By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
Feb. 16, 2011

“Make some noise!” Mary Lanoue shouted to her students.

Downstairs, the cafeteria was a flurry of activity.

While some students held colorful fans, others shook maracas and tambourines, or pounded the drums.

As students gathered in line, their construction paper hats formed a vibrant mass of color.

This was not a day to walk quietly through the halls. This was a day to celebrate.

Lanoue, art teacher at Holy Cross Catholic School, organized the school-wide parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Feb. 8, a few days late due to a snow day.

“It’s like our New Years, but much more important spiritually, culturally,” Lanoue said of the Chinese New Year. “It’s a year they believe in cleansing – a day to start fresh and new.”

Although Lanoue has hosted Chinese New Year parades at other schools, this is Holy Cross’s second year for the parade.

For Lanoue, the parade is more than a few minutes of fun; it’s a teaching tool and avenue to celebrate the school’s cultural diversity. Student’s ethnicities include English, Latino, Vietnamese and African.

For several weeks, students learned about the Chinese New Year and culture, and also designed elaborate hats and fans for the parade.

This year, sixth graders and first through third grades paraded the halls, while the rest of the school watched in awe and clapped. Since the parade was held inside, there wasn’t enough room for everyone to walk in the parade, Lanoue explained.

At the head of the parade was a 35-foot long dragon made up of sixth graders. Each stood under the multicolored patchwork costume.

In Chinese culture, a dragon symbolizes good luck, she said.

“It’s a good way to teach,” Lanoue said of art. “There’s kids who come from Mexico or Vietnam and can’t speak English, but they can all understand art. They can understand the visual.”

TOP: Sixth grader Rico Rodriguez, left, helps classmate Carlos Ruiz put on the head of the dragon for Holy Cross Catholic Schools’ Chinese New Year Parade held Feb. 8. ABOVE: Holy Cross second graders clack their instruments for the school’s Chinese New Year Parade. Photos by Leslie Collins