It is no secret that COVID-19 has put a fairly large wrench in a lot of school activities, plans and celebrations. That does not seem to be stopping the Chinese Club here at NDA. 

One of the most active and definitely the largest club here at NDA celebrated the Chinese New Year on February 12, virtual style. The Year of the Ox brought many celebrations and an array of activities, food and contests for the students in Chinese Club. 

With the celebration being fully virtual, most of the contests like ping pong, mahjong and many others were hosted online in an online game format. 

One of the teacher-adviser-coordinators, Mrs. Qiuhong Zhang, explained their plans to celebrate traditional Chinese culture, the virtual way. 

“We also did a chopstick game that we have done in the commons before,” the Mandarin teacher said.

On top of games, the students and teachers at the New Year celebration played Kahoot, watched traditional New Year Gala dances and fan performances. 

One of the traditional dances is called Kungfu, a dance that blends with the traditional martial arts. 

With all of these planned activities and performances, the Chinese Club spends a lot of time planning and organizing for the New Year celebration. 

It is wonderfully executed by six student leaders and two moderators, who work hard and are dedicated to organizing a meaningful celebration.

Both Mrs. Jane Hall, also a club adviser, and Ms. Zhang say that “the students are the ones who really make this celebration worthwhile.” 

For weeks, both teachers and students brainstormed ideas and contests for the celebration. 

Each club leader takes responsibility for a particular event during the celebration, making sure all leaders are involved. 

With 2021 continuing the virtual precautions, cooking traditional dishes together as a club is sadly not safe, but Ms. Zhang took the initiative to create step-by-step video recipes for multiple traditional Chinese dishes!

This was to encourage Chinese Club members to try making their own dishes.

All of the dishes prepared were shared during the New Year’s Celebration on Friday, February 12. 

It seems that even as our virtual world continues, celebrations also continue
Even if it is through a screen, the Chinese club is still celebrating.