St. Louis, Mo. (January 22, 2026) St. Louis Language Immersion School (SLLIS) is gearing up for its riveting two-part celebration of Chinese New Year on Feb. 17 and Feb. 27. For SLLIS students, the holiday represents a chance to dive deeper into the language they’re studying and goes beyond just written and spoken language. The school emphasizes cultural understanding to create well-rounded, global citizens.
SLLIS kicks off the celebration on the first day of the Lunar Calendar, which includes a full day of festivities at the school. Students will begin with a traditional dragon dance at the front entrance of SLLIS, where middle school students will hold the dragon and swing it as they walk down the street. Fifth-grade students will play the drums and perform festive music, and throughout the day, Chinese teachers will facilitate different cultural activities in their class. Students can expect paper cutting, calligraphy, cooking and more. Students conclude the day in traditional clothing, distributing candy during a parade around the entire school, and illustrating Chinese culture to French and Spanish students as well.
“There is a huge connection between culture and language,” SLLIS Middle School Teacher PeiYu Chuang said. “When students learn about Chinese New Year, they don’t just memorize vocabulary. They also learn about family values and traditions, such as reunion dinners and the red envelopes given to children with money in them. Learning culture is fun, keeps students engaged, and gives them real-world scenarios to practice speaking. It also helps them build a better understanding of Chinese people, whom they might meet during travel or business.”
The second part of the celebration on Feb. 27 is a performance program for parents and the community. Chinese Program students will decorate the gym and front lobby, and the students will perform cultural songs and dances, all while singing and speaking in Chinese. The students will also perform plays related to Chinese culture and history.
“These performances and activities are a great way to showcase our students’ abilities,” Chuang said. “They also give students who have been practicing for years a chance to utilize their language skills outside of a classroom setting. I don’t think the community knows everything we do here at SLLIS, and this is a great chance for people to come out and see just how special our students are.”
About St. Louis Language Immersion School
St. Louis Language Immersion School was founded in 2009 and is a charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade to the City of St. Louis. The school provides students with a world-class, global, dual language immersion education in French, Spanish or Chinese, taught by native speakers. The one of a kind school was named the 2024 Best Public Charter School in Missouri and plays an essential role in the fabric of the St. Louis community. For more information, go to www.sllis.org.