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LOTE Spotlight: Chinese New Year Bulletin Board in C House Commons

The C House Commons is showcasing Lunar New Year with an ornate bulletin board designed by Chinese teacher Jia Chang. The display exhibits vibrant colors and student creativity while emphasizing both cultural traditions and work from the Chinese class.

Chang organizes the display each year, providing students with time in class to create projects that show both their language and cultural skills. This year’s theme, “Let’s Make a Wish,” features a wishing tree with lantern-shaped notes written in Chinese hanging on the tree, along with student pieces, including a calligraphy horse head inspired by the Year of the Horse.

Chang shared that the display brings attention to an important cultural tradition while highlighting the efforts and progress of her students.

“The bulletin board every year we put together is to celebrate the Chinese New Year, while also showcasing the wonderful work the students have completed in the classroom,” Chang said.

Students dedicated one week of class time completing their projects, selecting from a variety of options such as artistic designs and written work, including calligraphy, origami, and creating their own blue Ming vases. They also participated in collaborative activities, such as group dance and composing Chinese couplets. These projects reflect personal aspirations, particularly among eighth-grade students preparing for high school.

“I can tell they have a lot of fun doing it and everybody feels so accomplished after they put something together and show not only their understanding of the culture, but also what they can do using Chinese as a language,” Chang said.

Principal for the Day

Most students spend their school day following directions, but Friday before spring break, Adam Onufer got to give them instead. For one day, he stepped into the role of principal and experienced the pressure, responsibility, and decision making that happens behind the scenes.

Onufer earned the opportunity through the Snowflakes and Sunglasses Auction, which allowed one student to shadow Principal Lindsey Vela and take on parts of her daily routine. With Vela by his side and the front office staff guiding him, Onufer got to experience her routine and saw what it really takes to run a school.

Instead of heading straight to class, Onufer arrived around 8:15 a.m. and began his morning preparing the daily announcements with Vela and the office staff. When the 8:30 bell rang, he delivered them over the speakers. For the rest of the day, he moved between the front office, hallways, and classrooms while answering phones, checking in visitors, delivering messages, and assisting the administration with whatever they needed. 

“Something students don’t usually realize with a principal is how it gets a lot more stressful than you think,” Onufer said. “It is like being principal is just like you have a bunch of power and you can just roam around, but it’s a lot more stressful.”

After spending the day in the principal’s role, Onufer even had ideas about what he would change if he had the chance. 

“Probably to let students eat in class sometimes,” Onufer said. “A lot of kids don’t eat a good breakfast, or lunch is too far away to keep you going.”

While he didn’t expect every part of the job, the experience gave him a clearer understanding of what principles handle and what students might need to make their own days a little easier.