BY JULIANNE MCSHANE
These students were not Lion
down on the job!
Spirited student-athletes
at a Gravesend middle school
took their auditorium’s stage
for a series of colorful dance
performances before their
parents and peers at a Lunar
New Year celebration on Feb.
12.
Members of the IS 228 Chinese
Dance Troupe donned
a striking yellow costume to
perform a traditional Lion
dance for the crowd, which is
thought to bring prosperity
and good luck.
The school’s cheerleaders
— dubbed the Tigers — followed
the Lion dance with
an acrobatic act, while other
dancers with the Chinese
troupe swept across the stage
in striking traditional outfi
ts. Dancers on the school’s
hip-hop team also got the
crowd onto their feet as they
moved to fast beats.
Adminstrators at the Avenue
S learning house, known
as the David Broody Jr. High
School, hosted the event in
honor of the Chinese New
Year, which offi cially began
on Feb. 5. New Year celebrations
traditionally last for 15
days, and this month’s festivities
marked the beginning of
the Year of the Pig, which in
the Chinese zodiac represents
wealth and treasure.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR
TO TEST YOUR CHILD
FOR LEAD
Lead in peeling paint
poisons children.
• Tell your landlord to fi x peeling paint. It’s the law.
• Wash fl oors, windowsills, hands, and toys often.
GET YOUR CHILD TESTED AT AGES 1 AND 2.
CALL 311 TO LEARN MORE OR VISIT nyc.gov/leadfree.
COURIER L 10 IFE, FEB. 22–28, 2019 M BR B G
SCHOOL SPIRIT: (From left) Members of IS 228’s Chinese dance troupe
swept across the stage during the school’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
Other kids dressed in a colorful costume to perform a traditional Lion
dance at the event. Athletes on the school’s cheerleading squad also
performed. Photos by Steve Solomonson
Kids dance into Lunar New Year
/leadfree