The Mason High School Commons was rich with Chinese tradition on February 23 during the school's second annual Chinese New Year Celebation. Organized by the MHS Chinese Club and Mandarin classes, the purpose of the celebration was to "explore Chinese culture and learn about the tradition" said Mandarin teacher Ling-Ling Nian. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the year 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which is an animal that symbolizes strength and power and generally inspires fear and respect. The Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve-year cycle, with an animal representing each year.

To prepare for the New Year Celebration, Chinese Club president, junior Connie Xu, organized a bake sale to raise money for the event, and students in Nian's Mandarin classes advertised the event at MHS. Seniors Angela Ianniello and Ben Van Winkle served as the program hosts, while sophomore Gaurav Patel was responsible for the sound system.

Before the potluck dinner, guests participated in a variety activities. In one station, students and their families learned to make dumplings, a traditional Chinese New Year food, with the help of freshman Dorothy Xuan's mother, Lily Dong, and junior Taito Tanikawa's father, Dihua Hu. At the calligraphy station, Dr. Charlie Yu made bookmarks for students and their families, and guests learned to paint in the traditional Chinese manner with Dawn Schwartzman and Dr. Kathleen Stern. At the paper cutting area, guests cut Chinese New Year words to hang up in their homes, giving them good fortune in the coming year. Dr. Hsin-Chuan Cheng and Dr. James Hsu organized the Fortune Telling station.

Following dinner, guests enjoyed the traditional Lion Dance, performed by members of the Cincinnati Chinese Culture and Language Learning Association, including MHS junior Dennis Tseng. The Lion Dance is meant to ward off bad spirits and bring good luck and is always performed during Chinese New Year. The evening's entertainment also included a traditional Chinese instrumental performance by MHS senior Margaret Zhang, a Sword Dance and Ribbon Dance by sophomore Katelyn Kang, and Break Dancing by juniors Danny Ly and Tony Parks, along with sophomore Leslie Pil. Sophomore Alex Malblanc and freshman Michael Marino entertained guests with a Talk Show. The Comet Skippers stopped by to entertain guests, and students from the Hua Xia Chinese School performed the Happy Peacock.

"The Chinese New Year Potluck was a successful event," shared Nian. "Everyone who visited enjoyed learning more about the tradition."