Silver Creek High School, in collaboration with the Asian-Pacific Association of Longmont (A-PAL), is set to host its 15th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration on February 22. The event will run from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Silver Creek High School, in Longmont, and is free and open to the public.
The celebration will include cultural performances, interactive activities, and educational exhibits to foster connection and appreciation for Asian traditions. It will open with the dragon parade, a lively procession featuring a flying dragon costume carried by 4th and 6th-grade volunteers. Leading the parade is 17-year-old Anna Longenecker, the ambassador and president of the Silver Creek Leadership Academy, a four-year program designed to help students reach their leadership potential.
Attendees will experience various cultural performances throughout the event, including martial arts demonstrations, K-Pop and Bollywood dance routines, Taiko drumming, and traditional Asian music and dance showcases. Visitors can also explore interactive games, a dragon boat race, cultural and educational booths, and Asian food sampling.
Since its inception in 2010, A-PAL has worked to bridge cultural and language gaps among Longmont’s Asian-American and immigrant communities. According to Colin Rickman, Director of Communications and Engagement at St. Vrain Valley Schools, the Lunar New Year event has grown significantly over the years, with attendance increasing from an average of 1,600 people pre-pandemic to more than 2,000 people in 2024, representing more than 90 ethnic backgrounds. Organizers expect an even greater turnout this year.
Beyond the celebration, the event provides leadership and mentorship opportunities for students across the St. Vrain Valley School District. Nearly 150 students will serve as project managers and event volunteers, gaining hands-on experience in event planning, leadership, public relations, and community engagement.
Carrie Adams, Silver Creek Leadership Academy Program Director, emphasized how much students enjoy being part of the event. “The kids love it,” she said. “This is a really great volunteer opportunity because it is super active and energetic and I think it helps [kids] see culture through a different lens.”
For Longenecker, that new perspective is what makes the experience so rewarding. One of her favorite activities offered at the event is brush painting, an art form she finds both peaceful and eye-opening. “It’s so satisfying, and you just get to learn how to brush paint in a different cultural way, which is so interesting and so cool to me,” she said. “It’s so different from the way that I see painting in my mind.”
The event also serves as a platform to strengthen partnerships with other schools in the district. Adams highlighted the importance of showcasing student performances beyond the celebration itself. “We’re going to advertise all of the other schools’ spring musicals,” she said. “While people are in the audience, they’re going to see teenagers perform and hopefully it will encourage them to go see a show at their own school or another.”
Students from Silver Creek High School, Niwot High School, Altona Middle School, Westview Middle School, Flagstaff Academy Charter School, Skyline High School, and Longmont High School will all participate in this year’s event.
For Adams, events like this demonstrate the strength of collaboration in public education. “Sometimes people don’t recognize the positive things that happen in public school,” she said. “We think partnerships like this can be really powerful in showcasing that.”
