

    I was very excited when I heard that we were going to have school off on Chinese New Year this year! I’m very glad that Jericho made this choice!

  8. Serin Ahn

    It’s delighting to know that the Jericho School District is making efforts to recognize holidays of various cultural backgrounds. As Asian population increases annually, it was very reasonable to recognize 春节 as an official district holiday.
    Living in the twenty-first century, we’re in the midst of observing the changing views on different cultures. It is very important to have such a mindset in the globalized era, especially in an ethnically diverse neighborhood like Jericho.

  9. Dylan Swickle

    I am so happy to see that our school is trying to incorporate more of the Chinese culture into our school through giving us off for that day, allowing for Chinese people to take the day to enjoy an amazing celebration with their close family and friends.

  10. Anica

    It is amazing that your school is so diverse! Everyone should be allowed to have an off from school on their special holidays! Good for you!

  11. Stephanie Arzanipour

    It is so amazing that JHS is celebrating and embracing the Chinese culture for this special holiday! It seemed like a great celebration and everyone involved definitely had a great time! I wish I was there to celebrate because I love this holiday!

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