Tet Tradition Lives On At Monroe Elementary

James Monroe Elementary School celebrated the start of the Lunar New Year by hosting its 13th annual Tet Celebration with singing, dancing and a comedic magic show. Nga Nguyen's second graders hosted the event, welcoming a magician and other Garden Grove Unified School District students from Riverdale Elementary School and Los Amigos High School to share their talents.

LAHS Asian Student Union dancers headlined the hour by performing a traditional Chinese lion dance, which is believed to bring good fortune. Gifts, such as red envelopes with money and fruits, are given to the lions during the performance for luck. Closing the ceremony, students had the chance to "feed" oranges to the lions.

Nguyen began the "Tet Program" while teaching at Heritage Elementary School in Santa Ana years before joining Monroe because she wanted to teach her students the importance of embracing their own culture. "One of my students told me that she was embarrassed to wear an Aodai (a traditional Vietnamese garment)," Nguyen said. "I started this program to create cultural awareness but also, children are able to gain self-esteem as performers when they hear others cheering them on."