Osseo Area Schools ISD 279: 8th Annual Asian New Year Celebration At Park Center Senior High School

Press release from the Osseo Area Schools ISD 279:

February 14, 2022

(Ken Vue performance)

New Years is a celebration among East and Southeast Asian cultures, and the Park Center Asian Club honored the tradition at the 8th annual Asian New Year on Feb. 5.

Timed with the lunar calendar, the Asian Club, led by five student leaders, spent more than four months planning and organizing to ensure voices in the Asian community were heard and represented. Their efforts did not go unnoticed with more than 230 online pre-registrations and at least 400 attendees.

“There is a big Hmong community, so I think being able to not only have a Hmong New Year but an Asian New Year that can represent cultures and ethnicities in our community is really important to me. I’m really big on Asian representation, and doing this for eight years is great,” said Lindsay Lee, graduating senior and public relations officer for Asian Club.

Lee, who is also a member of National Honor Society and enrolled in PSEO, networked with vendors to ensure an array of food, donations, and community support. It was important for her to get as much local support, so she enlisted the help of her mother who deepened relationships.

Students danced, sang, and strutted across a fashion runway to share aspects of their culture and identity. One student, Ken Vue performed individually while other students performed in groups including Horo5cope and Tub Ntxhais Hli Xiab. Lee, who is Hmong American, spent time learning a song in Korean.

(Lindsay Lee singing)

“I actually sang a song that I’ve loved for three years now. Practicing and knowing that I was going to perform it was really kind of scary because this was my first time performing it,” Lee shared.

The students involved with this successful celebration have rich futures ahead. Lee hopes to use her many talents and abilities to make a difference in the lives of others. She will be attending Stanford University and plans to give back to her community as an advocate and activist in health care equity.

This press release was produced by the Osseo Area Schools ISD 279. The views expressed here are the author’s own.