The hum of spinning string; the smoky, musky smell of wet ink; the vibrations of ancient Chinese music were some of the sights and smells of Jordan School District’s 5th annual Chinese New Year celebration as hundreds of community members filled Herriman High’s foyer and auditorium.

The celebration featured more than 20 cultural activities and 10 performances in an hour-long showcase that included student-produced short films and traditional lion and dragon dances. Students of all ages demonstrated language fluency, music and dance.

Herriman High student-musicians perform “Brave Spirit” during the Lunar New Year festivities. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)

“We work hard every day at school,” Mountain Creek Middle Chinese teacher Michael Lu said. “We created this event to have a platform for our students to shine, to use what they learn in the real world and to give back to the community because we get so much support from them.  Everyone is welcome here, no matter if they speak Chinese or not; we make this inclusive to everyone.”

Nearby, the Chinese yo-yo, also known as the Diabolo, whirled to life as Mountain Creek ninth-grader John Gundersen and his twin Eli demonstrated their skills for the event that brought together students from Eastlake Elementary, Mountain Creek Middle and Herriman High. 

John showed participants how the two hourglass-shaped cups, which are connected by an axle, could be spun and tossed on a string attached to two sticks.

“I learned to do this partly in class and I did a Chinese yo-yo camp over the summer,” he said. “I learned a lot of different tricks.”

While teaching others how to do it, John remembered being reluctant to pursue Chinese in elementary school.

“My parents forced me to do it in first grade,” he said. “I really wanted to quit in third grade. I hated it. I didn’t understand its significance, and I didn’t want to learn another language because it’s hard. I was behind so I was frustrated. In fourth grade, I started catching up to other students and now, it’s fun. I’m glad I stayed with it. My goal is to get fluent in it. I will do Chinese in high school and probably some after.”

Learning about the culture is one of John’s favorite parts of the dual immersion program.

“Before I was in middle school, I didn’t understand the concept of culture, how other countries are different from America since I have never been to another continent. Now, I can appreciate how this event brings it together,” he said.

Eastlake sixth-grader Lola Grunander was checking out the activities before helping teach participants how to use chopsticks.

“I do Chinese so I can learn more about China,” she said. “As I’m going around, I’m getting to speak Chinese to others. It’s fun being here with my friends doing everything.”

Lola was inspired to enroll in dual immersion by family members.

“Two of my cousins do it and my brother does it so I thought it would be fun if we all knew Chinese so we could talk to each other,” she said. “Writing and speaking are my favorite parts, but sometimes we learn science and history. It’s fun to learn different things in Chinese.”

Mountain Ridge and Riverton also hosted a Cultural Arts Festival at Riverton High in March. Organized by the two schools’ Chinese Club, the night featured a language competition and talent show.

Herriman High parent Michelle Gibney appreciated this opportunity for her daughter.

“It’s great that students are exposed to different languages and cultures,” she said. “My daughter loves her Chinese classes and this is a good way to share what they’ve been learning.”

Volunteer Piper Wise, who worked alongside volunteers Shirley Lim and Nancy Dresser, said the event continues to grow. After being at Mountain Creek last year, the celebration was hosted by the Mustangs at Herriman High – in time for the Year of the Horse — to better accommodate the crowd.

“The best thing about this is the community,” Wise said. “It makes me happy that all these siblings and kids grow up together in these classes learning about the culture. It’s like a giant family reunion.”

Tom Haraldsen contributed to this article.