As we settle into 2018, the Lunar Calendar is just starting to welcome the new year. Mandarin Club at WA is hosting its New Year’s event in February.

This is the second year in a row that the Mandarin Club is having a celebratory event for Chinese New Year. The event will be held on Saturday, February 10 from 5-8:30 pm. The event will be filled with performances, raffles, and food catered by  Bamboo Westford. Tickets are $20 per adult, $15 per student and free for 3-year-olds and younger.

“Last year was pretty successful, we decorated the cafeteria and students and club members put on a whole bunch of different shows,” Ethan Thai, one of the club officers, said.

The Mandarin club is a relatively prominent club at WA, consisting of many members. The officers, along with Thai, are Joey Shen, Sophie Zhu, and Ariel Chen. The club has two major events every year: the holiday bazaar in which they sell Chinese food, and the Chinese New Year celebration.

One of the main attractions at the celebration this year will be the many performances that are going to be held. These will be performed by WA students along with a special performance by Chinese Folk Art Workshop Boston (CFAW).

CFAW showcases the beauty of Chinese folk art dances throughout the Boston and New England area; this is the first time that the group will perform at Westford Academy. The group is also certified by the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program as a gold youth organization.

Along with CFAW, some students will be playing music for the audience to enjoy. Juniors Anthony Ma and Chris He will be playing the cello, juniors Jacob Wang and Joey Shen will be playing the violin, and Joey Shen will also be performing on the piano.

Students will also be performing unique dances: junior Georgia Shen will be executing a folk dance, junior Viviany Morales will be performing a hip-hop dance, and senior Margaret Granger and junior Nicole Lombardi will be performing a modern dance.

“I hope people from the Westford community will have a great time together, learn more about China and Chinese culture,” Xue Zhenyan Li, the Mandarin teacher and club advisor, said.