CGS Celebrates The Year of The Rat

CGS was a VERY special place to be today. A huge thank you to the Zhang Family and the Wang Family for bringing so much culture to the school for Chinese New Year. We started the morning off with a Chinese New Year Dance Party with Zandée in the office and then moved down to the gym for the show. And what a show it was! Fan dancers (and sisters) Sophia and Sandrene Yu were incredibly graceful and colourful as they twirled and spun around the stage. Their beautiful performance was followed by Alexa’s grandfather, Professor Wang Shihua, who created several elegant calligraphy images for the Year of the Rat while the Grade 2/3’s narrated the story of how the Chinese zodiac story was created. It was a true multimedia performance. Marie was incredibly touched when the Professor presented her with a gorgeous framed piece of his work. (We have to clarify the exact translation of the characters but the gist is gratitude that CGS is such a wonderful place for children to learn and grow.) Next to take to the stage was Snow Bai to play the Erhu, a two-stringed bowed musical instrument sometimes referred to as the Chinese violin. Snow played us a sad song and a fast song that she said sounded sort of like horses running. Her fingers flew as she played! Thank you to Hong for bringing such amazing performers to the school. After the show, the children headed back to class for a special festive snack. The fun didn’t end there though – the Early Starts and Grade 2/3’s were extra lucky to do their own calligraphy in class. Alexa’s grandfather made Year of the Rat bookmarks for everyone and Max’s dad helped the Grade 2/3’s create their own Spring character painting. It was an amazing morning from start to finish, topped off by a Chinese lunch for the staff (more thanks to Hong). We are incredibly grateful to our generous CGS families for creating a truly unique cultural experience for all of us. We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Year of The Rat ahead. Gung Hay Fat Choy CGS!