Oak Park and River Forest High School held its fourth-annual Lunar New Year celebration, featuring games, activities and a dragon dance.

Sponsored by the Pan Asian Leadership Society (PALS) and the Chinese Club the event took place Feb. 17 during lunch periods in the Student Activity Center (SAC).

PALS ran a series of cultural activity stations throughout the SAC, while the Chinese Club brought the energy with their dragon parade.

One of the stations featured traditional Korean games gonggi and ddakji. Some of the other stations included a zodiac station where participants could learn about their horoscope, a chopstick racing game, a calligraphy station and hacky sack. After completing all of the games, participants could redeem prizes such as candy or a traditional red envelope.

The event didn’t come together by accident. PALS co-presidents Erica Qi and Ginger Knicker put together the bulk of the planning of their club’s contributions. “Erica and I started talking about it at the beginning of the second semester,” said Knicker, a junior. “We brought it up to the club three weeks in advance, then we all worked on our stations for the next two weeks.”

Lunar New Year is celebrated by a variety of different Asian cultures, but there are many linking threads. “There are definitely differences in how different countries celebrate it,” said OPRF math, special education teacher and PALS co-sponsor Ryan Courtney, “but there’s also always similar themes like the idea of ringing in the new year with family. A big part of it is always praying for fortune and good luck.” Walking through the SAC, it was hard to believe it was just a lunch period. The room was full of energy as students crowded around the zodiac station debating their horoscopes. Chopstick races drew audiences, and the dragon parade cut through the lunchroom, breaking up the monotony of the cafeterias.

For students unfamiliar with these traditions, the afternoon peeled back the abstraction, replacing whatever distant idea they had of Asian cultures with something tangible. For others, it was a reminder that their culture had a place at OPRF too.

“It was really interesting,” said Sophomore Hayley Perry. “Before the festival I hadn’t really seen any of the games that were there, so it was cool to be able to actually play and learn about them.”

Only 3.2% of OPRF students identify as Asian, which is significantly below the state average of 5.7%. “The Asian community at OPRF is really small,” said Knicker. “It’s really important to shine light on these cultures because they represent such massive swaths of the world that don’t really get seen at our school.”

“Oftentimes people think of Chinese New Year, but Lunar New Year is celebrated by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Korea, etc,” said Courtney. Events like these bring much needed representation that can erode false ideas of monoliths and stereotypes around marginalized communities.

“Right now, but especially a couple years back, there was a lot of stigma surrounding Asian cultures. So I think celebrating this super fun festival with all this fun, food and games and stuff is a great way to give exposure to the culture in a more positive way,” said Knicker.

“I didn’t have this kind of thing when I was growing up and going through school,” said Courtney, who is Asian-American himself. “If I did I definitely would have felt more community, but also this idea that I am seen, like I am valued. I feel that events like Lunar New Year make a very tangible difference for the inclusivity of our community.”