New Hampshire Chinese School - Culture students ring in Chinese New Year

By STEVE BODNAR, Telegraph Staff
sbodnar@nashuatelegraph.com Published: Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007 ENLARGE PHOTO

Staff photo by Corey Perrine
Emma Stone, 5, bottom, of Athol, Mass., rubs a golden pig’s nose for good luck while friend Naomi Kopser, 6, of Hollis and her mom, Julie, look on Saturday at a Chinese New Year celebration at the Red Leaf in Nashua.
Order this photo
NASHUA – Members of the New Hampshire Chinese School weren’t just celebrating the end of their semester Saturday afternoon. They were celebrating a new year – one filled with hope and cultural understanding.

Members of the school, along with their families and friends, gathered at the Red Leaf Fine Chinese and Japanese Restaurant to watch and participate in a Chinese New Year celebration that included a luncheon banquet, traditional Chinese song and dance routines, and educational performances.

The Chinese School is a nonprofit organization that caters to children, teens and adults who are interested Chinese culture. The school offers classes in Nashua, Manchester and Concord. Students often come from families who have adopted children from China – the leading source of international adoptions in the U.S. for several years.

For many families in attendance, the Chinese New Year – which doesn’t officially begin for another three weeks – was part of a bigger picture. These families want their adopted Chinese children to understand their heritage and culture.

Brian Stelmack and his wife, Becky, of Windham are two adult students from the Chinese school who performed at the celebration. They just completed a 15-week elementary level class that taught them the basics of Mandarin, a major Chinese dialect, and they showcased some of what they learned in a musical presentation. Their hope is to instill some Chinese culture in the child they plan to adopt from China this year.

Stelmack said that he and his wife hope to get a better grasp of Chinese language and culture so that they can share it with their future daughter out of respect.
“We’re going to mix our culture with her culture,” he said.

At the event, some families who have already adopted children from China said they are integrating cultural understanding into their child’s life.

About a year ago, Jim Burke and his wife, Michele, of Amherst adopted a baby girl from China, but didn’t want their daughter to grow up not knowing about her heritage, so they enrolled her in the New Hampshire Chinese School.

“It’s important for our daughter to celebrate her heritage,” he said, citing the New Year celebration as a great way for their 3-year-old daughter, Bailey, to participate in an event that is fun, educational and cultural.

Saturday’s Chinese New Year celebration also brought together families that look at themselves in a new light after adopting a Chinese child.

“We consider ourselves a Chinese-American family now,” said Julie Kopser, a Hollis resident who adopted a baby from China a few years ago with her husband, Matt.

Their daughter, Naomi, is now a three-year Chinese School member, and Kopser considers her enrollment and participation in events like the New Year celebration as a way to respect their daughter.

According to the school’s principal and founder, Desiree Wong – who started organizing the event months in advance – the New Year celebration isn’t just about cultural education.

“It’s about the hope that you have a better year with your family and friends,” she said.

Steve Bodnar can be reached at 594-6481 or sbodnar@nashuatelegraph.com.

Note: This article is quote from www.nashuatelegraph.com


Create an account