Walter Panas High School Pre-K Students Celebrate Chinese New Year

Students in the Universal Pre-K Program at Walter Panas High School recently celebrated the Chinese New Year with a parade around the school hallways.

The pre-k students spent the last two weeks preparing for the parade. The preschool's teacher, Elizabeth Pezzulo, has overseen the integration of the parade into the social studies curriculum as part of the New York State Common Core. The students learned about various symbols in the Chinese culture and their meanings. Mrs. Pezzulo said she appreciates how the unit exposes the children to different cultures. The parade was the culmination of the students' work.

The highlight of the parade was the authentic dragon head that many students were able to march under. Additionally, students marched with lanterns and drums found in the Chinese culture. "The students were very excited to be able to show the high school staff and students," said Mrs. Pezzulo.

The pre-k program at Walter Panas HS has an AM and PM session with a total of 46 students.

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--Story by Emily Whelahan, Student Intern, Lakeand School District Communications Department