Celebrating The Year of the Horse at The Prep

Pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCL1kX
Video footage: https://youtu.be/kDDFjPoX7QQ

Celebrations kicked off Thursday, February 19, when students from the Mandarin classes performed an interactive dragon dance in the auditorium at an assembly open to the entire school during the activity period.

Two international students, Enqi “Tommy” Qi ’27 (Shanghai, China) and Sanket Upadhyay ’26 (Kampala, Uganda) , acted as hosts for the event, while Chinese club members and international students assisted with everything from the flyer design and announcements to decorations and prizes.

Highlights of the assembly included Whye Jing Ong’27 (U.S.A. National Team trials with three gold medals in Taekwondo) who demonstrated rapid kicks with fast footwork. International students Muzhe “Daniel” Zhao ’27 (Shanghai, China) and Yilong Fu ’27 (Shenyang, China) joined Aidan Hong ’26 and Liam Salcedo '27 in assisting Whye Jing’s impressive taekwondo board breaking performance. Student leader John Cooper '26 introduced the cultural significance of giving and receiving Hong Bao (the red envelope).

The assembly was well attended by students and staff members who all received red envelopes with ancient Chinese coins and sayings for good wishes that represented blessings, happiness, and good fortune in Chinese culture.

The culmination of the assembly was a Chinese music performance led by Pipa soloist Ms. Jin Yang and her Flying Strings Youth Ensemble. The performance ended on a high note with a famous Chinese folksong Sai Ma (Horse Racing) played by fifteen young musicians from 4th grade through 8th grade with Chinese traditional instruments such as the er-hu, pipa, gu-zheng zither, and the Chinese plucked string instrument ruan. At the end of the assembly, the audience members were entered into a raffle, and there were six winners.

The assembly performance and the event planning were made possible by the contributions of many student leaders. They are Sean Clark '26, David Jones '26, John Cooper '26, Aidan Hong ’26 , Sanket Upadhyay ’26, Whye Jing Ong’27, John Raso'27, Oliver Chan '27, James Webber III '27, Enqi “Tommy” Qi ’27, Muzhe “Daniel” Zhao ’27 , Yilong Fu ’27, Liam Salcedo '27, Nathaniel Chen ’28, Michael Joseph ’28, Dominick Priore Jr. '28, George Wiafe-Agyekum '28, Mikailan Kenworthy '28, Owen Chan '28, Ian Henry '28, Clyde Williams '29, Thomas Conrad '29, and Vincent Fisher II '29.

One highlight of the event day at The Prep was when we welcomed 17 incoming members of the Class of 2030 on campus to join the Chinese New Year celebration. It was a joint effort made by the Mandarin teacher, Lucy Lee, and the Admission Director, Michael T. Zinsmeister. The student visitors sat and watched the assembly in the auditorium with their designated hosts. They also interacted with the young musicians in the classroom and tried to play the Chinese traditional instruments. They actively participated in cultural immersion activities such as the chopsticks contest, Chinese calligraphy, and the Chinese shuttlecock game. They also tried making authentic Chinese dumplings to immerse themselves in a day of cultural celebration. They ended their visitors’ day on a high note with a sampling of delicious dumplings freshly made onsite by Prep parents.

February 17, 2026, marked the beginning of the Year of the Horse, a creature symbolizing power, strength, and vitality. Also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year marks the first day of the lunar calendar. It is traditionally a 15-day period of festivities, ending with the full moon backdrop of the Lantern Festival on March 3, 2026.





Although several weeks remain until the official start of spring, the warmth of these celebrations and the energy of The Prep community foretells of a blessed and joyous Year of the Horse! Hazard Zet Forward!