BY KAYLEE WEINGARTEN
Student Life Editor
On February 20, the National Chinese Honor Society hosted the annual Lunar New Year Gala. Celebrating the year of the horse, students and members of the Old Bridge community ate traditional Chinese food, played games, and watched performances.
The night started with dinner catered by Wonton Guy, China Wok, and Wives Kitchen. “[My favorite part of the event was] seeing everyone connecting over great food, and fun traditions like the lion dance and Dragon dance that are as old as time,” said Fundraising Coordinator Raphael Capangpangan.
For entertainment, guests had the option to play traditional Chinese games, including yoyos and Chinese dancing handkerchiefs. “My favorite was the little games that they had next to the food,” said Ahrabella Pagano.
Later in the evening, performances by the K-Pop team, students, faculty, and Shenman Liao’s Mandarin Chinse classes wowed the crowd. “My favorite part was our performances this year!” said CHS President Adrianna Hui. “Our performers practiced very diligently, and I think it really shows.”
Aashi Raval, a member of the K-Pop group, helped prepare the team for their performance in the audition. “Usually, I am in charge of choreography and positions, and our other leaders work on outreach, the song mixes, and schedules,” said Raval.
Planning for this night started weeks in advance with CHS board members putting hours of hard work in. “It started as a solid plan within our executive board, special thanks to my co-president Lily and our event director Kerri for that,” said Hui. “Then, we launched into six weeks of rehearsals for our key performances, like Lion Dance and Dragon Dance.”
All of this planning made for a great night celebrating Chinese culture and the year of the horse. “It’s the biggest celebration in Chinese culture, and we wanted to bring that to Old Bridge,” said Hui. “It rings in good fortune and sets us up for a prosperous and successful year.”
Posted on March 24, 2026
Photos by Kaylee Weingarten
Knight Life 